A few weeks ago, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said that the upcoming Avengers: Endgame will be primarily focused on the original six heroes from Marvel’s Phase 1. And while most of the marketing seems to have put Iron Man and especially Captain America at the forefront of the action, there’s reason to believe that Hawkeye may also play a crucial role in the plot.
Having sat out Avengers: Infinity War, this month’s sequel sees Clint Barton returning to the fray for the first time since his supporting role in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. In a recent Endgame press conference, Jeremy Renner was asked what it was like to be back with the Avengers, and his answer was intriguingly reserved.
“I feel good,” Renner said. “I feel rested. Yeah, I’m good. Stretched out, had some coffee, ready to rock.”
While it’s not a particularly revealing answer, a new piece from ComicBook.com argues that his lack of detail shows that Renner very much has something to hide. Similarly, executive producer Trinh Tran seemed at a loss for words when asked about Hawkeye’s role in the story.
“That’s the costume,” Tran said, pointing to the Avengers: Endgame poster beside her. “I’m trying to figure out a way not to spoil it. He has a new costume. Look, it’s an exciting direction for him. It’s something we haven’t ever done before. And, you know, he was missing in action in Infinity War, so, we wanted to do something different, in that sense.”
Even by the standards of Endgame-related answers, these are some vague responses, suggesting that Clint has some pretty big spoilers in his story.
While we only have a couple more weeks to find out just what they’re hiding, the most popular theory about Clint has long been that his family was killed in the snap, driving him to adopt his moodier Ronin persona. There’s also been some speculation that the Hawkeye title might pass on to a younger newcomer, such as Kate Bishop from the comics.
Then again, maybe it’ll turn out that Renner is only in this movie for the sake of staging a Phase 1 reunion. Either way, all will be revealed when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26th.