After 22 films across 11 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is so huge by now that there are countless heroes, villains and supporting characters of all shapes and sizes vying for space and not every one of our favorite characters gets the amount of screen time they might deserve. Still, it’s surprising to discover that a hero who’s been with the franchise since Phase One has seen less time in the spotlight than one who only debuted three years ago.
Following Avengers: Endgame, one fan has put together a chart of the top 16 MCU characters in order of screen time. It makes for a fascinating comparison to see how much certain heroes have been on screen and how little others have. Iron Man and Captain America naturally top the ranking, with 384 and 276 minutes apiece. Rounding out the bottom of the list, though, is Hawkeye, with just 69.5 minutes to his name. It’s surprising to note that Spider-Man is half the way up the table from Clint Barton, clocking in at 93 minutes.
Have a look for yourself below:
Another surprise is who nestles in at number five on the ranking: Ant-Man, with 136 minutes. He just scrapes in before Black Widow, who has 129 minutes. This will undoubtedly switch soon, though, when Scarlett Johansson’s solo movie arrives, meaning Natasha Romanoff will slot in beside the rest of the founding Avengers while Hawkeye wallows much further down the table.
Then again, he might also find himself climbing up a few rungs on the ladder if one report turns out to be true. Variety claimed last month that Jeremy Renner is due to return for a Hawkeye Disney Plus TV series, which would see the retired agent hand his bow and arrow over to Kate Bishop’s teenage archer. No official announcement has been made as yet, though, unlike the news on the Loki, Falcon and Winter Soldier and WandaVision shows.
Despite his lack of screen time across the MCU, at least Avengers: Endgame gave Clint a solid arc, as we saw him reduced to grief-driven rage, lose his closest friend in Natasha and finally get some closure when his family were resurrected. Still, a Renner return in the future would be more than welcome.
