Retiring his mighty crossbow, Jeremy Renner took a seat in the dug-out for Marvel’s Phase Two. Many were saddened to lose out on across-the-room-gazes with Black Widow, but fear not, he’ll be back for Avengers: Age Of Ultron. And, it seems, Captain America 3.
But does the man harbour any ill feelings about his exclusion from the second stage? In an interview with MTV, it seems that no, he’s perfectly fine with it. In fact, Renner’s thoughts on Hawkeye’s future reveal a refreshing candour to the actor’s career and his character’s prospects. In a climate where every Marvel character’s stand-alone potential is discussed with the intensity of a G8 summit, Renner isn’t striving for his own franchise:
“I’m happy to do the ensemble. I’m not scratching or clawing for a solo mvoie by any means. I think [Hawkeye] is a utility guy that can bounce around into other people’s universes a little bit, especially like Cap 3.”
There’s no real argument to be had. An intensely likeable member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hawkeye has never stood out as a character that simply needs his own movie. That sort of chatter should be reserved strictly for Black Widow. Her appearance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the subsequent praise lavished upon Scarlett Johansson should have cemented a definite yes from Marvel head, Kevin Feige.
Of course, the meatiest throwaway comment from Renner is his reference to Hawkeye’s involvement in Captain America 3. The Russo Brothers, who helmed the second instalment, have recently finished the script that’s apparently set to contain another jaw-dropping blow for the entire phase. Has Renner been given a sneak peek? We’d say that’s a strong possibility. Either that, or he’s previously been contracted to appear.
You can catch Renner’s badass archer in Avengers: Age Of Ultron on May 1st, 2015 and in Captain America 3 on May 6th, 2016.