Hawkeye has always been viewed as the Lame Avenger. In fact, after playing him in The Avengers, Jeremy Renner tried to get the producers to kill off his character so he wouldn’t have to play him anymore. Marvel Studios didn’t oblige him but instead elected to give Clint Barton more depth in Age of Ultron by revealing that the Avenger had a family.

Suddenly, he didn’t seem as boring anymore but that wasn’t the start of an epic story for the character. Instead he continued to plod along as a side character with barely any character development whatsoever. And even though Endgame unleashed a new side of him when he became a killing machine under the new alias Ronin after the loss of his family, his story was still sidelined to make way for the more “important” characters.

Unlike Loki, who has been a fan-favorite since his debut in Thor, Hawkeye has never truly gained the full respect of the Marvel fandom. In fact, for a long time, Hawkeye was the Disney+ series fans were least excited to see…even under Ms. Marvel. But I have a feeling that’s about to change.

(And it’s not because Yelena Belova’s going to play a role in it!)

Continue reading Is Phase 4 Finally About to Give Hawkeye The Story He Deserves? →