As the march toward Avengers: Doomsday starts to get shorter and the release date approaches, rumors and speculation are swirling (on top of confirmations) about what Marvel heroes might be appearing in the upcoming movie. Marvel itself already spoiled Chris Evans’ return at the start of the year, but now fans are starting to wonder about the likes of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and even Tobey Maguire, though their presence is far from confirmed at this time. A much rarer event than a rumor or confirmation of a character’s return, though, is the reveal from a Marvel star that they’re not in the movie. Samuel L. Jackson already offered one last week, and now we know another MCU star is not returning.
A recently resurfaced clip from a few weeks ago sees Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner addressing a potential appearance in Avengers: Doomsday. Though the MCU favorite was quick to dash hopes that he might secretly turn up, he took it a step further by noting that without his appearance, that means Earth’s mightiest heroes are doomed. “No, no, no, no. Not in that one,” Renner said. “Doomsday I’m not in, so The Avengers will probably lose, just so you know… they didn’t call me, so it’s their fault they’re going to lose.”
even hawkeye knows the avengers lose when he's not in the movie
#AvengersDoomsday pic.twitter.com/i81g9ewvti
Given Renner’s place on the team and how his character has grown since his first appearances, it’s a little surprising that he won’t appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Though Hawkeye began as something of a joke after his brief time on screen in The Avengers, he’s quickly become a fan-favorite, even anchoring one of the better-reviewed Disney+ shows from Marvel. That said, the cast for Avengers: Doomsday is already quite packed, and it seems like it would be easy for them to just run out of room.
The funny thing about Renner’s comments is that…he may be right, and the Avengers might lose without him, especially because there’s precedent for it. We already know Avengers: Doomsday will lead to Avengers: Secret Wars, which has Marvel fans bracing for the very real possibility that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom wins and will set up a cliffhanger that will continue in the next movie. More important than that, though, is the precedent of Renner’s involvement in the previous Avengers movies.
A key part of both The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, it’s worth noting that the teams “won” each of their conflicts in these movies when Renner’s Clint Barton was part of the team. Avengers: Infinity War went the other way, though, with no Hawkeye to be found and the biggest L that the team has ever taken occurring. Renner returned for Avengers: Endgame, of course, and as we know, the Avengers came out victorious. With no Hawkeye in Avengers: Doomsday, will the trend continue? And did Jeremy Renner just spoil it?
Avengers: Doomsday premieres on December 18. Do you think Renner is being truthful about not appearing in the film? Or is the team doomed without Hawkeye? Sound off in the comments below and let us know.
