Jeremy Renner: The creative minds of Marvel fans come up with far more interesting ideas than the actual truth

The actor, who is all set to return to the fabled superhero team in Avengers: Endgame, the culmination of more than 20 Marvel films, talks about his place in the Avengers
Jeremy Renner: The creative minds of Marvel fans come up with far more interesting ideas than the actual truth

Hawkeye is all set to return to the fabled superhero team in Avengers: Endgame, the culmination of more than 20 Marvel films. A man among seeming immortals, Clint Barton/Hawkeye perhaps best represents humanity and what a man can become capable of in the face of danger to his family. Jeremy Renner, in this brief conversation, talks about Hawkeye’s place in the Avengers, and why such characters are a sign of great writing.

A son of a god. A man who turns into a near-indestructible super-machine. Another who transforms into an invincible green monster. Where does Hawkeye, a mortal armed with a bow and an arrow, fit among such characters?

In the mosaic of what you just mentioned, the weakness of Clint Barton (Hawkeye) is quite obvious, isn’t it? Thor has a hammer, the Hulk can smash… But we must note that every one of these characters has a weakness. Every single one of them. And that’s the point of it all. It’s when we all get together that we can try to be invincible. That’s the power of the collective, and the beauty of the Marvel universe. When you create characters – heroes — who are also flawed, it’s a sign of great screenwriting.

In the Age of Ultron, Clint’s wife, Laura says, “They are gods, and they need someone to keep them down to earth.” Is that a fair assessment of Hawkeye’s purpose in the team?

It’s a part that’s not particularly flashy, is it? It may not be flashy at all, but the Endgame is what we are all doing our bits for.

You are on and off from the franchise, and it’s tempting to draw a parallel with your character who, in a way, seems to question his own sense of belonging in the Avengers.

(Laughs) It’s always there, and I think, first got established when Clint’s family got written into Ultron. His family was a secret he hid from the Avengers. Personally, for me as an actor, that entire angle is like a gift from the writers. I’m grateful.

While Clint’s family may have been kept a secret from the rest of the Avengers, Black Widow, with whom he shares a close relationship, was always in the know, wasn’t she? In the first Avengers film, there’s hint of an important shared past — of a significant mission that occurs in Budapest. Will we ever get to know more about it?

I think the creative minds of fans come up with far more interesting ideas than the actual truth. (Laughs) And as for the actual truth, to be honest with you, I don’t know. I really don’t; I couldn’t tell you. But seeing all these ideas fans come up with, they are far more interesting. Always.

Do you think Clint struggles with the conflict of being a family man, and yet, having to repeatedly risk his life for the Avengers? He did retire from superhero duties at the end of Ultron.

He’s a hero, a superhero, if you will. He’s got all these strengths, and the question is, what happens when you mess with a man’s family?

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