It’s hard to imagine the MCU without the wise cracking, family-oriented, and lovable Hawkeye. But rumours have started to surface that actor Jeremy Renner might be on the out after allegations of abuse came to light from his ex-wife.
Just because you’re married doesn’t mean it will last forever. Marvel actor Jeremy Renner aka Hawkeye knows this all too well. He was once married to Sonni Pacheco and has a six-year-old daughter, Ava with her. However, after a year, they split and had shared custody.
In recent weeks, things have taken a turn with Pacheco accusing Renner of crimes including drug use and alcohol use, and domestic abuse. According to TMZ, she even accuses her ex-husband of sexually abusing their little girl. Jeremy has fired back, his former wife of lying and looking for a cash grab given his massive income from the Marvel films he’s done.
Rumours have started to surface that Marvel might be reconsidering what they’ll do with the Hawkeye character going forward. Since these allegations have come out, fans have asked what’ll happen with Hawkeye now?
Theory One: Recasting
One theory fans have seen floating around is the idea of recasting the role. Due to Renner being awesome in the role, we need to face the possibility of someone else becoming Clint.
If this happens, it wouldn’t be the the first time a recast has happened. Remember when Terrence Howard played Rhodey in the first Iron Man way back in 2008?
After a few obstacles which includes an apparent dispute with Robert Downey Jr, he left the role. Don Cheadle replaced him and no one noticed the change.
At the same time, the role of Bruce Banner/Hulk was recast for the first Avengers flick and later films with Mark Ruffalo who took over from Edward Norton.
If Renner is cut and his character is recast, the earliest they will be able to debut the new Clint is in the Disney+ series, Hawkeye. The show will also introduce another archer, Kate Bishop who becomes his student.
However, the explanation in the next film that Clint would feature in after the series mightn’t sit well with most people. The reason for this is because fans are accustom to Renner as Marvel’s answer to Oliver Queen.
It was different with Rhodey and Bruce because the MCU was only new at the time. Plus, they’d only appeared in one film each as only two movies had been released.
Also it was a couple of years after Iron Man and Hulk had their own solo features and it wouldn’t have crossed people’s minds that they’d recast. Unlike his fellow male Avengers, Clint hasn’t had his own solo project. He’s appeared in enough films for fans to recognise him.
Theory Two: Passing Reference/Written Out
Clint’s protégé, Kate Bishop also assumes the moniker of Hawkeye.
The upcoming Hawkeye series on Disney+ was meant to see Barton training Kate to be his successor. However, the allegations against Renner might force a redirection for the show. There’s a few ways this could happen.
The first idea is the series could focus solely on Kate and not both her and Clint. Going with this idea could also mean that Renner’s character is referenced in passing as an inspiration for Bishop to become a hero.
A second idea could include ignoring him completely, bringing on the Randy Cunningham syndrome scenario. It’s doubtful that Kevin Fiege will allow that to happen especially when the character has such a large fanbase.
Theory Three: Death
This might be a little predictable but it’s also an effective way to dispose of a character. Clint could die at some point off-screen. We know during the Snap he developed a long list of enemies when he took up the mantle of Ronin.
What if one of his enemies came after him and killed him to get revenge for Barton slaughtering one of their own? There’s a billion ways to have a character die, but this would be overkill if it happens.
However, there’s an issue with this theory. With Thor and Hulk being the only other original Avengers remaining outside of Clint, it will need to be explained how he died. Though, they might not do an entire monologue about it. After all, the Russos killed off Peggy Carter without warning in Captain America: Civil War. Though, she was 95 years old at that point.
Conclusion
Losing Renner could cause issues with the fanbase who would be understandably upset at yet another OG Avenger biting the dust. However, we need to consider the stress the studio is currently under. They’ve got one of their leading stars in a load of trouble.
We saw them fire James Gunn, but didn’t bother looking for another director for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 before they reinstated him after about six months. This could happen to Renner too. We’ll just need to wait and see what happens. It’s possible that nothing will occur and the actor remains in the franchise.
What do you think will happen to Hawkeye if Jeremy Renner is fired? Let us know in the comments below! We’d love to hear your thoughts! Want more Marvel goodness? Be sure to subscribe to the blog and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @cjhawk93 on all platforms.
