The Best Hawkeye Appears in ‘Age of Ultron’ According to Fans
At first glance, it may seem like Hawkeye doesn’t change that much in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s a highly skilled archer with very high-tech weaponry, and he lasts much longer in a fight than one might expect him to.
The only significant visual makeover he got in the movies was in Avengers: Endgame, when he became a vigilante called Ronin, having been despondent ever since the snap took everyone in his family but him. However, some fans also stump for the version of him in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which some would argue is underrated as a whole.
How does Hawkeye stand out in ‘Age of Ultron?’
A fan poll on Reddit asks which movie Hawkeye was best in. Unsurprisingly, his Ronin appearance in Endgame tops the poll, but coming in a very close second is Age of Ultron.
That movie has a reputation as the unfairly dismissed Avengers chapter, so in the popular imagination, Hawkeye doesn’t stand out. The fans, however, have a different perspective.
Fans pointed out how he supported Wanda, whose first film that was, and who was uncertain about fighting on the hero’s side, given her shady reputation. Wanda probably reminded Hawkeye of Black Widow to some extent, so he tells her, “Doesn’t matter what you did, or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. Stay in here, you’re good, I’ll send your brother to come find you. But if you step out that door, you are an Avenger.”
One fan said, “AoU will always be his shining moment for me. His family moments were beautiful, along with his brotherly love for Natasha, his speech to Wanda, and his funny lines during the hammer scene.”
Another fan added, “Age of Ultron, for all its faults, probably has the most development for Hawkeye, and the most screen time where he’s doing stuff and being a hero throughout the film. I think that’s probably why it’s rated more highly here.
Will we see more of Ronin Hawkeye?
As much love as Ultron’s Hawkeye got, the Endgame version still came out on top. To many viewers’ surprise, that movie opened on a relatively quiet note, with Hawkeye and his family having a picnic before half the world disappears. Except for a quick shot of dust, we don’t see his family disappear. We see the scene from Hawkeye’s perspective, and that only makes it more chilling.
One fan said of that appearance, “It’s not even close for me… Endgame by far. He was my least favourite avenger in almost every other movie he was in before that.” Another fan added, “Endgame when he was killing all the yakuzas was the best. The haircut, not so much.”
What made that incarnation of Hawkeye all the more fascinating was that it took a long time for the comics to connect the dots between Hawkeye and Ronin.
The original Hawkeye died in a Kree invasion. Ronin made his appearance shortly after that, but fans had no idea who this was supposed to be, with some guessing it was a new version of Daredevil. Through a complicated series of twists and turns that only makes sense in the comics, Ronin became a new take on Hawkeye.
Is the Hawkeye show delayed after all?
The Disney+ series based on Hawkeye has prompted a number of surprising headlines. First, people raised eyebrows that it would cost $200 million. Then there were concerns that it would be delayed due to issues with Jeremy Renner’s personal life. Marvel insisted the series was not delayed and still on track for a 2021 bow. Renner even posted on social media that it was time to start stretching.
Then along came the pandemic, which threw all of Hollywood into chaos, along with the rest of the rest of the world.
Marvel shifted its movies, essentially moving each title three or four months back. However, there has been no announcement of the shows as of early April. Given that production is shut down on everything, Hawkeye might have to wait beyond 2021.
