Clint Barton (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Clint Barton | |
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Marvel Cinematic Universe character | |
First appearance | Thor (2011) |
Based on | |
Adapted by | |
Portrayed by | Jeremy Renner |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Clinton Francis Barton |
Aliases |
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Occupation |
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Affiliation |
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Weapon | |
Family | Edith Barton (mother) |
Spouse | Laura Barton |
Children |
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Nationality | American |
Clinton Francis Barton is a fictional character portrayed by
Barton becomes a founding member of the
Barton's first appearance was a brief cameo in Thor (2011), but he became a central figure of the MCU, appearing in six films as of 2023 and has the lead role in the miniseries Hawkeye (2021).[4]
Alternate versions of Barton from within the multiverse also appear in the animated series What If...? (2021), with Renner reprising the role.[5]
Fictional character biography
Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Barton, working as a
In 2010, Barton is sent on a mission in
Battle of New York
In 2012, Barton is working at a remote S.H.I.E.L.D. research facility with Fury when
Age of Ultron
In 2015, Barton and the Avengers attack a
Barton, Romanoff, and Rogers travel to
Sokovia Accords
In 2016, Barton returns from retirement to help Rogers in his opposition to
Ronin and the Time Heist
In 2018, Barton, still on house arrest, enjoys a picnic with his family, but is caught off-guard when Laura, Lila, Cooper, and Nathaniel suddenly
In 2023, Barton travels to
Meeting Kate Bishop
In 2024, Barton, now wearing a hearing aid, spends time with his children in New York City for Christmas, attending a Broadway theatre musical called Rogers: The Musical. Barton leaves early due to being bothered by the portrayal of the Battle of New York and reminders of Romanoff. That night at his hotel, he learns from local news that someone has acquired his Ronin suit and is fighting the Tracksuit Mafia while wearing it. After rescuing the disguised individual from the Mafia, he unmasks the individual and finds out it is a young woman named Kate Bishop, a skilled archer who grew up idolizing him after he unknowingly saved her during the Battle of New York.
Barton goes with Bishop back to her apartment and meets
Investigating the Tracksuit Mafia
Barton, accompanied by Bishop and Lucky, obtains a new hearing aid and then goes to the penthouse of Bishop's mother, Eleanor, to learn more about the Tracksuits using her mother's company's database. However, Bishop gets locked out of her mother's account, and Barton is confronted by
The next day, Barton locates Lopez's lieutenant, Kazi Kazimierczak, and demands he convince Lopez to end her vendetta against Ronin. Afterwards, Laura informs Barton that a
Hunted by Lopez and Belova
Barton takes shelter at the apartment of his new friend,
Barton watches a video Belova sent Bishop and learns that Eleanor killed Armand and set up Duquesne to take the fall. On Christmas Eve, Barton and Bishop attend Eleanor's holiday party at Rockefeller Center. Kazi attempts to assassinate Eleanor on Fisk's order, but later targets Barton. Barton enlists the help of Grills and the LARPers to evacuate the party guests, then later rejoins Bishop and defeats the Tracksuit Mafia. Bishop later departs to look for Eleanor, while Barton is confronted by Belova, who demands the truth of Romanoff's death. Barton complies but the struggle leads to a fight in which Barton eventually convinces Belova to stand down and spare his life. In the aftermath, Eleanor is arrested by the police for Armand's murder, while Fisk manages to escape but is later shot by Lopez. On Christmas Day, Barton departs New York in a car with Bishop and Lucky. Once home, he introduces Bishop and Lucky to his family, witnesses his children opening their presents, returns the stolen watch, a S.H.I.E.L.D. memento, to his wife Laura, and later burns the Ronin suit with Bishop.
Alternate versions
Other versions of Barton are depicted in the alternate realities of the MCU multiverse.
2012 variant
In an alternate 2012, Barton and the Avengers fight off the Chitauri army in the Battle of New York. After defeating Loki at Stark Tower, he and Romanoff give Loki's scepter to
What If...? (2021–present)
Several alternate versions of Barton appear in the animated series What If...?, with Renner reprising his role.
- In an alternate 2012, Barton and Fury encounter Captain Carter coming through a portal via the Tesseract. Later, he joins the Avengers, consisting of Carter, Romanoff, Thor, Stark, and Hope van Dyneand fights during the Battle of New York.
- In an alternate 2011, Barton is framed for killing Thor in New Mexico by Hank Pym, who forces him to accidentally shoot Thor. Pym then kills Barton in his holding cell.
- In an alternate 2018, Barton goes with the Avengers to Ultron, but are killed after Ultron uses the Infinity Stones to obliterate the planet.
- In an alternate 2015, Barton and Romanoff become the only survivors following a cataclysmic event instigated by Ultron. His right arm is replaced by Arnim Zola's mind, which they hope to upload onto Ultron's hive mind and eliminate him. This plan backfires as Ultron was not in their universe, prompting Barton to sacrifice himself to the pursuing Ultron sentries for Romanoff and Zola to escape.
- In an alternate 2014 on Christmas Eve, Barton and Banner are at an Avengers toy action store dealing with crowds as Barton takes the last Iron Man action figure for his wife. He and Banner later regroup with Stark, Rogers, and Romanoff to return to Avengers Tower where they attack the Freak before learning he is Hogan and that Justin Hammer had attacked the Tower. After Hammer is apprehended, the team prepares for the annual Christmas party.
Concept and creation
Barton, with the alter ego of Hawkeye, was first introduced in Marvel comic books as a reluctant villain, in Tales of Suspense #57 (September 1964). After two more appearances as a villain in Tales of Suspense #60 and #64 (December 1964 and April 1965), Hawkeye joined the ranks of the Avengers in Avengers #16 (May 1965). He then became a perennial member of the team.
In the mid-2000s, Kevin Feige realized that Marvel still owned the rights to the core members of the Avengers, which included Barton. Feige, a self-professed "fanboy", envisioned creating a shared universe just as creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had done with their comic books in the early 1960s.[6] After initially offering the role of Barton to Jensen Ackles, who had auditioned for the part of Captain America, Marvel hired Jeremy Renner to portray the character on screen.[7]
Much of Clint's background and characterization in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was inspired by his Ultimate Marvel incarnation, particularly him being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and secretly having a wife and three children. His origin story in Earth-616 of him being a circus performer and former criminal trained by Swordsman is not included, though several elements of this version are implemented such as him becoming Ronin and eventually requiring hearing aids.[8] His story and characterization in the Hawkeye television series were primarily influenced by Matt Fraction's 2012 comic run with the character.[9]
Characterization
A master archer working as an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D.[10][11] Renner said it was a very physical role and that he trained physically and practiced archery as much as possible in preparation.[12] About the role, Renner said, "When I saw Iron Man, I thought that was a really kick-ass approach to superheroes. Then they told me about this Hawkeye character, and I liked how he wasn't really a superhero; he's just a guy with a high skill set. I could connect to that".[13] Regarding Hawkeye's sniper mentality, Renner said, "It's a lonely game. He's an outcast. His only connection is to Scarlett's character, Natasha. It's like a left hand/right hand thing. They coexist, and you need them both, especially when it comes to a physical mission".[13] Renner said Hawkeye is not insecure about his humanity. "Quite the opposite, he's the only one who can really take down the Hulk with his [tranquilizer-tipped] arrows. He knows his limitations. But when it comes down to it, there has to be a sense of confidence in any superhero".[14] Renner earned $2–3 million for his role in The Avengers.[15]
Renner almost appeared in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier in an extended cameo apprehending Steve Rogers, but was cut from the film by the directors due to his schedule conflicts.[16]
Whedon said that Hawkeye interacts more with the other characters in Age of Ultron, as opposed to the first Avengers film where the character had been "possessed pretty early by a bad guy and had to walk around all scowly".[17] As the character did not appear in any other of Marvel's Phase Two films, Whedon stated Age of Ultron sheds light on to what the character was doing since the end of The Avengers.[18] Renner described the character as "kind of a loner" and "a team player only 'cause he sort of has to be. He's not really a company man. Captain America can be that guy. In [Age of Ultron] you'll understand why [Hawkeye] thinks the way he thinks".[19]
In March 2015, Renner was revealed to be reprising his role as Barton in Captain America: Civil War.
In April 2019, a limited series focused on Barton's character was reported to be in development, with the plot involving Barton passing the mantle of Hawkeye to Kate Bishop.[27] The series was officially announced at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con, with the plot taking place following the events of Avengers: Endgame. Hawkeye premiered in November 2021,[28] with Jonathan Igla serving as the series' showrunner.[29] In September 2019, Hailee Steinfeld was announced to be portraying Kate Bishop.[30] The series further explores the character's time as Ronin.[31] Renner said that meeting Kate Bishop brings "an onslaught of problems" into Barton's life,[32] as Barton does not understand her obsession with him.[33]
Reception
Polly Conway of Common Sense Media found Barton to be a positive role model across Hawkeye, writing, "Hard work, perseverance, and courage are all clear themes. You are not defined solely by your past choices and mistakes. [...] Although they have to make many sacrifices to do so, the heroes are fighting for the greater good. They demonstrate courage, teamwork, and perseverance."[34] Michael Walsh of Collider included Barton in their "10 Best Non-Powered Characters In The MCU" list, saying, "Clint is easily the most grounded of The Avengers, operating without superpowers and with a loving family waiting for him to return home at the end of each mission."[35] Chris E. Hayne of GameSpot ranked Barton 18th in their "38 Marvel Cinematic Universe Superheroes" list, writing, "While he's one of the original Avengers, he's also the least spectacular member of the team. That said, the standalone Hawkeye series on Disney+ did a lot of rehab of the character and, dare we say, we're going to miss Clint if he is indeed retired."[36] Bradley Prom of Screen Rant ranked Barton 6th in their "10 Best Spies & Covert Agents" list, claiming that "his proficiency with the bow and arrow is what set him apart, and made him so deadly."[37]
Samy Amanatullah of Screen Rant described Renner's portrayal of Barton as one of the casting decisions that helped the MCU, stating that "Renner channels the right amount of cynicism and earnestness to simultaneously shut down fan criticisms, recognize the ridiculousness of the premise, and somehow make it relatable."[38] Kaitlin Thomas of TVLine found Renner's portrayal of Barton across Hawkeye funny and entertaining, stating, "Renner's performance in Hawkeye, whether he's playing the role of tired dad, nailing unexpected punchlines with pin-point accuracy, or making viewers laugh as an exasperated man attending a LARPing event in New York City, elevates the series beyond the basic thesis of a man torn between his family and doing the right thing."[39] Jonny Hoffman of MovieWeb ranked Renner's performance in Hawkeye 7th in their "Jeremy Renner's Best Performances" list, writing, "In the Hawkeye series, Renner proves that he has what it takes to lead a superhero series through his performance and physicality. [...] Renner dives into a range of emotion throughout the series and proves that he is one of the greatest action stars working."[40]
Accolades
Year | Recipient(s) | Award | Category | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | The Avengers | People's Choice Awards | Favorite On-Screen Chemistry (with Scarlett Johansson) | Nominated | [41] |
MTV Movie Awards | Best Fight (with cast) | Won | [42] | ||
2016 | Captain America: Civil War | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Chemistry (with cast) | Nominated | [43] |
2017 | Kids' Choice Awards | #Squad (with cast) | Nominated | [44] | |
2019 | Avengers: Endgame | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | [45] |
2022 | Hawkeye | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male TV Star (Family) | Nominated | [46] |
Impact
The character has been the subject of various jokes including
After being excluded from marketing of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), fans of both Renner and the character—as well as those who ridiculed his "sidelined" appearances—drew attention to his absence. This was acknowledged by Renner on Instagram. A change.org petition demanding his inclusion in promotional material received over a thousand signatures.[49] In an interview with Gizmodo's io9, producer Kevin Feige said that, as it drew attention to the character, he believed that the prevalent discussion "was one of the best things that ever happened to Hawkeye."[53] The character did not appear in Infinity War, but was among the main cast in its sequel, Avengers: Endgame (2019).
In 2019, a satirical Reddit post went viral, comparing the ratio of the Avengers' wins in battles with Barton then without him—where they lost in all such cases.[54]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b As depicted in Black Widow (2021).
- ^ As stated by Barton during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
References
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- ^ Raymond, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Hawkeye's Marvel Show Explains Why He Used A Sword In Endgame". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
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External links
- Clint Barton on Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki, an external wiki
- Clint Barton on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki
- Clint Barton on Marvel.com