Jeremy Renner’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe appears increasingly limited, as new reporting suggests Marvel Studios is preparing to move forward without Clint Barton — and has already identified his successor.
Renner last appeared as Barton in the Disney+ series Hawkeye. Since then, the character has not returned in any substantive way, aside from archival footage briefly used in Echo. No new appearances have been announced.
As Marvel continues laying out its next phase, that absence has stood out. Several original Avengers are set to return in upcoming crossover films, but Renner’s name has not appeared in any official casting announcements.
Clint Barton was introduced in Thor (2011) as a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative under Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. The character quickly became a mainstay, appearing in The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), where his role expanded to include his family and personal life.
Marvel leaned more heavily into Barton’s emotional arc in Avengers: Endgame (2019), which centered on his grief and transformation into the vigilante Ronin. By the film’s conclusion, Barton was positioned closer to retirement than to more Avengers adventures.
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That direction continued in Hawkeye, which paired Barton with Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld. The series framed Bishop as an eager and capable successor, with Barton increasingly operating as a mentor rather than a frontline hero.
The show ended with Barton returning home to his family, while Bishop remained in New York, still active. No continuation was announced at the time.
Marvel Shifts Hawkeye to Kate Bishop
According to industry insider @JamesMackwl, Marvel Studios is now developing a second season of Hawkeye that would remove Clint Barton from the central role and place Kate Bishop firmly in the lead.
“The idea is to have Kate Bishop as the protagonist, without Clint this time,” Mack said. “This would be Clint Barton’s definitive send-off (possibly a death, I honestly don’t know).”
Marvel has not confirmed a second season. However, Steinfeld has also been largely absent from the MCU since Hawkeye, aside from a brief post-credits appearance in The Marvels (2023), which hinted at a younger generation of heroes.
That scene appeared to position Bishop alongside Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, suggesting future plans centered on younger legacy characters rather than original Avengers.
Renner, meanwhile, has not been announced as part of Avengers: Doomsday (2026) or Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), despite several of his longtime co-stars returning.
The actor has previously spoken about stalled negotiations with Disney. In an interview with High Performance, Renner said he was offered “half” of his Season 1 salary to return for Hawkeye Season 2.
“I’m like, ‘Well, it’s going to take me twice the amount of work for half the amount of money, and eight months of my time, essentially, to do it for half the amount,’” Renner said.
He questioned whether his January 2023 snowplow accident factored into the decision. “Did you think I’m only half the Jeremy because I got ran over?” he said.
Marvel Studios has not commented on Renner’s status or confirmed Bishop as Hawkeye’s replacement. However, current reporting suggests the transition may already be underway.
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