Hawkeye’s Best Moments in the Franchise, Ranked
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is filled with heroes of all shapes and sizes. Whether it be a gamma-irradiated monster or a god, heroes have come to save the world from the forces of evil. But this article focuses on the man who does it all with a bow and quiver of arrows. We’re focusing on Hawkeye, as played by Jeremy Renner. The agent of S.H.I.E.L.D (or Shield) who specializes in ranged attacks and taking down high-priority targets. We’ll be looking at the best moments of Clint Barton’s MCU run, from his debut in Phase One to his seeming retirement at the end of his limited series.
10 Taking Down Thor – Thor (2011)
Making his debut in Thor (2011), Hawkeye was stationed at a Shield site overlooking Mjilonir, the hammer of Thor that had fallen from the sky and proven immovable. Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth), now considered unworthy, breaks into the facility and fights the agents standing in his way as he looks to reclaim his hammer.
Hawkeye stands at the ready from an elevated position, and viewers get a tease of the archer’s humor, with Clint stating that unless he’s given the order to take Thor down, he may switch sides, beginning to empathize with the scrapper. Regardless, when Thor proves to be still unworthy, Hawkeye follows his orders and takes Odinson down, having barely twitched a finger.
9 Pietro – Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
This entry may be a cheat as we’re not looking at one moment, but rather a running gag from Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Throughout this film, Clint has a rivalry with the speedster Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Starting with the Avengers’ assault on Hydra, Quicksilver gets the trip on Clint, stating, “You didn’t see that coming?”
Clint would get payback against the speedster, reiterating the sarcastic quote. Towards the film’s finale, Clint attempts to save a young boy from one of Ultron’s (James Spader) machines. Taking the chance to kill the archer, Ultron sends a high-powered gun after Hawkeye, only for a car to appear and block Hawkeye and the child from harm. It would be revealed Pietro had moved the car to save his rival-turned-teammate at the cost of his own life. Stating once again that Clint “didn’t see that coming,” this would be the last time we saw this version of Quicksilver, with Clint honoring the young Avenger’s sacrifice by naming his newborn son after him.
8 “The Shot I Didn’t Take.” – Hawkeye (2021)
Throughout the franchise, Clint and Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) reference their time together as agents. While Clint has often been shown to be a loyal soldier to Shield and an expert marksman, he gives a surprising answer when Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) asks him for his best shot. Stating that it was the shot he didn’t take, Clint would explain that he was initially sent to kill Natasha, only to admit that he couldn’t follow through with it. He instead took Natasha back to Shield with him, where Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) recruited Natasha under the alias of Black Widow into Shield. This would lead to the two working together on numerous missions, including Budapest.
7 Family Bonding – Avengers: Endgame (2019)
After the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), Clint refuses to run away with the rest of the insurgents, instead opting to serve a house arrest so that he could live with his family in a quiet retirement. In the opening moments of Avengers: Endgame (2019), we are treated to a peaceful scene of Clint bonding with his children, teaching his oldest daughter how to shoot a bow and arrow.
When the young girl can hit the mark, he affectionately calls her Hawkeye, a tease that he may be open to passing on his legacy to the next generation. After his wife calls them in for dinner, Clint retrieves the arrow, only to turn and realize his entire family has been killed by Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) snap. The glimpse of the life Clint was able to lead after leaving super heroics behind before it was ripped away so swiftly sets the tone for the film that would be the capstone for many of the heroes in the MCU.
6 Ronin – Avengers: Endgame (2019)
After losing his family, viewers are jumped five years into the future. With the Avengers looking to regroup and potentially save everyone they lost, Natasha is sent to look for Hawkeye. Following a trail of dead gang members, Nat would go to Tokyo, where she would witness this masked figure slaughtering members of the Yakuza. Knowing this Ronin (or masterless samurai) to be Clint, Nat would speak to him, knowing that he found a purpose in taking down criminals. Believing it unfair that his family died while these criminals were allowed to live, Clint attempts to take justice into his own hands, but Nat gives him a renewed purpose with the promise that if their plan works, Clint can have his family back.
5 Revealing His Secret – Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
During his time with the Avengers, Clint is careful not to talk about his private life with the team. Although after Ultron, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson) effectively turn the public opinion of the team against them, they are forced to find an off-grid location to hide from the monster that can track them wherever they go.
Clint would take the team back to an unofficial location, where they discover a farm-like residence with plenty of space and no technology that Ultron is capable of hacking. They would also find that Clint is married with two children and a third on the way. Natasha was the only person other than Nick Fury to know this secret, with the kids calling her Auntie Nat. It would later be revealed that Laura Barton (Linda Cardellini) is a retired Shield agent known as Mockingbird, explaining how she and Clint initially connected.
4 Shooting Loki – The Avengers (2012)
While Clint may say his best shot was the one he didn’t take, many fans would point to the shot he took against Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in The Avengers (2012). This shot would be considered personal as Clint had spent the first half of the film under Loki’s mind control. Perched amongst the New York City skyline, Hawkeye would aim at the trickster god, timing his shot perfectly as the arrow sailed through the air, narrowly missing the many people and objects that would have obstructed its path. Loki would capture the arrow in his hand. It was revealed he had planned on Loki capturing the arrow, using a trick arrow that would explode in Loki’s face, setting him up to be dealt with by the other Avengers.
3 Inspiring Wanda – Captain America: Civil War (2016)
During the Avengers’ great battle with Ultron in the nation of Sokovia, Wanda and Pietro realized that Ultron planned on scorching the Earth and subsequently turned on him. Wanda had begun suffering a panic attack, blaming herself for the wanton destruction. Clint would start to give her an inspirational speech. Telling her that it didn’t matter whose fault it was, Clint states that he may only have a bow and arrow, but he will go out and fight. He assures Wanda that if she wants to stay behind, he will find her brother and send him for her, but if she stepped out the door and fought alongside them, she would be an Avenger. Wanda would then grow determined and use her powers to fight alongside the Avengers before officially joining the team.
2 The Vormir Decision – Avengers: Endgame (2019)
One of Clint’s hardest decisions would come when he and Natasha were sent to Vormir to gather the Soul Stone. Upon discovering that one cannot retrieve the stone without a great sacrifice, Clint tells Natasha that he is willing to do anything to get his family back, even if it means he wouldn’t be alive to see them.
Natasha would then begin to fight Clint, wishing to sacrifice herself so he could see his family at the war’s end. The two would use their weapons against each other, neither wishing the other to die. Clint managed to jump, but Nat used her grapple point to connect Clint to the cliff. Clint would attempt to hold on to Nat, not wishing to outlive another person he loves. Natasha would force him to let go, leading to one of the most emotional moments in the franchise.
1 Fighting Alongside Kate Bishop – Hawkeye (2021)
Throughout the Hawkeye limited series, Clint is again forced out of retirement when he discovers that a young woman (Kate Bishop) has donned his Ronin costume and is being hunted down by the Tracksuit Mafia. Initially telling Kate to go home and let him deal with the fallout, Clint would soon find himself bonding with the young archer, learning he had inspired her at a young age when she witnessed him in the battle against the Chitauri.
Clint would finally stand alongside Kate, with the two working together to take out members of the Mafia at an ice rink, in one of the most feel-good fight scenes in the series. The duo would work together to defeat their enemies using all sorts of trick arrows, including one infused with Pym Particles. Clint would even hand Kate an arrow in what could be considered a passing of the torch moment.