A new photo from Avengers 4 actor Jeremy Renner's social media confirms that bowman Clint Barton aka. Hawkeye will be back and battling in the film. While it had previously been confirmed that Renner was returning to the role of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent called Hawkeye in the upcoming movie, it remained uncertain if he would be in the thick of the action or if he would be playing a supporting role in helping the rest of the Avengers from behind the scenes. Based on the photo, it would seem that Barton will be seeing combat.

The absence of Hawkeye from Avengers: Infinity War was a source of concern to many fans during the production phase of the highly anticipated movie. The character was last seen in Captain America: Civil War, where Clint Barton joined Captain America and the other superheroes who chose to fight against the Sokovia Accords - an international treaty that would have turned command of the Avengers over to the United Nations. Barton was revealed to have escaped along with the rest of the team after being broken out of a high-security prison at the end of Civil War, but Renner was absent from Avengers 3. A throwaway line in that movie explained Hawkeye's absence by saying that Barton had somehow negotiated a plea deal that allowed him to serve his sentence for resisting the Accords while under house arrest, with his wife and children

Related: Hawkeye Montage Video Reveals The Avenger's MCU Kill Count

Renner posted a photo to his personal Instagram, which can be viewed below. The photo captures a bruised and bloodied Renner, wearing what appears to be his classic Hawkeye uniform. Precisely what leads to this is anyone's guess but it would seem to affirm that Clint Barton is not going to be playing it safe in Avengers 4.

Avengers 4 Jeremey Renner Beat Up On Instagram

Surprisingly little is known about the plot of Avengers 4, beyond the fact that it will see the original Avengers team reunited with the additions of Rocket Raccoon, Ant-Man, Nebula and Captain Marvel. There have been some theories that the plot will involve time travel, but nothing has been confirmed or denied on that front. It is also known that Captain America will lose his beard and return to his traditional clean-cut look and a classic costume. Beyond that, it is anyone's guess what might happen.

The speculation will continue to run rampant until Avengers 4 arrives in theaters. Still, these guessing games and debates over what random photos might mean are part and parcel of superhero fandom and will doubtlessly keep most fans amused until the film's release. At least Hawkeye fans can breathe a little easier knowing they'll get to see their favorite hero shooting off more than his mouth in Avengers 4. Although given that this is Clint Barton we're talking about, he'll probably do that a fair bit as well.

More: Everything We Know About Avengers 4's Reshoots

Source:  Jeremy Renner

Key Release Dates