Endgame: Why Hawkeye Had A Longer House Arrest Than Ant-Man

Both Hawkeye and Ant-Man were put on house arrest after the events of Captain America: Civil War, but Avengers: Endgame revealed their sentences differed in length. Joe and Anthony Russo's 2016 film was a major turning point in the MCU as it left the Avengers broke up following Iron Man and Captain America's conflict over the Sokovia Accords and later Bucky Barnes. But while the pair were the primary driving forces of the narrative, the blockbuster featured an ensemble cast as other heroes in the universe got involved in the matter.

That includes Hawkeye and Ant-Man, who were originally excluded from the issue as both weren't active Avengers at the time. On the heels of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Clint Barton was retired and living a quiet life with his family. Meanwhile, Scott Lang had just started his hero's journey and was operating separately from Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Eventually, both found themselves associated with Team Cap, whose members refused to sign the Sokovia Accords, leading to their eventual arrest. While Steve Rogers found a way to break them out of the high-security prison known as The Raft, Hawkeye and Ant-Man decided to stay and strike a deal with the government so they could be reunited with their families.

That being said, however, it's strange that Clint had a longer sentence than Scott. In Ant-Man & The Wasp, Ant-Man was already finished with his house arrest when Thanos' Snap happened in Wakanda as he joined the Pyms in harvesting Quantum Particles for Ghost on a random rooftop. Subsequently, Endgame revealed that Hawkeye still had his ankle monitor during the Decimation while he was still mandated to stay at home. The difference in punishment length between the heroes may have been likely determined by the depth of their involvement in Team Cap's operations. Technically, Clint committed a more serious crime since he personally broke Wanda out of Avengers HQ, where she had been essentially shut away from the public following the incident in Lagos. This very well may have earned him a harsher penalty. Scott, on the other hand, was merely invited by Falcon as they were recruiting more heroes to join their side. He also only participated during the airport battle in Germany.

Avengers Endgame Hawkeye Trains Daughter

While it's possible that the pair separately negotiated their respective sentences, it seems like Hawkeye didn't mind being on house arrest longer. He was with his family, and even if he hadn't involved himself in Civil War, chances are that he would still have spent his days leading up to Avengers: Infinity War with them. Though it was a limited area in which he could roam around, the Barton family farm allowed him to spend time outdoors without breaking the law. Scott, on the other hand, was cooped up in his San Francisco apartment. Unlike Clint, Ant-Man didn't have his daughter, Cassie, with him throughout the whole ordeal making him more eager to finish up his time as seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

As hinted at in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Team Cap members were eventually fully pardoned by the government. Even Sharon Carter, a.k.a. the Power Broker, who had been on the run for years after helping break Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and Bucky Barnes out of custody, was reinstated in her old job. This means that Ant-Man and Hawkeye are fully free now. But Clint could be facing new charges moving forward as part of the ramifications for his onslaught as Ronin during the five-year time-jump in Avengers: Endgame.

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