Hawkeye is the most valuable hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe based on box office returns and reviews. Debuting in 2011's Thor, the character is one of the Original Six Avengers and helped establish the foundation on which the MCU is built. Jeremy Renner has played Hawkeye in a total of five movies so far, most recently in Avengers: Endgame. And though the Infinity Saga is wrapped up, Marvel still has plans for the archer, as Renner is headlining a standalone Hawkeye TV show for Disney+.

While Hawkeye has his fair share of fans (viewers missed him in Avengers: Infinity War), he arguably isn't the most popular hero in the MCU - especially when compared to the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. Those three are probably the first superheroes that come to mind when one thinks of the franchise, but according to the statistics, they aren't as valuable as Hawkeye.

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A study from Film Franchise Showdown examined the MCU, looking at movie reviews, box office totals, and award nominations. The results found that Hawkeye is the most valuable hero, with an ROI score of 5.3 per film appearance. Hawkeye has a slight edge over Thor (5.06). Captain America's score is 4.9, while Iron Man's is 4.8. Star-Lord and Black Widow are also in the top five.

Hawkeye Avengers Poster

At first glance, this might be surprising, but it all pans out. Many of Hawkeye's roles have come in installments widely considered to be among the best in the MCU, such as The Avengers, Captain America: Civil War, and Endgame. A couple of those broke box office records during their theatrical runs, which also helps. In contrast, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor's movies have been subject to far more mixed reactions. Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World are two of the weaker entries, particularly from a critical perspective. Even Captain America: The First Avenger ranks low on Film Franchise Showdown's list, due to the low box office numbers. The Captain America trilogy is perhaps the best in the MCU, but The First Avenger's soft commercial performance hurt Steve Rogers' ROI score.

Of course, the study's methods are a little skewed in Hawkeye's favor. All but one of his appearances have been in major team-up movies that are some of the biggest events the MCU had to offer. It isn't much of a stretch to say something like Endgame or Civil War would rank higher than a "smaller" solo movie. The results aren't an indication that a standalone Hawkeye film is a project Marvel should consider; for most viewers, Hawkeye wasn't the main draw of an Avengers movie. Still, it's funny to consider there's a metric in which Hawkeye, who has no superpowers, is the most valuable hero the MCU has to offer.

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Source: Film Franchise Showdown

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