How does Clint Barton's new Hawkeye costume compare to his comic book getup? Jeremy Renner's time in the MCU looked to be over following the events of Avengers: Endgame, which brought the stories of many original Avengers to a close. Dragged out of retirement by the loss of his family following Thanos' snap, Barton became Ronin and helped his fellow heroes restore the universe, finally getting a happy ending when his wife and children return. Alas, Hawkeye isn't destined for a quiet life in the countryside - he'll be suiting up in the Disney+ Hawkeye TV series, showing Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop the archery ropes.
Generally speaking, the MCU has muted the more outlandish costume designs of the comic books. Steve Rogers' Captain America outfit, for example, gets progressively duller with each appearance, while Falcon's traditional brilliant white ensemble gets a modern mechanical makeover. Hawkeye is another recipient of more grounded, realistic superhero threads, usually sporting some variation on the black-vest-and-combat-pants combo.
Recently surfaced photos from the set of Hawkeye, however, prove that's all about to change. In a behind-the-scenes image, the actor now has purple sleeves, purple detailing reaching from the shoulders down to his back, and a purple arrowhead design across the upper chest. The new creation is obviously far more visually interesting (not to mention colorful) than Hawkeye's MCU wardrobe thus far, and many fans are comparing the costume to his comic book look.
Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye costume remains quite different to his character's classic outfits worn through the 1960s and 1980s. This traditional Hawkeye would don a conspicuously bright blue and purple tabard, complete with flared boots and a pointed mask that sometimes has a "H" adorned atop the hood. Marvel used variations on this design for decades of Hawkeye comic book appearances, and it's a world away from the MCU's earthy aesthetic. Unsurprisingly, the Hawkeye costume bears very little resemblance to those early comic outfits. Renner's new gear does, however, take massive inspiration from more recent Hawkeye comic appearances, such as Matt Fraction's 2012 run, and the 2020 "Freefall" series.
The most obvious similarity is the purple arrowhead chest design, which has become a hallmark of Clint Barton's modern comic styling. The black base color remains, and the purple back detailing on the MCU creation mirrors the shoulder gear Hawkeye adopts in "Freefall." Although the costume is almost identical otherwise, the jacket-like cut around Renner's waist and his longer sleeves represent deviations. The Clint Barton of the comic world wears a T-shirt top combined with gloves and archery apparatus on his arms, but this is replaced by Renner's long sleeved upper half. Nevertheless, the Hawkeye costume is the most faithful representation of the character's comic appearance in the MCU so far.
Hawkeye's new clothes continue an emerging trend with the MCU's Disney+ output. WandaVision finally gave Scarlet Witch her proper superhero outfit after years of making-do with a red-tinted leather jacket, and Falcon & The Winter Soldier saw Anthony Mackie afforded a Captain America/Falcon hybrid that closely echoes his character's comic transformation. Clint Barton is finally joining the fun. The man who has long been the most blandly-dressed Avenger (with the exception of pre-transformation Bruce Banner, maybe) is now looking like his usual self in Hawkeye.