Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers #60Marvel Comics just admitted that Hawkeye not being part of the Avengers does not make any sense. The latest issue of Avengers is a tie-in to the Judgment Day event and completely focuses on Hawkeye while he, like every other hero and human being on Earth, is personally judged for his worth by the Celestial Progenitor. However, Clint Barton has not been an Avenger for a long time and is actually the leader of the Thunderbolts team.
Despite not being a founding member, Hawkeye is one of those heroes who are synonymous with Avengers. Recruited by Captain America during the first "shakeup" of the team roster, Clint Barton remained a member of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes for the majority of his career. Hawkeye founded and played a very important role in the West Coast Avengers too, and his death during Avengers Disassembled was a symbol of the shattering of the team. However, in more recent times, Clint apparently killed Bruce Banner (following Banner's own request), which opened a rift between him and the rest of the superhero community. Later, Hawkeye became obsessed with hunting the supervillain Hood, and he used borderline criminal methods that made him even more a pariah among his fellow heroes, including the Avengers.
Surprisingly enough, then, Avengers #60, by Mark Russell, Greg Land, Jey Leisten, and David Curiel, features absolutely zero Avengers and instead focuses on Hawkeye. Returning from a mission in his new role as the leader of the Thunderbolts, Clint is approached by what looks like his friend Natasha Romanov (the Black Widow) but instead is the Progenitor in disguise. The Celestial wants to judge Hawkeye and, after the hero protests that the process is completely arbitrary and has no benchmark, decides that Clint will have to prove to be more valuable for the universe than a post box. In the end, Hawkeye passes the test because he keeps growing and trying to improve by asking himself the difficult questions, which is something that every hero should do.
The story in Avengers #60 is thought-provoking and well crafted. The writer Mark Russel is relatively new to Marvel, but he already showed his talent with the critically acclaimed Fantastic Four: Life Story. Hawkeye's depiction in this issue looks more similar to what was shown in the Eisner Award-winner Hawkeye series by Matt Fraction and David Aja. Follow-ups, including his most recent appearance in Thunderbolts, focused on the more superficial aspects of the character, including his tendency to be a rebel and an outlaw. However, Clint Barton is not just that, he is one of the longest-serving Avengers and a respected hero who, without any powers, is able to play in the same leagues as the likes of Thor or Iron Man. However, when the current roster of the Avengers was formed, Hawkeye was not even considered. The members were chosen among the most powerful heroes, which doesn't necessarily mean they are the best Avengers. Hawkeye's current bad standing in the superhero community must have played a role too, but it's perhaps time to let bygones be bygones.
Hawkeye has been the heart of any Avengers team he has been a part of. Despite his rebellious tendencies, he was able to learn from the likes of Captain America and to keep improving himself - which is the same reason why the Progenitor judged him positively. By making him the protagonist of this story, Marvel is perhaps admitting that there can be no Avengers without Hawkeye.