Will Hawkeye Really Kill Clint Barton? Every Hint

November 2021 will bring the Hawkeye TV show to Disney+, and while one theory suggests that the series will kill Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), there are hints both ways. Like Black Widow, Hawkeye has often played second fiddle to the stories of other characters and has rarely had his own developed storyline. The tide started to turn on this in Avengers: Endgame and the Hawkeye TV show will finally give Clint Barton a starring role in a project.

Hawkeye is one of the longest-serving heroes who remains in the MCU. Having first appeared in the fourth movie of the franchise, Thor, he comes in only after Jarvis/Vision, James Rhodes/War Machine, Nick Fury, Bruce Banner/Hulk, and Thor himself. The character was given more depth when Avengers: Age of Ultron revealed that he had a family that he kept hidden to protect them, introducing Linda Cardellini as his wife, Laura Barton. This became the driving force behind Hawkeye’s storylines as he took a deal after Captain America: Civil War to retire and be with them, and after their disappearance at the beginning of Avengers: Endgame took out his anger at the world through his Ronin storyline.

While Hawkeye had closer moments with some Avengers like Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), his closest connection was to Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) who died in Avengers: Endgame. The new Hawkeye Disney+ series seems to be based on the consequences for his time as Ronin where he killed key figures of the underworld for five years. The possible closing of this arc, among other reasons, has many viewers wondering if this will be the last outing for Clint Barton.

Yes - Hawkeye Is Training His Replacement

Kate and Clint about to fire their arrows in Hawkeye

While the Marvel comics have an extensive precedent for heroes passing their mantles on to a new individual, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has only just begun to explore the concept. With Steve Rogers’ (Chris Evans) departure at the end of Avengers: Endgame, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier focused on Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) struggle with picking up the title of Captain America. After the death of Iron Man, many have wondered who will be the spiritual successor for Tony Stark; however, the upcoming series Ironheart suggests that Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) will be taking on a similar role to the hero. In the first case, Steve Rogers is either dead, too old to resume the role, or is on the moon, and in the latter case, Tony Stark is definitely dead. To some extent, the permanent exit of these characters can be chalked up to the fact that live-action adaptations of large franchises can require extensive commitments from actors and eventually they want to move on and work on other projects.

In Hawkeye Clint Barton is set to be training his replacement, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). After rumors that Ronin has returned lead Barton to investigate the imposter, he meets Kate and takes her on as a protégé. If the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues its previous trend, then part of Hawkeye’s narrative of passing on the torch will be the character’s death. This seems especially likely as the MCU already made a story exploring the emotional toll of having to pick up a mantle that people associate with someone that they think is still alive between Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers.

Of the original Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye) Hawkeye is one of only three who remain. With this history and over ten years in the MCU, Jeremy Renner and Marvel Studios might decide that it is time for Barton to have his curtain call. Allegations made against Jeremey Renner and rumors that he is difficult to work with might also drive his permanent exit from the MCU as he hands his title to a new face.

Yes - Yelena Is Coming For Him

Yelena Belova with Valentina in Black Widow.

The trailer for the Hawkeye Disney+ TV show suggests that there will be a series of antagonists who are seeking vengeance on Hawkeye for his actions as Ronin during the five years of the Blip. While that is plenty of threat for Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, it seems that a bigger threat might be headed his way. The post-credits scene for Black Widow shows that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is sending Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Natasha Romanoff’s adopted younger sister, after Clint Barton as her next target.

Valentina lies to Yelena and suggests that Barton was responsible for Black Widow’s death, implying that Yelena can seek vengeance against him. This plotline opens up the possibility for plenty of misunderstandings in Hawkeye. While it is possible that it will lead to a heartfelt explanation from Barton to Yelena of how much he cared for Natasha, it is equally likely that Yelena will tragically kill Barton before learning the truth.

No – Hawkeye Is A Christmas Story

Pizza Dog wears his best holiday finery in Hawkeye

Perhaps the biggest argument against the Hawkeye TV series including Clint Barton’s death is that the show is set up as a Christmas story. Timed for a release that starts in late November and concludes between Christmas and New Year, it seems unlikely that Disney would drop the death of a long-running and important character on audiences in the middle of the holiday season. This is supported by the tone of the trailer for Hawkeye as it appears to be geared as a light-hearted action romp with a lot of comedy included, and a tragic death would be an incongruous conclusion.

Additionally, the series focuses on Clint Barton’s role as a family man as he struggles to make it back to his family in time for Christmas. The Blip already gave the Barton family a healthy dose of tragedy and adding Barton’s holiday season death to the mix would seem like overkill. As the MCU has recently told a story of Tony Stark dying and leaving a child behind, it seems more likely and more in keeping with Barton’s story that if he is set to exit the MCU it will be by passing his mantle on to Kate Bishop and then retiring to a farm upstate.

No – Disney+ Series Have All Been About The Future

The Tracksuit Draculas aim their guns at Clint in Hawkeye

A meta look at the existing Disney+ series suggests that Hawkeye will leave Clint Barton alive. The shows have not shied away from dealing with important and difficult topics and, particularly in the case of WandaVision, have dealt with death and loss. However, with the exclusion of What If…? which is episodic in nature and doesn’t take place within the main MCU timeline, the TV shows have all focused on setting up the future of characters and an element of hope.

WandaVision led to Wanda accepting Vision’s death but also that his death might not be permanent. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showed Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) coming to terms with the fact that Steve Rogers was gone as Captain America and looking towards how they could work to keep his memory alive in the future. And Loki resurrected the character after his Avengers: Endgame death and set him up for a whole new adventure.

The Hawkeye TV show setting up Kate Bishop to take on the mantle fits with the Disney+ shows that have come before. WandaVision worked to set up The Marvels, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier hints at a new Falcon, and Loki introduced Sylvie and Mobius. Therefore, for Hawkeye to conclude with Clint Barton’s death would be an unlikely departure from all that has come before. While there are arguments both ways that Hawkeye might die in his show, a retirement from his role to spend time with his family seems more likely.

Next: Hawkeye Trailer Breakdown: 25 Secrets & Reveals