Hawkeye's Best Future Is As Young Avengers' Leader (With Laura)

Warning: SPOILERS for Hawkeye.

Clint's and Laura Barton's roles in Hawkeye prove that they should be the leaders of the Young Avengers when the MCU finally assembles the superhero team. It's no secret that the MCU has been introducing key members of the Young Avengers throughout Phase 4. Billy Maximoff, Tommy Maximoff, Elijah Bradley, Kid Loki, and Cassie Lang have small roles in most of the Phase 4 movies and Disney + shows, while Kate Bishop had a co-starring role alongside her mentor, Clint Barton, in Hawkeye and more are on the way.

None of the potential MCU superhero teams in the making will be able to ignore the influence of the Avengers. After Earth's Mightiest Heroes successfully defeated Loki, Ultron, and Thanos, the whole world (and perhaps a big part of the universe) already knows of their victories. In fact, Hawkeye's "Rogers: The Musical " confirmed that the world knows quite a few details about the Avengers' missions, with the production making people believe that Ant-Man joined the fight of New York and including Captain America's iconic line "I can do this all day."

If the general public knows so much about the Avengers, it's likely that young heroes also understand what a team of superheroes should look like. The Young Avengers may want a courageous leader, an investor, a sorcerer, a marksman, and the muscle of the team. But most importantly, they will need a seasoned strategist who can keep the team together when they most need it. Just like the famously forward-thinking Nick Fury motivated a group of very different heroes to work together, Clint Barton and Laura Barton could become the heart and soul of the Young Avengers, both as mentors and as masterminds.

Clint Barton aka Hawkeye and the Young Avengers

Hawkeye was the first Avenger to officially be recruited by Nick Fury. Apart from Agent Coulson, Clint Barton was Fury's right-hand man, evidenced on countless occasions. The S.H.I.E.L.D. director trusted him when he put his faith in Black Widow and helped her escape her past to become an Avenger herself. Nick Fury also dispatched Hawkeye when Thor arrived on Earth to retrieve Mjölnir, and he went to great lengths to protect Clint and Laura Barton's secret double life even after S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed. Despite his lack of flashy superpowers, Hawkeye became a key member of Earth's Mightiest Heroes and played a significant role in their biggest battles, earning him an impressive amount of wisdom and experience as a professional superhero, not to mention his previous work as a spy and an assassin.

All of these achievements make him an ideal leader for the next generation of heroes, who may not have the same resources or raw power as the Avengers did when they were being bankrolled by Tony Stark. Clint Barton is an expert in making the most out of the little he has, which is perfectly exemplified in how he can turn any object into a deadly weapon. Besides, Hawkeye already completed an unexpected crash course in mentorship when Kate Bishop entered his life. With Kate's admiration for Clint, it wouldn't be a surprise to see her convincing him to mentor her new team.

Hawkeye's reveal of Laura Barton's past as a S.H.I.E.L.D. spy, the former Mockingbird, also makes her an ideal leader for the Young Avengers. Not only did Hawkeye suggest that she was an important member of Nick Fury's organization but also proved how skilled she still is at her job by showing how plugged into spycraft she still is while still seamlessly blending in as a regular housewife and mom. While Clint trains the Young Avengers in the field, Laura could train them in stealth missions, as well as aid them with any connections or resources she still possesses from her job at S.H.I.E.L.D.

More: Hawkeye Post-Credit Scene Explained