Hulk and Hawkeye may not have the same focus as Thor in the coming slate of MCU movies, but they are the most integral surviving Avengers in Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 and beyond after Avengers: Endgame. That movie marked a turning point in the franchise, the Joe and Anthony Russo film also functioned as the swan song to some of the universe's founding heroes such as Iron Man, Black Widow, and Captain America. That left the MCU with only half of the original Avengers line-up, all of whom now have confirmed appearances in the next few years.

Currently, neither Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye nor Mark Ruffalo's Hulk is expected to appear on the big screen in Phase 4 or beyond in either their own movie or an unexpected crossover, at least with Marvel Studios' current schedule. Instead, only the God of Thunder is set for an outing via Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder. And while that's meant that Hawkeye and Hulk made their return to the MCU in TV projects, Hawkeye and She-Hulk - albeit via a short cameo in Shang-Chi's post-credits scene in Banner's case -  they remain the most important characters active in the MCU after Endgame's trauma.

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Admittedly, Hawkeye and Hulk don't seem to have that much in common aside from being a founding member in the MCU. Their backgrounds couldn't be more different, with the former living a double life as a spy and a family man; the latter's identity, on the other hand, has been exposed to the public since the events of The Incredible Hulk. Still, there are certain elements in their arcs thus far that make them similar. For starters, they took on different personas in the aftermath of Thanos' win in Avengers: Infinity War. While he eventually reverted to being Hawkeye, Clint Barton became Ronin, while Bruce Banner merged with the Hulk to become the Smart Hulk. Interestingly, both of these changes manifested in changes to their bodies: Hawkeye getting his Ronin tattoos and Hulk taking a more human-like form. And in both cases, their scars and changes after Endgame - even as both have reversed their identity changes after the defeat of Josh Brolin's Mad Titan - are painful monuments to what happened before Phase 4 began. As the MCU is forced to move on from Endgame, the original Avengers are united in reinforcing the importance of the past.

Black Widow's death on Vormir in Avengers Endgame

On top of their own changes, both Hawkeye and Hulk are united in their need to cope with the death of Black Widow; both loved her in different ways, and while Endgame didn't have the time to tackle their grief over her sudden death, it will inevitably shape the stories of both, with Hawkeye already having focused on Natasha's death in a meaningful way. Clint subtly discussed his anguish over what happened in Vormir with Wanda, indicating that it's something that will haunt him for a long time, since it could've been him who sacrificed his life and that came back in full force as Hawkeye revealed he is still haunted by visions of her death. Meanwhile, Hulk may not have been directly involved in her death, but his and Natasha Romanoff's unresolved issues from their short-lived love affair in Avengers: Age Of Ultron could result in him feeling tremendous guilt and regret over abandoning her. In hindsight, without these two heroes in MCU Phase 5, Black Widow's death may never be mentioned again in the franchise which shouldn't be the case considering that her sacrifice was as important as Iron Man's.

Unlike Thor, who doesn't really have any more lingering issues following Endgame since Thanos was defeated (as teased by his transformation back to "normal" in Thor: Love & Thunder), Hawkeye and Hulk's future will be heavily impacted by their experience in Infinity War and its sequel. This makes them the connective tissue between the Infinity Saga and the rest of MCU Phase 4, where they're both expected to pass on their superhero mantles to their contemporaries in Kate Bishop and Jennifer Walters respectively. In fact, Hawkeye and Hulk will remain important beyond even the end of Phase 4, should both survive. Since the franchise thrives on interconnectivity, it's important that whatever lessons they learned from the darkest time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far courtesy of Avengers: Endgame, they can pass on to their successors.

Next: Thor: Ragnarok Secretly Reveals How Asgard Would Be Under Loki’s Rule

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