The Hawkeye Factor: Will The Heroes Lose If He Is Not In 'Avengers: Doomsday'?

As the release of Avengers: Doomsday grows closer, fan speculation continues to ramp up. Who might appear in the film that we don't already know about? What is Doom's main goal? Will we lose any of our beloved heroes? Or, seeing as Doomsday will begin a story set to conclude in next year's Avengers: Secret Wars, will the heroes lose to set the stage for a fight for redemption, as occurred in Avengers: Infinity War, leading to Avengers: Endgame?

Some fans are expecting a loss due to the apparent absence from Doomsday's cast of Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye. Why? Well, Avengers: Infinity War, the only previous Avengers film not to include Hawkeye, is the one where the Avengers lose.

So, are the Avengers doomed if Hawkeye isn't around in Doomsday? Let's look at the evidence from the previous films.

'The Avengers'

Early in 2012's The Avengers, the culmination of Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Agent Clint Barton is placed under mind control by Loki using his sceptre, which is eventually revealed to contain the Mind Stone. This pits him against the other heroes for most of the film.

As long time fans will be aware, the heroes spend most of the early part of the film struggling to get along, even physically coming to blows more than once. It is after Hawkeye recovers and officially joins the team that they start to truly come together. It is not necessarily because of Clint that the Avengers get their act together. There are a lot of factors in play. Still, he was an important piece of the puzzle.

'Avengers: Age of Ultron'

After being forced to play for the wrong side for most of The Avengers, Hawkeye emerges with a surprisingly pivotal role in the sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron. Clint is injured in Age of Ultron's opening battle, which briefly shakes the Avengers, and although teasing, there is talk of his importance to the team despite his status as a 'Badass Normal', the common trope name for a non-superpowered person in a team of superheroes. He brings a stability, a second voice of reason when Natasha is not there to provide one.

Later in the film, Clint's importance beyond his personal value to the Avengers is shown, when it is revealed that he has a secret family: Wife Laura, two children, Cooper and Lila, and a third child on the way. None of the other Avengers have families at this point in the story, but Clint is already looking towards a life beyond the fight. He has a stake in the world they are trying to protect.

Being a Father perhaps also explains why he is able to approach the frightened Wanda the way he does during the final battle in Sokovia, giving her the space to make her choice without pressure or judgement. Again, Clint is not the only reason the Avengers are able to win, but he certainly contributes

'Captain America: Civil War'

Following Age of Ultron, Clint makes his first attempt at retirement, but is soon called back into action by Steve in Captain America: Civil War. No-one actually wins in this film. It ends with the team broken and scattered.

However, while rescuing Wanda from her confinement within the Avengers Compound, Clint makes a comment that perhaps foreshadows the trouble that comes from his absence in Avengers: Infinity War:

"I try to retire for, what, five minutes? And it all goes to shit.."

Clint Barton.

'Avengers: Infinity War'

As mentioned earlier, Hawkeye is absent during the events of Avengers: Infinity War. The reason, as explained by Natasha, is that, one, he is again attempting retirement, and two, he and Scott Lang (above) took plea deals for their actions in Civil War, so he is currently on house arrest on the Barton Farm.

Despite not taking part in the action, Clint perhaps suffers the greatest consequence of the Avengers defeat..

'Avengers: Endgame'

Clint Barton returns in the opening scene of Avengers: Endgame, where it is revealed that his entire family was lost in the Decimation. He spends the five years after the decimation as Ronin, effectively a one-man army wiping out crime lords and others he does not believe deserve their survival, until Natasha Romanoff comes to him with the plan to reverse the Decimation.

While Clint perhaps has the most to gain back when the Time Heist plan is successful, it does not come without cost, as he loses his best friend, Natasha, when she sacrifices her life for the Soul Stone. However, Natasha's death only makes Clint more determined to succeed. In one of the most epic sequences in the film, he again proves his worth as the Badass Normal, successfully defending the Nano-Gauntlet from aliens.

Jeremy Renner is not currently present on Doomsday's official cast list. So, are the heroes set to fail against Doom if Hawkeye is absent? Well, it's hard to say. Clint is no longer the only Avenger with family to fight for. Plus, we don't currently no for certain that he's not in the film, especially since Renner has now posted a few cryptic Hawkey related teasers.

We'll have to wait for the film's release to see how the next stage of this theory unfolds.

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