The Marvel Cinematic Universe is quickly become absolutely massive. What started with a few solo movies has expanded into a gargantuan universe featuring an insane amount of superpowered characters. And while the MCU is adding new exciting characters in Phase Three like Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel, some of the original cast members still haven't gotten their chance to shine. Case in point: both Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, who have been in the MCU since Phase One. Despite their long tenure, neither character has received a solo movie to date. But Renner has an idea to fix that.
Jeremy Renner recently spoke to a British news outlet (via Edmonton Sun) about his original ideas for a Hawkeye movie. Apparently, it also involves the criminally underused Black Widow. He said,
I always thought it would make sense early on to do a Hawkeye/Widow movie because they're quite similar -- they don't have powers, have high skill sets, and have history together, but I don't think there are any discussions about that happening. I'd love to do it though.
There is so much right about this statement, I don't even know where to begin. A Hawkeye/Black Widow movie would be pretty perfect, let's break down why.
Hawkeye was first introduced in 2012's The Avengers. The archer was shown to be a close friend and colleague of Black Widow, and he's still basically the only character who knows some of her dark past. When Hawkeye was eventually mind controlled by Loki, we saw how Black Widow was especially distraught and determined to rescue him.
But as the MCU has expanded over the years, the relationship between Black Widow and Hawkeye has all but disappeared. Natasha seems much more invested in Iron Man and Captain America, especially the latter. She and Cap now have a very close (and kinda romantic) bond, and Hawkeye has been pushed to the side. They tried to replace this storyline by having Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch connect, but they're both such tertiary characters that it hasn't really played out all that well.
A movie starring Black Widow and Hawkeye could change all that. Because in addition to whatever story they're telling in the present, flashbacks of the duo's previous adventures could also be utilized. Black Widow is the most complex and mysterious character in the MCU. We've seen small glimpses of her dark upbringing, but she's still a pretty giant question mark. Fans have been calling for Black Widow to have her solo film for quite some time now, and adding Hawkeye to the mix might be a great way to keep the film exciting and centered. We can be given human stories told by human characters.
Alas, we'll just have to wait and hope that a movie like this is eventually produced. The remainder of Phase Three is booked solid, but perhaps the two non-powered heroes will have a chance to shine in Phase Four.
