Hawkeye Returns To The MCU After Jeremy Renner's Accident (But Not How You Think)

A lot has happened since the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries "Hawkeye" debuted on Disney+ in November 2021. Notably, star Jeremy Renner was left in critical condition after a scary snowplow accident in January 2023. The news understandably came as a major shock to all of his fans, and while he's shared several updates throughout his road to recovery after the life-threatening accident, many have continued to speculate about Renner's Marvel future given his near-death experience.

Those same fans may be surprised to learn that Renner has made an unexpected return to the MCU, though not necessarily in the form they may have expected. Indeed, the actor has reprised his role as Clint Barton in an episode of "What If...?" Season 2, titled "What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?" The episode, which follows Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) as he tries to prevent Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) from stealing a sample of Bruce Banner's (Mark Ruffalo) Hulk blood on Christmas Eve, features appearances from several longtime MCU heroes, including Hawkeye. Although it's unclear whether Renner recorded his lines before or after his accident, it marks the first time he's shown up in any MCU project since "Hawkeye."

Prior to his "What If...?" Season 2 appearance, the last time viewers saw Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton in the MCU was in the finale episode of "Hawkeye," in which Clint returns to his family, leaving his dark days as Ronin behind, and seemingly gives his protégé, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), permission to take on the Hawkeye mantle in his stead, making his MCU future uncertain. While the conclusion of "The Marvels" explicitly sets up Kate's MCU future, it's still not clear what — if any — role Clint will have in the franchise moving forward.

Renner's work in "What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?" suggests that he may continue to make one-off appearances as Hawkeye on shows like "What If...?" but doesn't offer much clarity regarding his live-action MCU future. As one of the few original Avengers who is still alive and available, it wouldn't be surprising if he were to return in a new MCU project at some point, but it's also easy to imagine a future where Kate completely takes over for him and Marvel Studios essentially leaves Clint behind.

Regardless of what Marvel's current plans are for his character, Renner has made it clear that he has no intention of walking away from the MCU as a result of his accident. "I'm not going anywhere," he revealed during an appearance at Phoenix Fan Fusion 2023. "If Marvel wants me back in the MCU and rocking that out, I'd do it in a heartbeat." Ultimately, only time will tell what the future holds for Renner's Clint Barton.