We all know that ‘Captain America: Civil War’ splits the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in two, with half taking the side of Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) who feel that the heroes need to be overseen by the world’s governments and the other side, led by Captain America (Chris Evans) resisting the interference.
In the film, Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) sides with Cap, but the actor recently opened up about his character’s decision-making process and the consequences of coming to blows with some of his closest allies:
“Clint’s belief systems on what’s right or wrong don’t play in the movie; it’s just who he has allegiance to because of his military background. Steve calls Hawkeye because he does what Cap needs. He knows that Steve wouldn’t call him if he didn’t need him. So it’s not so much about why the Avengers divide.”
“It’s interesting too because that divide creates internal problems with each character because they now have to fight each other but they all are still a team. They’re all friends and have shared experiences together so there’s a lot of rub going on with having to go fight. The bad guys essentially in the movie are now each other and they are fighting each other, which is cool as heck. But they’re still fighting friends. All the fighting going on ultimately is like brothers fighting.”
Brothers… and sisters? After all, as already seen in video clips, Hawkeye finds himself sparring with his closest confidant, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. The pair were partners as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, which has been referenced several time in previous films. Can their friendship survive this rift?
We’ll have to wait and see.
But in the meantime, it sounds as though he might be getting chummy with The Avengers’ newest female powerhouse.
As Renner says:
“[Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen)] seem to be partnering up quite a bit and they’re a really good matchup. One of my most favorite things in this universe is when the characters use each other’s assets or their abilities to be even better, and I kind of do that with Ant-Man (Paul Rudd). With Scarlet Witch, it’s more my leadership and big-brother attitude that she needs more than my abilities. Her abilities are probably the most formidable on the team. I think we need each other in a lot of ways. I need her abilities for a lot of things and then she needs me to keep her head straight. She’s kind of a loose cannon; insecure and powerful and all terrifying in itself.”
He also just posted this photo on Instagram, with the #witchhawk:
As we know, Hawkeye is happily married with kids, so as close as he may get to either of his red-headed teammates, he probably won’t cross THAT line.
But there is love in Renner’s life or at least a blossoming bromance of sorts. This is what he had to say about working with Marvel’s new brain trust, ‘Civil War’ sibling directors Joe and Anthony Russo:
Anthony (right) and Joe Russo
“They’re very, passionate about this universe but they’re also just cinephiles in general and they refer to a lot of different things. They’re smart and they’re a delight to work with. It really does help me to be able to spend time with them before we start jumping into ‘Avengers 3’ together. They’ll get to know how I work and what I’m able to do and what I like to do and how I like to work. I’m very physical. I like to do all my own stunts. They’ll see my sense of humor and the riffing with on and off camera stuff. Just to create a relationship with them has really been really great.”
While Renner doesn’t spill as to which team comes out on top, he seems confident in Hawkeye’s decision to side with the Star-Spangled Avengers:
“We’re on Team Cap, man. We have Cap and we have the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). We have Falcon who’s a flyer and Scarlet Witch who’s just rocking and Ant-Man and of course me, Hawkeye. We’ve got a cool, cool team.”
Now if we could just get Marvel to give Hawkeye his own showcase, either in a solo movie or a Netflix series, which Renner seems game for.
Which side are you on?
‘Captain America: Civil War’ starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chadwick Boseman, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Elizabeth Olsen, Frank Grillo, Daniel Brühl, Martin Freeman, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Emily VanCamp, Paul Rudd, and William Hurt opens in theaters on May 6, 2016.
Jax's earliest memory is of watching 'Batman,' followed shortly by a memory of playing Batman & Robin with a friend, which entailed running outside in just their underwear and towels as capes. When adults told them they couldn't run around outside in their underwear, both boys promptly whipped theirs off and ran around in just capes.
“Clint’s belief systems on what’s right or wrong don’t play in the movie; it’s just who he has allegiance to because of his military background. Steve calls Hawkeye because he does what Cap needs. He knows that Steve wouldn’t call him if he didn’t need him. So it’s not so much about why the Avengers divide.”
“[Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen)] seem to be partnering up quite a bit and they’re a really good matchup. One of my most favorite things in this universe is when the characters use each other’s assets or their abilities to be even better, and I kind of do that with Ant-Man (Paul Rudd). With Scarlet Witch, it’s more my leadership and big-brother attitude that she needs more than my abilities. Her abilities are probably the most formidable on the team. I think we need each other in a lot of ways. I need her abilities for a lot of things and then she needs me to keep her head straight. She’s kind of a loose cannon; insecure and powerful and all terrifying in itself.”
