Forgotten Marvel Icon Teases An Unexpected Return

On Seinfeld, we periodically saw Jerry workshopping new standup jokes with his friends. One of the weaker ones involved men loving to grab the remote control and surf, regardless of what is already on the TV. “Men aren’t interested in what’s on TV,” goes the punchline. “They’re interested in what else is on TV.” It’s not a great joke, really, but it is a pretty astute observation. It’s also one that applies to a different (albeit still largely male) group: Marvel fans. Those fans aren’t always interested in what awesome movies they have in front of them. Rather, they’re more interested in what else the studio has to offer.

That’s in full swing right now, of course. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is still breaking box office records, but the fandom has largely shifted its focus to the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Even as we get more details about that upcoming blockbuster, however, fans can’t help but speculate as to what will happen in Avengers: Secret Wars, the Doomsday sequel that promises to reboot the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. What will happen and, of course, which surprise heroes will make a triumphant return in that film. Based on a recent Instagram post from Jeremy Renner, it looks like Hawkeye will be one of them!

Clint Knows Bow

When it comes to teasing future movies in Hollywood, it’s important to remember the old adage: less is more. That’s a lesson that Jeremy Renner clearly learned from his many years of appearing in the MCU. How did this star tease his own upcoming Marvel appearance? With an Instagram post that simply featured his iconic Hawkeye outfit. Now, fans from all around the world can look forward to seeing the world’s deadliest archer fire his arrows at Doctor Doom, the most dangerous threat the Multiverse has ever known. 

For those excited fans, that just leaves one question: how soon will they be seeing Hawkeye appear onscreen? The safest bet is that he will pop up in Avengers: Secret Wars, which hits theaters on December 17, 2027. Why is Secret Wars more likely than Doomsday? For one thing, Renner has not previously been named as part of that upcoming movie’s cast. His Hawkeye character could theoretically be included as an unannounced surprise; that would fit right in with persistent rumors that Hugh Jackman and Tobey Maguire will be making unannounced cameos. But if we’re getting a surprise Doomsday appearance from Hawkeye, why spoil it nearly four months before the movie comes out?

Rescued From The Smallscreen

Because of this, it’s likelier that Hawkeye, like many other characters who didn’t appear in Doomsday, will appear in Secret Wars. After all, there are so many upcoming cameos (including from other franchises, like 20th Century Fox X-Men) that it would only make sense to put largely different sets of heroes in each movie. However, some fans still think there’s a chance we’ll see Hawkeye in Doomsday because of earlier reports from Marvel scooper Daniel Richtman that Doomsday was getting reshoots to add more cameos. However, Richtman himself later reported that Hawkeye won’t appear until Secret Wars.

We won’t know for sure, of course, until Avengers: Doomsday premieres on December 18, 2026. If Jeremy Renner appears, it will be our first time seeing his hero onscreen since the 2021 Hawkeye TV series. If we don’t see this amazing archer by the time the credits roll, then we’ll know he’s destined to pop up in Avengers: Secret Wars instead. Sadly, there’s always a chance that this will be the 55-year-old actor’s last appearance as this character. Just in case, we’ll be there on day one to see this quirky cowboy take one last ride into the multiversal sunset.