I Still Can’t Get Over The MCU Adapting One Of The Best Hawkeye Comic Stories Of All Time Almost Entirely Off-Screen

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It’s disappointing that despite being one of the original Avengers and appearing in so many Marvel movies, a really compelling story arc for Hawkeye (Clint Barton) happened mostly behind the scenes. For years, Hawkeye was relegated to a supporting role, never getting the same spotlight or development as his fellow original Avengers, even though he was there from the very beginning.

Clint Barton, who was absent from Avengers: Infinity War, returned in Avengers: Endgame, seemingly setting him up for a significant role. The film began by showing the impact of Thanos’s snap on him, and later revealed that he had spent the intervening years operating as the mysterious Ronin.

Initially, the idea of focusing on Clint’s Ronin storyline felt promising. Fans were eager to see this popular part of his history come to life. Unfortunately, after a brief sword-fighting scene, the Ronin arc wasn’t explored at all.

It’s understandable that Endgame didn’t focus much on Clint Barton’s time as Ronin, as the movie wasn’t centered around his story. That’s why the announcement of the Hawkeye Disney+ series was so exciting – it offered the chance to finally explore Clint’s inner thoughts and fully reveal the reasons behind his transformation into Ronin.

The show Hawkeye featured the character Ronin heavily, but didn’t fully explore his backstory. It revealed that Clint Barton became Ronin because he was deeply grieving and depressed after his family vanished during Thanos’ attack. As Ronin, he operated as a vigilante, aggressively pursuing and punishing criminals.

After returning to the Avengers in Endgame, Clint Barton appeared to move past his time as Ronin. While the story touched on what happened during that period, his experiences as Ronin weren’t fully developed. The Hawkeye series did feature Ronin, but mainly to introduce Kate Bishop and the characters of Maya Lopez and Kingpin, rather than delve deeply into Clint’s past as the masked vigilante.

Interestingly, the look of the Ronin character and costume inspired Hawkeye’s new suit in his own series. His latest outfit has significantly more black than any of his previous costumes.

It’s disappointing that the movies Endgame and Hawkeye didn’t fully explore how deeply Clint Barton was affected by his time as Ronin. After losing his family, he became a vigilante who killed people he deemed unworthy, a huge change for his character. The Marvel Cinematic Universe didn’t really delve into this difficult period for him.

It would have been fascinating to watch Clint become Ronin. He likely would have struggled with intense sadness and anger, fighting to control those feelings. Showing that internal battle would have deepened his character, and his first kill as Ronin would have felt particularly tragic, marking a point of no return. Seeing that descent would have been powerful and likely left audiences feeling heartbroken.

Consider Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars prequels. If we’d only seen Anakin as a Jedi and then immediately as Darth Vader, skipping over events like Order 66, his duel with Mace Windu, and the battle on Mustafar, his story wouldn’t have had the same impact. Interestingly, that’s precisely what happened with Clint Barton in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – we went straight from him being a hero to his dark persona, Ronin, without much explanation of the transition.

As a big fan, I was really disappointed with how the MCU handled Clint Barton’s journey as Ronin. It’s frustrating because the comics did such a fantastic job of showing us how he became Ronin, and then, crucially, how he dealt with the aftermath and eventually returned to being Hawkeye. They really explored the whole arc, and it felt like that depth was missing from the movies.

Clint Barton’s Ronin Storyline in the Comics

The story of Clint Barton becoming Ronin differs significantly between the comic books and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The reasons he took on the Ronin persona, what drove his actions while as Ronin, and many other details are quite different in each version.

Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, experienced a death and resurrection in the comic books. Wanda Maximoff accidentally killed him, but then brought him back to life using her powers. This experience left Clint deeply traumatized, and he struggled with the mental and emotional effects of dying and being revived.

He found out that Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld in the MCU) had become the new Hawkeye while he was gone. He didn’t want to return as Hawkeye himself, and he especially didn’t want people to know he’d survived. That’s why he decided to operate as Ronin instead.

Interestingly, before Clint Barton became Ronin, Maya Lopez held the title in the comics. Similar to Clint, Maya also experienced death and resurrection, but upon returning, she was brainwashed. Before she died, Maya entrusted the Ronin costume to Matt Murdock, seeking his assistance. Unable to help immediately, Matt passed the costume and information on to the New Avengers.

When Clint returned and rejoined the New Avengers, he decided to use the Ronin costume for a period of time because it completely hid his identity. He was still struggling with trauma and going through a difficult phase in his life at that point.

Once the New Avengers saved Maya and discovered the Skrulls were responsible for everything, it triggered a major series of events and the beginning of the Secret Invasion storyline.

During all of this, Clint kept using the Ronin look and acting the part. Honestly, he was a much more intense version of himself – he was killing people and just seemed way more brutal and enraged than usual. It was a really different side of him.

Once everything settled down, Clint gave up the Ronin identity and went back to being Hawkeye, teaming up with Kate Bishop. He also regained his usual personality, becoming the familiar and well-loved Clint everyone knew.

The Ronin storyline was a compelling part of Clint Barton’s comic book history, and it was disappointing that the Marvel Cinematic Universe didn’t explore that side of his character more fully. There were many opportunities to show interesting scenes, develop his relationships, and deepen his personal growth as the vigilante Ronin, but those moments weren’t included in the films.

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2026-01-14 06:06