Behind the Marvel Persona: Troubling Allegations Shadow Jeremy Renner

Well, this is messy. Jeremy Renner, Marvel's Hawkeye, is back in headlines after filmmaker Yi Zhou went public with a set of serious accusations about their personal and professional relationship. Her posts have since been deleted, but between Instagram and a new interview with DailyMail, she lays out a detailed timeline that is hard to ignore.

Who is making the claims, and what is she alleging?

Yi Zhou is a director who says she was both dating Renner and working with him on two projects: a documentary titled 'Chronicles of Disney' and an animated film called 'Stardust Future.' According to her, Renner reached out to her last June, sent her explicit photos she did not ask for, and framed himself as single and ready for something real. She says she took him at his word and, on the work side, he agreed to let her use his image, his social media posts, and even his foundation across those projects.

The night she says she feared for her safety

Zhou describes one incident at Renner's home as the breaking point. She says he polished off a bottle of wine, then yelled at her for more than two hours while she was trying to talk logistics for the doc. She says she location-shared with her team, her parents, and Disney contacts in case something happened, and ultimately locked herself in a room, too scared to speak. Her words across the posts make it clear she believed there was a real risk of harm that night.

"When I called him out privately about his past misconduct and asked him to behave properly, to respect me as a woman and as a filmmaker, he threatened to call immigration/ICE on me."

She calls that threat an intimidation tactic. Afterward, she says she felt silenced, worried about her reputation and jobs in the industry, and generally afraid.

The work fallout

Zhou says Renner entered into written agreements with her Italian production company, Into the Sun Films. But when 'Chronicles of Disney' rolled out two weeks before her posts, she says he refused to promote it and let misinformation spread via fan accounts — including claims the doc was AI-generated and that the two were never professionally connected. She says she kept going anyway, finishing both projects with her teams in Italy and China and moral support from friends at Disney.

A pattern fans will recognize

Zhou also connects what she experienced to older accusations Renner has faced. Back in 2019, during a custody dispute, Renner's ex-wife Sonni Pacheco alleged in court documents that he abused drugs and was verbally and emotionally abusive. Among the most alarming claims: that he was once high on coke and booze when he talked about killing her and then himself, that he put a gun in his mouth during the incident, and that he left cocaine within reach of their daughter, Ava. Pacheco also said a nanny overheard him say it would be better if Ava had no parents than to have Sonni as a mother. Renner denied Pacheco's allegations at the time. Zhou says she had read about those accusations but only believed them after what she says she experienced firsthand.

The moving pieces, in order

• June (year not specified by Zhou): Zhou says Renner contacted her directly, sent unsolicited intimate photos, and told her he was single and serious about a long-term relationship.
• They begin a personal and professional relationship tied to 'Chronicles of Disney' and 'Stardust Future'; Zhou says Renner agreed to let her use his image, social content, and foundation.
• Written agreements: Zhou says Renner signed paperwork with her company, Into the Sun Films (Italy).
• At Renner's home: Zhou alleges he drank a bottle of wine and screamed at her for two hours; she location-shared with colleagues and family, then locked herself in a room out of fear.
• Release: 'Chronicles of Disney' debuts; two weeks later, Zhou says Renner still refuses to promote it and allows false claims to spread that the doc was AI and the two never worked together.
• Private confrontation: Zhou says when she asked him to act respectfully, he threatened to call immigration/ICE on her.
• Aftermath: Zhou deletes her Instagram posts, tells DailyMail she felt intimidated and afraid, but says she finished both projects with support from her teams and friends at Disney.
• Context: Renner previously denied separate 2019 abuse and drug allegations made by ex-wife Sonni Pacheco amid their custody fight.

Where things stand

As of now, Zhou's posts are gone, but her interview reiterates the same core claims: unsolicited explicit images, a volatile incident at his home, a threat involving immigration, and a professional dust-up around promoting her documentary. Renner's camp has not publicly addressed Zhou's new accusations in this round, and the earlier allegations from Pacheco remain denied by him. The whole thing raises tough questions about Renner's off-camera life — again — and it puts a spotlight on two films Zhou says she finished despite all of it.