Jeremy Renner Says Hawkeye Series Outshines Every Marvel Movie in One Key Way
Marvel’s Hawkeye hit the bullseye with fans and critics, and for Jeremy Renner the real win was getting to push the character’s story further in a six-episode series.
Jeremy Renner liked the idea of Clint Barton getting a TV series more than a movie. He said as much before Hawkeye even dropped on Disney+, and honestly, he’s not wrong about why the small-screen route worked.
Why Renner wanted a series, not a movie
Back in 2021, right before the show premiered, Renner told Digital Spy that Kevin Feige pitched Hawkeye as a series, and that clicked for him. The longer format, he said, would let the character breathe and get weird and funny and dark in ways a two-hour feature just can’t. It also makes it easier to fold in new faces without shortchanging anyone.
"It allows for more humor, more darkness, more everything. And also for more characters to be introduced to the universe."
That’s the thesis, and it’s pretty much what the show delivered.
He didn’t expect a solo spotlight
Renner admitted he never sat around plotting his own spin-off. He joked that who gets the spotlight is above his pay grade, then got real about not planning far ahead. What did hook him was the initial pitch. He loved the logline, loved Clint, and was excited to dig deeper into the guy he’s been playing since 2011.
What the show actually covered
Hawkeye premiered November 2021 and ran six episodes, wrapping up December 22 that year. The story pairs Clint with 22-year-old rising archer Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) as he’s forced to face the mess from his Ronin days and still make it home for Christmas. It’s a street-level, holiday-set cleanup job with consequences, banter, and a lot of trick arrows.
Hawkeye at a glance
- Release year: 2021 (Disney+)
- Episodes: 6
- IMDb: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Tomatometer, 88% Audience Score
- Where to watch: Disney+
Why playing Hawkeye still hits for Renner
Renner says he identifies with Clint more than most would expect, and that being in this sandbox lets him show off the parts of superheroics that actually resonate with people. The partnership angle matters to him too — sharing that with younger viewers via a character like Kate is, in his words, "pretty dope."
About that possible season 2
Even four years after the first season, Renner sounds bullish on more Hawkeye. A few months ago, he said on The Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast that there have been ongoing conversations about a follow-up. Nothing official yet, but he clearly wants back in — and the door is open.
Hawkeye is streaming now on Disney+.