Directors Joe and Anthony Russo received death threats from fans due to Hawkeye’s absence in Avengers: Infinity War, Jeremy Renner revealed. One of the six original members of the Avengers, Clint was the butt of online jokes after he was intentionally left out of Marvel’s latest blockbuster. But apparently, some of his loyal followers were genuinely pissed at the idea that they started sending the Russos alarming threats.

Fans first noticed Hawkeye’s absence following the release of the movie’s first trailer November of last year. Prior to that, Clint was featured in the massive ensemble poster unveiled during San Diego Comic-Con, so everyone assumed that he was left out due to the number of characters that the preview had to cater to. But as the marketing for Infinity War progressed, it became increasingly clear that Hawkeye will not play a part in the Avengers’ initial bout against Thanos. The film eventually clarified why - Clint was serving house arrest after he and Scott Lang (Ant-Man) struck a deal with the government in light of their involvement with Steve Rogers during the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Speaking with USA Today while doing the promotional rounds for his latest film, Tag, Renner talked about Hawkeye being benched for Infinity War. While the actor didn’t seem to mind considering the promise of a prominent role in Avengers 4, it turns out that some intense fans were so riled over the team’s resident marksman, the Russos received several death threats. “It’s a nice feeling, I suppose. I think the Russo brothers got way too many death threats. I’m like, ‘Wow, dude, that’s intense. I’m sorry,’” Renner shared. The Russos made no mention of such incident but considering blatant and rampant harassment online, especially in high-profile franchises like Marvel, Star Wars and DC, this is not outside the realm of possibility.

Despite this, Hawkeye’s fans can look forward to Avengers 4 as the character is expected to have a mini personal arc where he’ll find himself assuming the persona of Ronin - a brutal masterless samurai. Even Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that Hawkeye skipping Infinity War is “one of the best things that ever happened” to the character. It’s unclear what pushed him to this path considering where he was during the events of Avengers 3 - although we have a pretty good theory how he ended up in that situation. What’s clear, however, is that Renner is confident that next year’s untitled Avengers film will top everybody’s expectations “Everybody’s got to bite their tongue. But if you like Infinity War, there’s some stuff to come. What I do know is it’s going to be awesome,” he teased.

However Avengers 4 pans out, it seems like an original Avengers reunion is being set up in the forthcoming film. So depending on how these Phase 1 characters’ destinies ultimately go down, fans can see the six founding members of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together and make a last-ditch effort to bring down Thanos once and for all.

MORE: Avengers 4 Set Photos Look to Recreate The Battle of New York

Source: USA Today

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