Jeremy Renner hoped that his character would be killed off in The Avengers

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

It's no secret that Jeremy Renner wasn't exactly pleased with how his character was treated in Joss Whedon's THE AVENGERS, after-all, he signed on to play a particular character only to find that Hawkeye was going to be mind-controlled by Loki (Tom Hiddleston) for much of the film. In fact, he told the crowd at the London Film and Comic-Con during a Q&A that he was so displeased that he gave Whedon the option of killing him off by faking a heart attack in every scene.

I never really told anybody this but in the first Avengers… I was just getting to know who Hawkeye was, and then zap, I go round like a zombie, I’m like Loki’s minion.  And I’m still not even sure who Hawkeye was at that point. So I’m a little frustrated, because I was so excited to figure out who Hawkeye was. I just had a heart attack in every scene – I’d just be walking with… Scarlett Johansson, and just like be ugh [clutching my chest].  And they said, ‘What are you doing man?’ I’m giving you an option, if you just want to kick me out of this movie. Just you know, at any given moment, if you wanna kill me off, daddy’s gonna be having a heart attack.

Thankfully Hawkeye didn't succumb to myocardial infarction and his character went on to be greatly expanded in AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. Jeremy Renner also doesn't want Hawkeye to shuffle off this mortal coil now that he's got the opportunity to explore the character more, teasing that "there’s some really cool ideas coming up. Really cool ideas. Great deaths! Amazing ways to die."

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR is set for a May 4, 2018 release.