On April 27, 2018, we saw the advent of Infinity War. It was the start of the end of what Marvel has started and now Disney continues after over a decade of movie making. During this time we have seen numerous heroes rise and fall in what we now call the Marvel cinematic universe. It was during the events of Infinity War that the movie makers reminded us of exactly how far we had come. The movie was a step at solidifying Thanos’ role in the Marvel cinematic universe as the indomitable villain that he is. His snap was the premise for the whole movie, even though we did only find about it in this feature film. We had no idea that the entire universe was heading for this world ending and stake changing gamble when we first went to theatres to see Iron Man.
If only someone had told us that the three words ‘I am Iron Man’ would one day lead to extinction of half of all life in creation when this hero of ours will stand and stare at the reality of it all, at all, the destruction that this Mad Titan wrought on this iteration of the Marvel cinematic universe.
We see that the Titan is a lethal force of nature who is on a mission to collect infinity gems and he does not care what level of murder or genocide he has to commit to getting these Infinity Stones. We see that the movements of Thanos are precise and lethal to the point that his mere existence has become a threat to the Marvel cinematic universe.
But what fans are interested in is no longer the war, no, we already saw the Carnage, saw the destruction a war like this can bring, the question that resides in our minds now is that how will these casualties be treated in the future. And how these casualties are going to fit in the larger scheme of things of Phase 4. What fans are most worried about is the question of whether we will see the characters return from the dead and how these apparent deaths will act as a motivator for current survivors of the snap.
One of the most important and pertinent questions to come out of Avengers Infinity War is the question on the whereabouts of Hawkeye. Clint Barton was the only OG Avengers missing from the possé when Avengers Infinity War rolled around, I wonder if any of it makes sense considering his strategic mind would’ve played an important role in the battle of Wakanda and Clint has already shown prowess in handling crowds of Chitauri.
If nothing else, Hawkeye could’ve served as the Avengers’ eye in the sky but no dice, we get no Hawkeye for the entire movie and we barely get any reference of the character either. There exists only some vague dialogue claiming that Clint is now retired. Well, I have a theory to satiate all you restless Hawkeye fans and I would suggest that you get a box of tissues because this Hawkeye theory will make you cry.
So our theory starts as we try to predict the opening scenes of Avengers 4. As the movie opens we see a silent Marvel symbol flash during the opening credits, but no music. It’s the mourning, the silent wake of all the dead characters. We see a small recap of the snap, of all the heroes being dusted right in front of our eyes once again, just to refresh the trauma, we then see Ant-Man stuck in the quantum realm and we finally get to see Captain Marvel assessing her device and the distress signal from fury.
The camera cuts to black and when it fades back in we see it panning over an open field heading towards three figures in a driveway. As the camera cuts again we find ourselves smack in the middle of the driveway as Clint has a fun family time with his children.
The snap has just occurred and Hawkeye is completely oblivious to the peril that is being wrought down on his comrades over half a world away. As the snap happens, we slowly see the Barton children racing for their father, but before they can reach him both get dusted one after the other.
Clint clamors on the ground, trying to catch the sand that his children have changed into. Astonished his wife steps out on the porch and Clint stares back with teary eyes as the woman screams and is dusted along with her children. The camera pans upwards as we hear a deafening scream escape Clint’s mouth. His family is no more. He has nothing to lose, nothing to care for, but now he has someone to kill. Hawkeye is back, with a vengeance.
