Somehow, in movies filled with larger-than-life, super-powered characters, the totally regular dude with the bow and arrow still managed to become a fan favorite. It’s pretty unlikely, when you think about it, that Clint Barton better known by his superheroic alias of Hawkeye would ever become so popular. But that’s exactly what happened, and his upcoming return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Endgame is generating tons of hype among the MCU’s most ardent fans. Who cares about that whole “beat Thanos and resurrect half the universe’s population” thing? Hawkeye’s back, and he’s got a new outfit!
But sometimes what a character wears in a movie is nearly as important as what the character actually does, and Hawkeye’s no different. That’s why it’s interesting to imagine an alternate universe where Hawkeye had a different look on the big screen.
For that thought exercise, we turn to our exclusive interview with Charlie Wen, former head of visual development at Marvel Studios, who dropped some knowledge about the direction he and his team almost went when designing Hawkeye’s threads.
Believe it or not, Hawkeye originally got started in the masked adventuring game not because he wanted to make a difference in the world, not because of some kind of trauma that forced him into a life of archery, and not because he was bitten by a radioactive arrow. No, it was because he was working at a carnival sideshow and got jealous of how much people loved Iron Man. That’s seriously it.
Now, with that kind of origin story one in which a guy decides to be a costumed crimefighter purely out of spite it’s no surprise that the first version of the outfit he put together leaves a lot to be desired.
That original outfit eventually morphed into the more or less classic blue and purple costume that the character is best known for. But let’s be real: neither of these outfits ever had any hope of making it onto the big screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Keep watching the video to see what Hawkeye almost ended up looking like in the MCU!
#Hawkeye #Ronin #CharlieWenExclusive
Arrows versus armor | 0:58
Getting Real | 1:43
Bowman without fear | 2:58
Hawkeye’s latest identity crisis | 4:05
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