Jeremy Renner Says He's Not in Avengers: Doomsday and the Avengers “Will Probably Lose” Without Him

By

October 13, 2026

The Hawkeye actor jokes that Marvel never called, but many fans expect him to turn up anyway.

Jeremy Renner has a short answer for anyone hoping to see Hawkeye in Avengers: Doomsday: not this time. Asked at a recent Q&A whether he is returning to the role, the actor replied, “No, no, no, no. Not in that one,” according to GamesRadar. Variety’s coverage centered on a different line, in which Renner said Marvel never phoned him and that the omission is therefore “their fault.”

Jeremy Renner Says He's Not in Avengers: Doomsday and the Avengers Will Probably Lose Without Him
Image: The Movie Database (TMDB)

A Joke With a Punchline Aimed at the Past

Renner did not leave it at a flat denial. He added that the Avengers “will probably lose” without Hawkeye, a quip GamesRadar ties to Avengers: Infinity War. Clint Barton sat that film out, and the heroes lost it in spectacular fashion. The implication is easy to follow: the last time the team went into a showdown without its archer, it ended badly for everyone.

The same report notes how much the character mattered when the story came back around in Avengers: Endgame, and it says Renner seemed to close the door on a return in Avengers: Secret Wars as well, a possibility that fans have discussed for months.

Clint Barton, Film by Film

Hawkeye is one of the longest-serving heroes in the franchise, and his absence from a team-up of this scale would be unusual. His path through the Marvel Cinematic Universe looks like this:

Why Few Fans Are Taking the Denial at Face Value

The skepticism has little to do with Renner’s honesty and a great deal to do with how Marvel handles its biggest releases. GamesRadar reports that many viewers still expect Hawkeye to turn up, and the studio has kept parts of the cast under wraps. At an Endgame Encore Q&A, co-director Anthony Russo said that some of the people in the film have not been announced. Paul Bettany, speaking on the subject, joked that he would “get fired” if he revealed casting details.

Seen in that light, an actor saying he is not involved can sound like a studio-approved line. Marvel has a long record of keeping surprises out of the public eye, and cameos have been withheld from trailers and promotional appearances before. That does not mean Renner is being misleading, and nothing in the reporting says he is. It simply means that a denial from any cast member carries less weight than it once might have.

The Kate Bishop Wrinkle

Part of the speculation involves the person who took over the Hawkeye name on television. Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, introduced in the 2021 series, has been linked to the film in rumors, and she has declined to confirm anything when asked. In one widely shared talk-show moment, she gave away nothing, and reports said even her husband was unsure of her status. Marvel has not officially announced her for Doomsday. If she does appear, it would put a Hawkeye in the film without the original one, which is a scenario that would fit Renner’s statement exactly.

What Marvel Has Confirmed

The studio has been more open about the film’s anchor names. Avengers: Doomsday is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, who also made Infinity War and Endgame. The confirmed cast includes Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, alongside the new Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts, the Wakandans and most of the original Fox-era X-Men. Its follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars, is scheduled for December 17, 2027.

A Crowded Roster Leaves Little Room

There is also a practical argument for taking Renner at his word. The cast already assembled for Doomsday spans several eras of Marvel storytelling, from returning Avengers to the Fox-era mutants and the newer Fantastic Four. Fitting that many characters into one story forces hard choices about who gets screen time. A hero who spent the last years of the earlier saga winding down his own story may simply not fit the plan the filmmakers have in mind for Doom’s arrival.

Circle the Date

The film opens in cinemas on December 18, and on December 16 in the United Kingdom, so the question of who stands on that battlefield will be answered soon. Until then, Renner’s comments are best read as an honest account of his own situation and a good-humored jab at the studio. If Clint Barton does appear, the surprise will be a large one, and if he does not, the actor has already made his feelings about the matter clear. Either way, the exchange has given fans one more topic to debate in the final weeks before release.

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