Marvel Finally Justified Hawkeye Not Dying In Endgame

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Hawkeye, episode 3.

Marvel’s Hawkeye finally justifies why the titular hero doesn’t die, but survives Avengers: Endgame. His death in the film was a considerable point of speculation for viewers prior to the movie’s release, so Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) dying instead of Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) has been a major point of controversy for many. However, Hawkeye’s Disney+ series finally delivers an explanation as to why he survives Endgame. The answer is actually fairly tragic.

In Hawkeye, after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the Avenger is trying to spend time with his family on Christmas when Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) ends up accidentally taking the Ronin suit from a black-market auction. This prompts him to try and help the aspiring young superhero, which eventually leads him to enemies from his past as Ronin. These include the Tracksuit Mafia, led by Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo (Alaqua Cox), who is seeking revenge for the death of her father. As he and Kate are being interrogated by Echo, Hawkeye tells her that Black Widow killed Ronin in Endgame.

This half-truth given by Clint in Hawkeye explains why Marvel chose to keep him alive in Avengers: Endgame. In a figurative sense, Hawkeye has already died twice. The first time was when he lost his family to the Snap, and the second was when Black Widow sacrificed herself and “killed” Ronin. Losing his family is what drove Hawkeye to become Ronin in his grief. Though the people he killed were criminals, he was still is a ruthless killer who slaughtered without care or remorse. As shown through Echo, those actions had tragic consequences. It was his best friend, Black Widow, who he just knew as Nat, who was able to bring him back from the darkness and ensure he was able to live his life again. To have him die for real after everything she had sacrificed to give her best friend another chance would not only have rendered her sacrifice pointless but would have been overkill for him too.

Black Widow giving Hawkeye the hope of bringing his family back was what was able to get him to abandon the Ronin persona and return as an Avenger. Her sacrificing her life in Avengers: Endgame for the Soul Stone was not only to complete the mission but to ensure he can return to his family and build a new life for himself. Hawkeye had already lost so much by the point of Black Widow’s death, that killing him off would have felt cruel and unnecessary.

As Natasha saw it, they were even. At a time in her life when she was still with the Red Room and had done horrible things, Clint made the decision to give her a second chance rather than kill her. In Avengers: Endgame, their roles were reversed. By killing herself to save Clint, she gave him a blank state to start over. In the end, it was his best friend’s love and compassion that “killed” Ronin by reminding Clint that he was Hawkeye, not Ronin. Black Widow brought him back from the brink.

Marvel’s justification for Hawkeye’s survival in Avengers: Endgame makes sense as it shows his story in the MCU isn’t finished yet. The Hawkeye series is exploring how Clint is responding to living the life Black Widow’s sacrifice granted him while also dealing with the consequences of his actions as Ronin. From Echo to Yelena to possibly even Kingpin, Hawkeye will have a lot of obstacles to contend with before he can make it home to his family in time for the holidays.

New episodes of Hawkeye stream every Wednesday on Disney+.

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