The Marvel Cinematic Universe has entered a fascinating stage where old heroes linger on the edge of retirement and new ones rise to take their place, and fans are left desperately trying to predict who’s coming back for the next big crossover.
As ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ looms on the horizon, two familiar faces, Jeremy Renner and Andrew Garfield, have become the center of fresh speculation. Hilariously, one seems open to returning, while the other just wants everyone to stop asking.
“It’s Really Not My Decision”: Jeremy Renner Reflects On Hawkeye’s Return
It’s been almost four years since we last saw Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton in action in the ‘Hawkeye’ series. Since then, the series has quietly faded into Marvel’s crowded streaming lineup, with no official word on a second season. Now, Renner himself is offering a glimmer of hope. Speaking to ScreenRant, the MCU veteran opened up about the possibility of continuing Hawkeye’s story.
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But he also emphasized that the decision isn’t his to make. “For a second season, that was always the idea, to continue that narrative, even in the Christmas framework of it all,” Renner shared. “They love that world in New York. There’s really no more beautiful place than New York until Christmas. After Christmas, it’s kind of bleak.” It’s a subtle but telling answer. The door isn’t closed, but it’s certainly not wide open either. Renner seems to acknowledge both the character’s enduring potential and the uncertain future of Marvel’s TV projects.
Still, his affection for Clint Barton is clear. Having portrayed the character since 2011, Renner has been through everything from alien invasions to time heists, and through it all, Hawkeye has remained prevalent. In another interview with ComicBook, Renner elaborated on what he believes makes Clint such a special kind of hero. “I think he started retired… but he’s always pulled out of retirement, you know. He’s a family man, you always know where his allegiance lies, and he’s always come out of retirement, man. Until he’s killed, he’s always gonna be working.”
Renner’s words suggest that even if ‘Hawkeye’ season 2 doesn’t materialize, there’s still room for Clint to reappear, perhaps in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’. Marvel hasn’t officially confirmed his return, and Renner’s name was noticeably absent from the film’s initial cast reveal back in March 2025. However, with Kevin Feige hinting at “additional characters” to be announced later, and with ‘Doomsday’ filming wrapped as of September 2025, there’s still time.
Andrew Garfield Is Done With ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Speculations
If Jeremy Renner’s attitude toward returning to Marvel is patient and diplomatic, Andrew Garfield’s is a little more exasperated. ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ star, who famously lied through his teeth about his ‘No Way Home’ appearance before swinging onto screens in 2021, is once again fielding questions about whether he’ll show up in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’. And he’s had enough.
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In a recent GQ interview, Garfield read a fan question from X asking if he and Tobey Maguire would reprise their Spider-Man roles in ‘Brand New Day’. His response was a frustrated, “No, unequivocally f***ing no.” The delivery says it all. Garfield knows it’s on him. During the lead-up to ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, he spent months dodging questions and insisting he wasn’t in the film, only to appear in one of the MCU’s most crowd-pleasing reveals.
So when he says “no” this time, fans understandably raise an eyebrow. Garfield himself knows this, joking, “I know no one’s gonna trust anything I say from now on.” To his credit, he’s handled the renewed speculation with humor, even poking fun at the “lie cycle” he’s trapped in. However, the timing of his latest denial, right as ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ finishes filming, feels suspiciously familiar.
