Of the bonds that are set to be tested in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, perhaps none has such intimate tension as the relationship between Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, the Avengers team's least supernatural members. From what we've seen, Renner's character will side with Chris Evans' Captain America while Black Widow will back-up Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, and the rift in their partnership is one element of the upcoming film that has yet to be ruined by the marketing for the third Captain America film.
This will bring Renner's talent for finding the sensitivity in daredevil characters (see: Kathryn Bigelow's still-brilliant The Hurt Locker) out in front, but at Silicon Valley Comic Con, Renner suggested that his character could be even more defined. As reported by CB, the actor mentioned that he would be open to have his character move from big Marvel movies to the more character-centric storytelling of the Netflix model, which has just produced the second season of Daredevil, the best adaptation of a Marvel property alongside Jessica Jones.
The character certainly would work in such an intimate venue as Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and the hugely anticipated Luke Cage series that will premiere later this year. Where Daredevil plumbs major concepts of justice, guilt, and faith, and Jessica Jones digs into ideas about feminine survival and abusive relationships, Hawkeye could tentatively look at weaponry and military training in similarly philosophically attuned ways; the Punisher storyline on season 2 of Daredevil flirted with concepts of militaristic identity already. It's a great idea that could build a strong narrative but as Renner even points out in his comments, it's not his call even kinda.
Here's what Renner had to say at Silicon Valley Comic Con:
"I think that's actually a really great model, if there's ever a way to explore the character, maybe it's in that world. These are things that are really not in my control, but I'd be open to it. I've really enjoyed getting to explore the character more recently. The Netflix model is where all the character drama goes to now, you're doing a superhero movie or a Netflix or HBO kind of model. So I'd be open to it. Not up to me, though."
