Hawkeye Has A Lot To Do With Avengers: Age Of Ultron Plot According To Robert Downey Jr.

One of the few complaints with the original Avengers movie was that Hawkeye really didn't have much to do, seeing as he was mind controlled by Loki in the opening scene and remained that way for most of the film. Well, Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner) is going to be much more integral to the plot of "Avengers: Age of Ultron," according to the film's resident Iron Man, Robert Downey, Jr. Variety caught up with the star and asked him if he was starting work on "Avengers 2." "This one is a very ambitious sequel," said Downey. "If you read it, it's dense, it's smart. Joss (Whedon) is a really smart guy. My 2-year-old is crazy about Hawkeye, and I think Jeremy has a lot to do with the plot. There's always so many plates to spin to get these things half-right, and I'm really excited about this one." Renner is already working on the film, battling Ultron alongside new recruits Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), if the set photos we've seen are to be believed. Downey also addressed an issue that's been increasingly on the minds of fans, as of late: How long can this Marvel Cinematic Universe really last? "The smart money is you have to look at everybody's age," said Downey. "I'll put myself at the top of the list. Sooner or later, they've got to start over and get somebody young. I'm not there with them yet. It really is the closest thing to being a beloved contract player with a big old-timey studio that there is right now. When you really think about it at the end of the day, these films are entertainment largely driven by young folks. There is something very honorable about that. I run into kids wearing "Captain America" masks. My kid believes that Captain America is real." In "Avengers: Age of Ultron," the Avengers reassemble to battle the sentient robot known as Ultron. "Avengers: Age of Ultron" comes to theaters May 1, 2015.