Hawkeye’s Heartbreaking Scene Was Originally in Avengers: Infinity War

Marvel fans have talked over and over about the incredibly emotional ending to Avengers: Endgame, but what we tend to forget is that the movie kicked off with an absolute heartbreaker, too. After spending a year wondering what Hawkeye was up to, everyone got their answer in the first scene of Endgame as the film opened with the dusting of Clint Barton’s entire family.

This moment set a tragic tone for the first act of Endgame, but as it turns out, that sequence wasn’t intended to be a part of the movie at all. It was initially supposed to take place at the end of Avengers: Infinity War.

During a live Q&A with ComicBook.com’s own Brandon Davis, director Joe Russo talked quite a bit about Hawkeye’s story in Avengers: Endgame. After explaining that they had initially planned on including Hawkeye in the events of the previous film, Russo broke down the character’s story to show the thought process behind moving him back into the second installment.

“So post Civil War, he gets broken out of prison,” Russo began. “He’s got a family. People know where his family is. Do you make a decision to be on the run and be away from your family? Or do you create a plea bargain with the government and go under house arrest, which you see at the beginning of the film where he has the ankle bracelet on, and live with your family. That’s clearly the choice that Clint would’ve made because he cares the most about his family above anything else. So once you answer that question, it makes sense for him to be out of the events of Infinity War because he is under house arrest living with his family, the same way that Scott Lang made that decision as well. Cap didn’t have to make that decision. Falcon and Natasha did not have to make that decision, which is why the three of them are on the run together.

“The story at the beginning of Endgame, where he’s with his family at the picnic, that was originally supposed to be at the end of Infinity War. It was gonna be a tease of where has his character been all this time. Thanks snaps his fingers, it goes to black, and suddenly it comes up on this very idyllic scene where Clint is interacting with his family. And you go ‘Where am I? Why is this happening?’ And then his family starts to disappear and you realize ‘Oh crap, it’s happening.’ And then you go around and see all of the other characters disappear. It was too confusing, so we decided to move it to the beginning of the next film. It sets the tone, it re-reminds you of where you are, wheat the story was that you felt the year ago, it makes you feel it again.”

Do you think this was the right call? Would you have rather seen Hawkeye pop up in Avengers: Infinity War? Let us know in the comments!

Avengers: Endgame is now playing in theaters.