Joss Whedon Reveals Why He Gave Hawkeye A Family In Avengers: Age Of Ultron

When it comes to the Avengers, you might assume that Black Widow is the best secret-keeper of the bunch. Her skills in espionage are renowned, and the only person in the Marvel Universe more guarded than herself is Nick Fury. But, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is Clint Barton who keeps his secrets closest to heart. Fans were stunned to learn that Hawkeye had kept his entire family hidden from his teammates in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the reveal did sit poorly with plenty of moviegoers. And, now, Joss Whedon is explaining why he gave the master archer a brood of his own.

On his Tumblr, Whedon answered a fan question which asked him about Hawkeye's family. The director said that he "loved" the idea that one of the Avengers was keeping a massive secret from everyone else.

"I loved the idea that one Avenger had a secret, and that it was that he was a normal guy who is genuinely connected to the world in a way no other avenger is," Whedon wrote. "We cut a lot of the misdirection that would have made the reveal more fun, but emotionally and thematically it still works great for me."

Of course, there were scores of fans who felt the revelation was impromptu. There were many moviegoers who had hoped Hawkeye would shack-up with Black Widow given their close relationship; Others believed that Hawkeye's family interrupted the film's flow and felt wholly unbelievable.

However, there is some comic book basis for the family. While Hawkeye's nest is rather empty in the traditional Marvel Universe, the Ultimates Universe did gift Clint a family. However, things ended up badly for the gang as Hawkeye's family was brutally slaughtered in the comics - so here's to hoping Clint's on-screen brood has a happier future ahead of them.

Since fans now know about Hawkeye's secret nest, they are wondering whether the Barton Clan will reappear in the MCU. Of course, the next time that could happen would be in Avengers: Infinity War. During a recent interview, Jeremy Renner said he knows very little about the film but that he's heard some "exciting" things will be in store for Hawkeye down the road.

If fans aren't able to learn more about the hero's family in theaters, then they might be able to hear about them on the small screen. After all, Marvel does has a nice partnership going on with Netflix, and Renner has said he's open to a standalone series.

The actor praised the site's Marvel shows and said, "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."

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"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."

So, what do you think? Would you like to see more of Hawkeye's family or let them fade into cinematic obscurity?