Hawkeye isn’t coming back for another round — at least not anytime soon, and not under current terms. Jeremy Renner has revealed he was approached to return for a second season of Hawkeye on Disney+, only to walk away from the offer.
Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Renner didn’t mince words about why he turned down the project. For a character who’s been part of the MCU since Phase One, and who finally got a solo spotlight in the well-received 2021 holiday-themed series, the lowball figure came as a shock to fans and, evidently, to Renner himself. His full comments are as follows:
“They asked me to do Season 2, and they offered me half the money. I’m like, ‘Well, it’s going to take me twice the amount of work for half the amount of money, and eight months of my time, essentially, to do it for half the amount. I’m like, ‘I’m sorry? Why? Did you think I’m only half the Jeremy because I got ran over? Maybe that’s why you want to pay me half of what I made on the first season.'”
“This is not Marvel, mind you. This is like, just Disney, not even really Disney. It’s just the penny pinchers, the accountants. I told them to go fly a kite. I mean, just at the insult offer. So we didn’t see eye to eye on it. Sadly, I still love the character. I’d still love to do it, but I had to defend myself. I didn’t ask for any more money, mind you. Just pay me what I made the first season. So it’s all disheartening that that didn’t happen, but that’s fine. I’m happy to let that go, because my body’s probably thanking me, time and time again, that I’m not doing it right now. But we’ll see.”
Marvel Studios has not publicly confirmed a second season of Hawkeye, but earlier this year, Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation Brad Winderbaum floated the possibility. He described Hawkeye as a series that could be revisited “because it’s Christmas, because it’s Clint and Kate,” but he stopped short of announcing any concrete plans.
Behind the scenes, Marvel has undergone a shift in how it handles its television division. After years of treating Disney+ series like mini-blockbusters, with movie-sized budgets and production schedules, the studio reportedly pivoted in 2023 toward a more traditional television model. That change may help explain the reduced salary Renner was offered. Still, the decision to offer half pay to one of the original Avengers (particularly one recovering from a near-death experience) struck many as tone-deaf.
Marvel’s decision on whether to continue Hawkeye may now hinge on how far it’s willing to go to retain one of its foundational stars. If salary disputes or tighter TV budgets are getting in the way, Season 2 may remain in limbo. Until then, Barton’s bow is hung up… but perhaps not for good.
Hawkeye is streaming on Disney+.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Caleb from Love and Deepspace.
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