“All will be explained” – The Avengers: Infinity War directors on why Hawkeye isn’t in the trailers (and whose backstory was cut)

Missing: Clint Barton. Last seen in *checks Google* Captain America: Civil War. Yep, Hawkeye hasn’t been around for what feels like an age (in MCU terms, anyway). But he’s back in Avengers: Infinity War… right? In an interview with the directors of the third Avengers movie, our sister publication Total Film magazine got to the bottom of the issue as to why Jeremy Renner has been MIA in each of the trailers – and it sounds ominous.

Subscribe: You can sign up for future issues of Total Film for more exclusive news and features on Fantastic Beasts 2, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and even more. Subscribe now!

“All will be explained when people see the movie,” says Anthony Russo, when asked about Hawkeye’s continued absence, in a quote that feels me with dread. “It’s all tied into the story.” Seriously? That’s not helping.

Hawkeye is in Avengers: Infinity War though and, as Total Film’s set visit confirms, he’s rocking a snazzy new look, complete with mohawk. Don’t worry, though, his is not the only part that’s been left on the cutting room floor.

“We were considering showing [Thanos’] backstory,” says Anthony Russo, “but ultimately felt it wasn’t necessary for the movie.” While fans of the Mad Titan may be feeling a little sore than we don’t get to see the method behind the madness, we’re still getting an Infinity War “told from his point of view,” which is surely better than any shoehorned origin tale.

Hawkeye not being in trailers for massive spoiler-y reasons? No Thanos backstory but we’re getting something bigger and better than that? Colour me intrigued. And purple. With a mohawk.

For the rest of the humongous cover feature on Avengers: Infinity War, you’ll have to pick up the  new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves on April 6. You can also subscribe here.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Latest in Marvel Movies
Wanda in Doctor Strange
Scarlet Witch star Elizabeth Olsen is one of the first Marvel actors to say she's not in the next pair of Avengers movies
Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania
Paul Rudd is still thinking about that one Thanos and Ant-Man fan theory: "I often wonder, though, could he really have stopped Thanos in that way?"
She-Hulk on Disney Plus
Tatiana Maslany canceled a Comic Con appearance due to "filming commitments", and it could mean She-Hulk is in the next Avengers movie
Charlie Cox in Daredevil
Daredevil star Charlie Cox says keeping his Spider-Man: No Way Home cameo a secret for two years was a "nightmare"
Avengers: Doomsday directors admit it's a "difficult" movie to make but tease some great Marvel collaborators "old and new"
Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
The Russo Brothers say Robert Downey Jr. "tried to talk us into" doing another Avengers movie but they "said no" until they heard the pitch for Doomsday: "That story has to be told"
Latest in News
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe assassinating target with Tanto skill
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first title update is a hotfix with three lines of patch notes and a download size up to 9GB