(Image Source: Marvel Studios)
Four years ago, "Hawkeye," the last of the original Avengers to receive a solo project, finally premiered his eponymous Disney+ series during the holiday season. The show garnered significant attention, and its viewership numbers were widely considered strong enough to warrant a second season. However, four years have passed with little movement from Marvel Studios and Disney, and no official announcement for a second season has been made. Recently, Jeremy Renner, who portrays Hawkeye, revealed the primary reason for the prolonged delay.
Renner, currently promoting his memoir "My Next Breath," spoke candidly during an interview on "The High Performance Podcast," stating that the reason a second season hasn't been filmed is his refusal to return. "They asked me to do season two, and they offered me half the money," Renner explained. "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?'"
(Image Source: Marvel Studios)
Renner clarified that his criticism wasn't directed at Marvel. "I'm not talking about Marvel; I'm talking about Disney," he said. "And it's not even really Disney, it's just the penny pinchers, the accountants at Disney. I told them to go fly a kite at the insult offer, and so we didn't see eye to eye on that, sadly." He expressed that he still loves the character and would be happy to return, but he had to advocate for himself. Renner emphasized that he didn't even ask for more money, only the same pay as the first season. "It's a little disheartening that didn't happen, but that's fine. I'm happy to let that go, because my body's probably thanking me that I'm not doing that right now," he concluded, adding, "but let's wait and see."
This isn't the first time Disney has faced a pay dispute with a Marvel actor. A few years prior, Scarlett Johansson and her agency sued Disney over a breach of contract concerning "Black Widow"'s original agreement, which caused a significant stir. While the two parties eventually settled, it's evident that Disney still has ongoing disputes to resolve with other Marvel talent.