Avengers: Doomsday has assembled nearly 60 heroes, yet the original Avengers are still playing a rather conspicuous game of hide-and-seek. Thor and Steve Rogers appear to be exceptions, with Hulk potentially joining them, while Doctor Doom and his rumored Latverian witches could bring Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, and Agatha Harkness into the fray. Jeremy Renner, however, believes the heroes are doomed to lose without Hawkeye.

Renner has effectively spoiled his own absence from Avengers: Doomsday, proving that even the MCU cannot always find room for one more Avenger.

One familiar archer has already declared the team doomed. Jeremy Renner has confirmed that he will not return as Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, in the upcoming Marvel blockbuster, Avengers: Doomsday. During a Q&A panel at Comic Con Liverpool, the actor made it clear that Marvel Studios never called him.

“Doomsday I’m not in, so the Avengers will probably lose, just so you know," he said with a smile.

[Marvel] didn’t call me, so it’s their fault. They’re going to lose,” he said.

Renner delivered the remark with a healthy dose of sarcasm, turning his absence into a rather amusing prediction of the Avengers’ fictional downfall. However, Hawkeye fans have been entertaining a far more dramatic possibility for the veteran archer. Some have speculated that Clint Barton could play a crucial role in Avengers: Secret Wars, potentially taking down Doctor Doom himself. 

That theory has an especially brutal comic-book connection: Hawkeye k**** Doctor Doom by hitting him directly in the head with an arrow tipped with one of Wolverine’s adamantium claws. Whether Marvel Studios intends to adapt that moment remains unconfirmed, and Renner’s latest comments offer no indication that such a showdown is planned. For now, the archer is out of Doomsday, and Doctor Doom can breathe a little easier.

"Very Difficult"- Anthony Russo Reveals The Hard Part of Handling MCU Heroes in 'Avengers: Doomsday'

With fans already predicting deaths like Bucky Barnes in Avengers: Doomsday, Jeremy Renner’s comments are making the prospect of another Avengers: Infinity War-style heartbreak feel all too real.

The creative team behind Avengers: Infinity War is returning for the next Marvel crossover, but directors Joe and Anthony Russo have emphasized the need for a certain gravity in Doctor Doom’s story. Their comments suggest a more serious direction for the MCU, one that could make the heroes’ next battle far less reassuring.

Anthony Russo has also highlighted the challenge of taking established superheroes in unexpected directions without losing what makes them beloved, rather than simply repeating past successes. That creative ambition is particularly intriguing given rumors that Doctor Doom could collapse the multiverse and leave the heroes defeated ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars.

Although the filmmakers have not confirmed such an ending, their emphasis on gravity and unexpected character journeys raises the possibility that Avengers: Doomsday could deliver another Infinity War-style defeat.

‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Poster Is Catching Strays for Having All the Stars but None of the Swag

Do you think are going to lose in Avengers: Doomsday? Let us know in the comments!