Hawkeye is set to do a deep dive into the origins of Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton while also adapting elements from various stories of the archer in the pages of Marvel Comics.
During Marvel Studios' initial announcement back at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, it became apparent that the Disney+ series would take elements from Matt Fraction and David Aja's comic book run of the titular hero. In that storyline, the mentor-mentee relationship between Barton and Kate Bishop is the main highlight, and it looks like this will be translated into live-action.
Meanwhile, another plot point from Fraction and Aja's run for the bow-wielding Avenger that has yet to be explored is his loss of hearing. For those unaware, Barton began his hearing loss journey back in 1983 when a sonic arrowhead exploded that left him predominantly deaf.
Murphy's Multiverse previously reported that Hawkeye was possibly going to pursue the idea that Barton would be deaf in the series, and now, it seems that Marvel went with its original plan.
Hawkeye: Clint Barton's Loss of Hearing Confirmed
The first Hawkeye trailer showed that Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton is wearing a hearing aid, confirming that the Avenger lost part of his hearing at some point after Avengers: Endgame.
At the 0:26 mark, Barton can be seen wearing the aforementioned hearing aid while talking to his daughter, Lila Barton.
A closer look at the hearing aid can be seen below:
How Will Hawkeye Utilize Clint's Hearing Loss?
At this stage, it is unknown when Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton suffered hearing loss, but it's safe to assume that Hawkeye will provide a concrete answer regarding this plot point.
In the pages of Marvel Comics, it was Bobbi Morse aka Mockingbird who gave the hearing aid to Barton. Given that Mockingbird has yet to be introduced to Clint in the MCU (barring the canon-or-not status of Agents of SHIELD), it will be interesting to see which character will end up giving Barton this device; it's even possible that the franchise's version of Bobbi Morse will finally debut in the series.
In Matt Fraction and David Aja's comic run of the character, Barton grapples with the experience of being deaf, ultimately pushing him to his limits. The Avenger lost his hearing after being stabbed in the ears with his own arrows, and he has never been the same since.
Hawkeye presents a prime opportunity to showcase Barton like never before due to his hearing loss, likely leading to scenes of self-realization and much-needed help from Kate Bishop.
It was already confirmed that Barton will not be the only deaf character in Hawkeye due to the presence of Alaqua Cox's Maya Lopez aka Echo. Given that the two characters are likely to cross paths at some point, there's a strong chance that this struggle will be addressed.
In many ways, this is a positive step considering that deaf people around the globe now have a superhero (or two) to connect with. This is also a major development in terms of Marvel's push for more representation in Phase 4.
Hawkeye is set to premiere on Disney+ on November 24, 2021.
