The Avengers can’t stop assembling. Clint Barton—also known as Hawkeye, or the “Really? Him?” Avenger—is coming to Marvel’s Avengers on March 18, alongside dedicated next-gen versions of the game.
Marvel’s Avengers was initially planned for release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S alongside the launch of the new consoles. Three weeks before those consoles hit shelves, Crystal Dynamics delayed the next-gen versions indefinitely. Come March 18, Marvel’s Avengers will finally be able to hit 4K on PS5 and Xbox Series X and 1440p on Xbox Series S.
Hawkeye also ushers in the “Future Imperfect” operation, appears to feature a dog (which seems to have excited my colleague Mike Fahey), time travel (hard pass), and The Kree, an extraterrestrial race from Marvel lore. (The Kree played a major in role in 2019's Captain Marvel film. Captain Marvel herself has not been confirmed as a playable character in Marvel’s Avengers.) Hawkeye himself can, of course, use all sorts of arrows, but also comes with a katana, not unlike the blade sported by the character in Avengers: Endgame.
It all looks appropriately bananas. Here’s a trailer:
In coming to Avengers, Hawkeye follows the footsteps of his protégé, Kate Bishop, who was added to the game’s roster late last year at no extra cost. Her operation, the unforgivably punny “Taking A.I.M.,” injected some much-needed energy into Avengers.
More characters are en route. During a livestream last September, Developer Crystal Dynamics hinted that Black Panther would be a playable character, but altered plans out of respect for Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and tragically passed away last year following complications with colon cancer.
Down the line, Spider-Man will also join the team, but only on PlayStation. Even Earth’s Mightiest Heroes apparently can’t defeat the most insidious villain of them all: console-exclusive DLC.