Jeremy Renner did not have a solo character in the MCU. Still, he did have a successful series about his character, with which he was able to show that, even if he is not the protagonist of the Marvel Universe, he has managed to create a complex, interesting, and relatable character. Fans love to see it in action.
Hawkeye represents a pivotal moment in the actor’s career, but it’s not the only good one he’s managed to create. Jeremy Renner has had an extraordinary career, where he has helped tell true stories, unravel mysteries, and even explore the multiverse. With that, he has garnered two Oscar nominations, dozens of awards, and substantial box-office hits worldwide.
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His work in the MCU is the reason many know and follow them, and while he’s been a part of many best movies (and historical moments) there, some of his best projects exist outside of that world and have led him to demonstrate that he is not just an action hero.
Renner is deep, dramatic (in the best of ways), and dedicated to his characters and projects, and he has many movies that must be seen to discover his full talent.
Jeremy Renner’s 10 Best Movies
1. Arrival – Paramount+
This is one of the best science fiction movies of recent years. Renner appears alongside Amy Adams, who plays an expert linguist who the government calls in to try to figure out the intentions of a group of extraterrestrials that landed on Earth. It is not a horror story but a film that tells us about the need to connect with others and the importance of opening our minds and being willing to learn and discover new things without fear of the unknown or what is different. Arrival also has a perfect soundtrack and stunning photography.
2. The Hurt Locker – Amazon Prime
This six-time Oscar-winning film is a realistic portrayal of what happens to soldiers after the war. Renner plays a soldier who is an expert in disarming bombs and witnesses the horrors of the war in Iraq. He also shows the difficulties of adapting to “normal” life after having lived moments marked by violence and death. It is not a true story, but the stories of thousands of soldiers worldwide inspire it.
3. Wind River – On Demand
Renner and Elizabeth Olsen appear together in this haunting thriller steeped in mystery. Wind River follows an FBI agent who recruits a lone hunter to help her solve the murder case of a woman murdered inside a Native American reservation in Wymong, where she must face a tight-knit community and reveal many dark secrets to uncover the truth.
4. Tag – HBO Max
This comedy is based on a very peculiar true story: that of a group of friends who have been playing a game of tag for years. Renner, Ed Helms, and Jon Hamm are part of a group of friends who, every year, get together to play the same game they played as children, with the sole mission of beating the only one of them who has never lost.
5. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol / Rogue Nation – Star+
Rennes played Brandt in the Mission Impossible movies alongside Tom Cruise. His first appearance was in Ghost Protocol, where Ethan and his team must go on the run after being accused of planting a bomb in the Kremlin and proving their innocence. Later, Renner returned to the Rogue Nation, where Ethan and his team must stop a terrorist organization that wants to destroy them.
6. The Immigrant – Star+
Marion Cotillard, Renee Zellweger, and Joaquin Phoenix star in this drama in the 1920s, when two Polish sisters travel to the United States for a better life. But when separated, one is tricked and forced to work for an exploitative man who abuses his power and promises to help her reunite with her sister.
7. The Bourne Legacy – Star+
Renner has been a hero in many ways; in this movie with Rachel Weisz, he becomes a secret agent who discovers that the organization he works for is trying to eliminate all agents to prevent the truth about their operations from getting out, so he must find a way to survive with the help of a doctor who is the only one who can help him get what he needs.
8. North Country – HBO Max
This brutal movie with Renner and Charlize Theron earned two Oscar nominations and is based on a true story. Tierra Fra is the story of a single mother who must work for a mining company to support her family. Still, there she experiences sexual harassment and abuse and, realizing she is not the only one, decides to file the first sexual harassment lawsuit in the United States, fighting against the system and their comrades to obtain justice and security.
9. Captain America: Civil War – Disney+
After Thor: Ragnarok, this is one of the best movies in the MCU, where we see the Avengers fighting against themselves. The Civil War begins with a “disaster” caused by the Avengers, leading the government to want to rein them in and put in stringent rules for superheroes, leaving the group divided and fighting for what they think is right. Civil War is the first film in which Black Panther appears.
10. Avengers: Infinity War / Endgame – Disney+
Infinity War and Endgame are some of the biggest movies in the MCU, where they made history by grossing billions of dollars at the box office and taking down some of the world’s greatest heroes. This was the end of one of the most powerful phases of the MCU, but also the beginning of a new era, where many of the “secondary” characters became protagonists.