Jeremy Renner Says His Avengers 'Family' Have Real 'Love' for Each Other: 'It's Not Just for Instagram'

Jeremy Renner wants Avengers fans to know his bond with his superhero cast mates is real.

In Renner's new Men's Health cover story published Tuesday, June 25, the actor, 53, spoke to the strengths of his bonds with his family as well as with Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and more whom he worked with across the Avengers and the larger universe of Marvel superhero movies made between 2011 and 2019.

“Oh, f--- yeah, it’s a real thing — it’s not just for Instagram. We f-----’ hate that s---,” Renner said of the group's bond, after discussing his near-fatal January 2023 snowplow accident. “No, we have a family chat and have for a long time. When you work with people — look, we all went through a culturally significant experience together. And there’s divorces and marriages and babies; a lot of stuff happened in these 12 years."

Renner noted to Men's Health that Anthony Mackie visited him in the immediate aftermath of the incident; so did Paul Rudd and Sam Rockwell, while Downey Jr., 59, frequently kept in touch via FaceTime. In the months following Renner's injuries, both Johansson, 39, and Evans, 43, also spoke about visiting their costar.

"In the films, we look like we’re at a costume party, and there’s ridiculous props and we’re doing these ridiculous things, but it’s also beautiful because we’re all connected," Renner told the outlet. "There’s a brotherhood or sisterhood or whatever the heck you want to call it. I just call it love." 

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"I love every one of them," he added. "I’d rather go to jail with Downey than go do something amazing by myself. I’d rather get in a car crash with Evans."

Renner recently admitted during an appearance on the SmartLess podcast that he does not currently "have the energy" to take on "challenging" acting roles as he continues to focus on his recovery. Even so, the actor stated in a February interview with Entertainment Tonight that he is "always game" to portray Hawkeye again for future Marvel projects.

“I'm gonna be strong enough, that's for sure," he said at the time. "I'll be ready.”

While it remains unclear when or if Renner will reprise his Marvel role as Hawkeye down the line, the actor has recently booked his first movie following his snowplow accident, joining the cast of the next Knives Out mystery. Otherwise, Renner most recently returned to the screen on his Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown for its third season, which is available on the streaming platform now.