Jeremy Renner Declared ‘Toughest Avenger’ on Kimmel

Jeremy Renner was in excellent spirts as he walked with a cane onto the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday. Fresh from his interview with Diane Sawyer, Renner sat across from Kimmel as the late night host introduced him as the “indestructible Jeremy Renner” and declared him the “toughest Avenger.”

“Was this a publicity stunt?” the late night host asked. “Absolutely,” joked Renner. Kimmel continued, “Now if there was any question as to who the toughest Avenger was, that’s settled now. Forget [Chris] Hemsworth, forget these guys, it’s you, you’re the guy.”

Renner, who is known for playing Hawkeye in Marvel’s Avengers films, was at his home near Lake Tahoe, Nevada on New Year’s Day when his nephew’s truck got stuck in the snow. The actor attempted to use his Pistenbully to dislodge the vehicle when the snow plow started sliding downhill. Renner jumped away but didn’t engage its emergency brake; when he saw the seven-ton plow hurtling toward his nephew, he tried to jump back in but was pulled under one of the tracks.

The actor also shared how he almost was kicked out of the hospital. “I kept trying to get out of the hospital as soon as I was in it,” he told Kimmel. “I’m going back to this hospital this week to apologize to every one of those nurses.”

The Avengers star also shared a cheeky “get well” Cameo from his friend and fellow actor Paul Rudd.

Renner recently spoke about his upcoming Disney+ series Rennervations out Wednesday, where he remodels old vehicles as functional and multifaceted recreational spaces, and said the project played a big factor in his ongoing recovery.

“I’ve been on this journey for many years, and I started in my community by building vehicles for people in need. But a few years ago, I thought, how can I plus this up and create a bigger impact on a whole community – and that’s what this show does.” Renner said in a statement. “This is one of my biggest passions, and it’s a driving force in my recovery, and I can’t wait for the world to see it.”