Hawkeye (Marvel)
Hawkeye is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Clinton Barton was a male human born as the son of Harold Barton and Edith Barton where he was the younger brother of Barney Barton. In his youth, it was shown that his father had been abusive and would regularly beat his children. (Hawkeye: Blind Spot v1 #1)
After his parents died in a car accident, the young Clint and his brother Barney were sent to live at an orphanage. One night, the pair decided to run away and came upon the Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonders that had come into town. The siblings looked for a place to stay and that could support them with Clint meeting the Swordsman. The performer was looking for an assistant and chose Clint for being young enough to train where he was trained to be his archer assistant. (Hawkeye v1 #1)
Following the incident, Clint was in hospital for a broken leg where he had an argument with his brother with Barney parting ways with him. Though abandoned by his sibling, Barton's other mentor Trick Shot stayed and offered to be by his side. He was there whilst Clint recovered and helped in his training to be an archer. Trick Shot then deceived Clint to help him in a robbery where his mentor killed several people. Barney was present at the scene where he was injured by an arrow leading to Clint attempting to stop Trick Shot who instead fired some arrows that pinned his former student to a wall whilst he got away. (Hawkeye: Blindspot v1 #1)
One day, he was at the carnival showcasing his amazing accuracy when an incident emerged that nearly caused a flying pinwheel to fall. It was then that Iron Man arrived at the scene thus preventing any deaths with the crowd watching the hero. This provoked nothing but jealousy from Clint Barton who did not like people ignoring him. He then decided that he could become a costumed adventurer himself where he made a suit for himself and took the name Hawkeye. Operating as a vigilante, he decided to stop a theft where the criminal in question dropped the stolen loot of diamonds but managed to escape. Barton was recovering the jewels but police at the scene mistook him for a thief forcing him to go on the run. He was the saved by a passing car driven by the Black Widow Natasha Romanoff who offered him protection. (Tales of Suspense v1 #57)
Avengers
This saw him break into Avengers Mansion where he said that he wanted a chance to be a hero and become one of the Avengers. After being accepted into their ranks, he was announced to the public as their newest member alongside Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. (Avengers v1 #16)
During the return to Avengers Mansion, their craft had to make an emergency landing where Hawkeye looked to fire an arrow to help a crash. However, his bowstring came to tear but despite that the Vision managed to help save the team. This caused Clint to feel inadequate on the team where he began to lament over his lack of powers. Around this time, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne had returned from their honeymoon where he revealed that he as abandoning his Goliath identity. The Avengers were then informed by Nick Fury that the Black Widow had disappeared with acting chairman having Hawkeye remain at headquarters as he as too close to Natasha which would affect his ability to complete the mission. This only magnified Barton's inadequacy where he decided to take the Goliath suit and serum thus growing to giant size as a result. (Avengers v1 #63)
Clint later came to learn that Captain America had put down the shield after being disheartened at being a superhero. This saw Barton attempting to pay back Steve Rogers for helping him by inspiring him to resume the mantle. For that, he crafted an identity named the Golden Archer who was targeting Rogers in order to force him into action. (Captain America v1 #179)
After quitting the Avengers, Hawkeye looked to make a name for himself where he came to learn that the Hulk was seeking out Doctor Strange. The mystery behind this came to attract Barton's attention and he began following the Green Goliath. This only angered the Hulk who nearly attacked Hawkeye who was then confronted by the Valkyrie and Namor the Sub-Mariner. They revealed that they alongside the Hulk and Doctor Strange were part of a superhero team named the Defenders who were not a formal group but simply came together in the face of a common threat. He came to join the group as they battled the threat of Attuma who had allied with the Red Ghost where they came to brainwash the Sub-Mariner to serve them. (Defenders v1 #7)
West Coast Avengers
Upon his return to the Avengers with his new bride, Barton was appointed to chair a new second team of Avengers based on the West Coast by then-chairman, the Vision. The team Hawkeye chose consisted of Mockingbird, his original inspiration Iron Man, Wonder Man, and Tigra. Hawkeye and Mockingbird acted as the guiding force behind the team. Barton hired his old friend from Cross Technologies, Jorge Latham, to act as the on-staff mechanic and to build a new fleet of sky-cycles. Hank Pym helped the team in a civilian capacity as the resident scientist. (West Coast Avengers v2 #1)
One of the western team's adventures scattered them across time. While Hawkeye and most of the others were stranded in ancient Egypt, Mockingbird was in the Old West, held captive, and rendered amnesiac by Phantom Rider, posing as her lover. In a mountaintop battle between the two after her escape, Barbara allowed Slade to fall to his death. The couple separated after Clint learned of all this through the vengeful Rider's spirit. (West Coast Avengers v2 #35)
Morse, along with Tigra and Moon Knight, left the team and briefly formed a splinter group. (West Coast Avengers v2 #41) After that group failed, Mockingbird proved instrumental in consulting on a multinational plot to abduct and dismantle the Vision for his near 'benevolent' takeover of the world (although he aborted the plan before anyone was truly harmed). When Bobbi realized the plot wasn't just a "worst-case scenario" and was actually being put into action, she returned to warn the Whackos. (West Coast Avengers v2 #43)
The government intrusion into the Avengers continued when they were forced to accept a new leader, USAgent, in order to keep their security clearance. Clint quit the team after being tossed aside like this, and he and Mockingbird ended up in Wisconsin training the unofficial franchise team, the Great Lakes Avengers. (West Coast Avengers v2 #46)
Thunderbolts
He then travelled to Washington to meet with the Commission on Superhuman Activities where he was tasked with infiltrating the Thunderbolts and if they were deemed a threat then eliminate them. (Thunderbolts v1 #21)
Eventually re-joining the Avengers, Clint began a dallying affair with the Wasp, causing tension with her sometime lover, Hank Pym. When the Scarlet Witch had her breakdown that resulted in the breakup of the Avengers, Barton perished on an exploding Kree ship created by her crazed state. (Avengers v1 #502) The Scarlet Witch did not act again until sometime later when she altered time and space on a universal level: changing Earth's history to that of the House of M, where mutants had become the rulers and human beings the oppressed minority. Barton was very much alive in this remade world and affiliated with an underground human resistance opposing the general mutant supremacy. Like all of the other inhabitants on the planet, though, Clint retained no memory of his previous life. (House of M v1 #4) This changed, however, after X-Man Emma Frost restored his memories, hoping to recruit him to a direct opposition of reawakened heroes against Magneto and the Scarlet Witch. While this rebellious network incorporated more of his original Avenger teammates, Barton was at the time reluctant, preoccupied with the disquieting notion of his recent demise among his returned memories. Eventually confronting and failing to kill Wanda Maximoff with one of his arrows, he brought up their shared history as teammates as well as his former romantic feelings for her, angrily demanding to know why she ended his life. This encounter did not last long as Clint's heightened emotional state renewed Wanda's own mental instability, causing her to once again erase him from existence. (House of M v1 #8)
Ronin
After reality was restored, Clint was resurrected and appeared in New York City during the events started by the Civil War. He saw Avengers Mansion in ruin and sought out Doctor Strange who offered him shelter in order to come to terms with his new life. Strange informed him that the Scarlet Witch had killed herself but Hawkeye did not believe him and against Stephen's advice he decided to seek her out. This led to him travelling to Wundagore Mountain where he seemingly found Wanda Maximoff but she showed no memory of her life prior to that point nor any powers as she lived as a simple person that lived at the town. During their time together, they become intimate and sleep with one another though the next day Clint decided to depart as he wanted to allow Wanda to lead a normal life. (New Avengers v1 #26)
Hawkeye then decided to go to the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange again which appeared to be in ruins but was in fact a clever disguise. Barton was allowed entry where he discovered the New Avengers who opposed Stark's Superhuman Registration Act. The team offer for Hawkeye to join their ranks and he agreed as the New Avengers set to travel to Japan in order to rescue Echo. Clint at this point decided to abandon his Hawkeye persona and adopt the mantle of Ronin that was an identity Echo was using prior to her capture. (New Avengers v1 #30)
Following the defeat of the Skrulls, it was revealed that the aliens had captured kept the various people they had abducted and who had been replaced with infiltrators. Among those that were revealed to had been abduct and still alive was Mockingbird with this being the real one who was reunited with Clint Barton. (Secret Invasion v1 #8) In the aftermath in the Dark Reign, Norman Osborn was hailed a hero for killing the Skrull Queen Veranke and appointed as Tony Stark's replacement in matters relating to national security. This saw him heading the peacekeeping successor to S.H.I.E.L.D. and him forming the Dark Avengers as the premiere superhero team with it consisting largely of supervillains. A furious Barton decided to reveal the truth on television where he went to be interviewed on television with Clint stating that Osborn along with his Avengers were all criminals. (New Avengers v1 #50) Despite this, he was not believed by the public with Barton deciding to keep hounding Osborn until he made a mistake and that his true nature was revealed to the world. Afterwards, he looked into organising the New Avengers by voting for a leader where it the team decided to appoint Barton for that role with him making Ms. Marvel his second-in-command which she agreed. For added security, they decided also for all their identities to be known to one another leading to Spider-Man unmasking to them. (New Avengers v1 #51) The team later found a wounded Doctor Strange who was being pursued by the Hood with the villain looking to claim the Eye of Agamotto from the former Sorcerer Supreme. (New Avengers v1 #52) They travelled to New Orleans where their Quinjet was shot down by Madame Masque who was aiding the Hood in claiming the magical relic. (New Avengers v1 #53) The battle ended when the Eye of Agamotto chose Brother Voodoo to be its bearer and he helped exorcise the demon Dormammu from the Hood's body with Robbin's being badly burnt in the process leading to his arrest. This scene was videoed by the public with Clint taking off his mask and appealing to the people by stating that Osborn was corrupt with the Hood being one of his allies. Despite his appeal, the media and the public did not believe him with Norman engaging in his own spin on events to cast the blame on Barton. As a result, Clint believed that he could not rely on the people taking down Osborn and that he would have to kill the villain. (New Avengers v1 #54)
After the X-Men's island of Utopia was declared rogue, Barton felt that Osborn had gone too far and once more broached the subject of murdering the Director of H.A.M.M.E.R. Ultimately, his New Avenger team mates disagreed and refused to allow such a plan to be enacted as they felt it made them no better than the villains they fought. However, Clint intended to carry out his plan with Mockingbird deciding to go along with him as she trusted him even if she disagreed with his plan. However, Clint went alone in the night and as Ronin he infiltrated Avengers Tower and caused a distraction by throwing Mac Gargan out the window. He evaded the various Dark Avengers due to the security lockdown coming into effect and snuck into Osborn's office where he fired his gun but the villain had a personal shield that protected him. This delayed Ronin long enough for Ares to knock him out and Barton was apprehended by H.A.M.M.E.R. who intended to use him to find the location of his compatriots. (Dark Reign: The List - Avengers v1 #1) Whilst there, he was tortured by Osborn who later called Mentallo to use his telepathic abilities to probe his mind for information thus uncovering the Avengers secret hideout. During this time, the Avengers had secretly evacuated the site which meant it was empty when the Dark Avengers arrived on the scene. With them away, a number of Avengers led by Mockingbird staged a rescue of Barton who was freedom from the H.A.M.M.E.R. Helicarrier whereupon they rendezvoused with the Avengers at their new base. (New Avengers Annual v1 #3)
Hawkeye
He later returned to his former identity as Hawkeye where he joined the newest incarnation of the Avengers under Steve Rogers that formed in the wake of the Siege. (Avengers v4 #1)
Hawkeye then aided Mockingbird in helping her set up her anti-terrorist organization the World Counter-terrorism Agency. Together, they came to thwart Crossfire's illegal arms operation and encountered Lincoln Slade's descendant, Jaime Slade, who later went on to become the new Phantom Rider. Crossfire and the new Phantom Rider teamed up to battle the heroes. (Hawkeye & Mockingbird v1 #1)
Captain America came to recruit Hawkeye to help him in a covert mission to the red-light nation of Bagalia. During the mission, he revealed that he wanted Barton to become the new leader of the Secret Avengers with Clint accepting the assignment. (Secret Avengers v1 #21.1)
Later on, a new threat came to the Earth when the Phoenix Force headed to the planet as it looked to bond with a young Mutant named Hope Summers. Hawkeye was part of the Avengers efforts in trying to find and retrieve the girl in order to avert a crisis. (Avengers vs. X-Men v1 #1)
To operate as Ronin without revealing his true identity he tried a number of methods, which each eventually failed: using a short-range time machine invented by Kang the Conqueror, activating an a LMD of himself, and hiring a Skrull impersonator. All of these schemes got out of hand, leading his then-girlfriend, Linda Carter (the Night Nurse) to break up with him. The plan came to a head when Bullseye discovered "Ronin"'s true identity and killed the Skrull Clint had hired, then mortally wounded Bryce. (Hawkeye: Freefall v1 #5) After Bryce's death, Clint held up the bank where all of Parker's money was kept, then used the money to make a deal with Mayor Wilson Fisk and Count Nefaria to obtain a demon, which, during Clint's later confrontation with Parker, stripped Parker of his cloak, effectively depowering him. Hawkeye was finally able to beat him down. After he left the scene, the criminals commented that Clint was "one of [them] now." (Hawkeye: Freefall v1 #6)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Modelling himself after other costumed adventurers led to him wearing his own mask and taking the name Hawkeye for himself after his carnival stage name. (Tales of Suspense v1 #57) As an Avenger, his reputation came to the point that he was also called Hawkeye the Marksman. (Giant-Size Avengers #2) After his bow broke on a mission, Clint began to worry about his contribution to the Avengers and decided to abandon his old identity with him taking the name Goliath that formerly belonged to Hank Pym. (Avengers v1 #63) At one point, he crafted the identity of the Golden Archer where he pretended to be an archery themed costume supervillain. (Captain America v1 #179) Barton was convinced by Tony Stark to take the mantle of Captain America during when Steve Rogers was believed dead. (Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America v1 #3) For a time, he adopted the superhero identity of Ronin. (New Avengers v1 #30)
As a young boy, he met the Swordsman who taught him to be an archer and Clint came to see the man as a father figure. This saw him train hard so that he could become good enough for his mentor. (Hawkeye v1 #1)
According to Barton, he never intended to be an outcast or enemy of society. In fact, he wanted to use his skills and powers in order to help people. (Avengers v1 #16)
At the carnival, his reputation led to him being introduced as a wonder of the age and as the world's greatest marksman. In that time, Clint yearned for the attention and grew jealous if people ignored him for another person. (Tales of Suspense v1 #57)
He had said that he had given much for his life as an Avenger and a chance to work alongside the big heroes. Barton had said that he trained hard to be among them as anything less meant that he had been making a fool of himself. It was for this reason that he never missed and trained hard in his life as this was what made him special amongst teams of superhumans. (Avenging Spider-Man v1 #4)
Clint Barton was the eldest son of Harold Barton and Edith Barton. When he was a boy, Clint's father was shown to had regularly gotten drunk and beaten his children. (Hawkeye: Blind Spot v1 #1) His father was said to had been a butcher by trade who owned a small shop in Waverly. In those years, his father worked behind the counter whilst his mother served as a cashier. (Solo Avengers v1 #2) Barton though would claim that he never knew his parents and that he was an orphan. (Avengers v1 #19)
He also had a brother by the name of Barney Barton. (Avengers v1 #64) Whilst living at the circus, Barney would urge his brother to study though Clint instead wanted to refine his archery skills. (Hawkeye v3 #1)
It was in the circus and the carnivals that he came to know a famed performer called the Swordsman who became Clint's idol. In those years, Clint wanted to be as good with a bow and arrow as the Swordsman was with his blades. The Swordsman used to be the one man in all the world that Hawkeye used to fear. (Avengers v1 #19)
When he was young, he felt that the circus was the closest thing to family he had ever had in his life. (Hawkeye v3 #1)
Powers and abilities
Barton was noted to had trained under the famed Swordsman. (Avengers v1 #19) However, it was Trick Shot who was actually responsible for teaching Clint Barton the art of archery. (Solo Avengers v1 #2)
Clint had noted that he was a human on a team filled with superhumans and as such training was the only thing that made him special. (Avenging Spider-Man v1 #4)
Hawkeye possessed no superpowers other than his unfailing accuracy at target shooting. (Tales of Suspense v1 #57) Using a hairband, he could fire a small projectile with such accuracy that it could hit multiple targets on the way to its destination. (Hawkeye v3 #1) He was skilled enough to use multiple arrows and fire them to free a tied-up person without harming them. (Avengers v1 #16)
In another instance, he was able to fire an arrow with just one arm when the other was injured where he used his teeth to help pull the string. (Hawkeye v3 #8)
Barton's skills could also be translated into other objects as in one case he was able to throw a card with remarkable accuracy and with enough force to injure someone. (Hawkeye v4 #1)
Crafting an identity for himself, he created arrows that were each fitted with a specially fitted tip. (Tales of Suspense v1 #57) Hawkeye had an arrow for every purpose and could be fitted with any conceivable weapon. (Avengers v1 #16) He could travel across buildings by firing a suction arrow that attached to a location and a spring pully system helped him travel over any gap by way of a rope. (Tales of Suspense v1 #57) Barton was known to keep an arrow designed to counter any one of his allies such as one with a bioelectric scrambler attuned to the Vision's phasing frequency thus disrupting him without causing damage. (Avengers/Thunderbolts v1 #6) These included using a 30-megaton depth arrow that dealt heavy damage to a target. (Avengers: Rage of Ultron v1 #1) A collapsible screamer arrow that could be used to disrupt a sonic sphere. (Thunderbolts v1 #21)
His skills as a marksman meant that he was capable of wielding Captain America's shield with a high degree of accuracy. He was able to use it where 77 highly trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had failed. (Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America v1 #3)
He created himself a costume with the intention that no one would forget or ignore him. (Tales of Suspense v1 #57)
At one time, he began to use Hank Pym's growth serum allowing him to grow into giant-size where he stood as tall as buildings. In this state, he gained super-human strength allowing him to physically match foes of his size. (Avengers v1 #63)
Notes
- Hawkeye was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck where he made his first appearance in Tales of Suspense v1 #57 (September, 1964).
- Barton took the identity of Goliath in Avengers v1 #63 (April, 1969).
- He later took the identity of Ronin in New Avengers v1 #30 (May, 2007).
Alternate Versions
- In Avengers v3 #2 (1998), an alternate version of Clint Barton who operated as Longbow was shown as a member of the Queen's Vengeance in the alternate timeline designated as Earth-398.
- In Wolverine v3 #66 (2008), an alternate world version of Clint Barton was shown to reside in a reality designated as Earth-807128 with this one being referred to as Old Man Hawkeye. This version was set in a time 50 years in the future in a world where the Red Skull allied all the planet's supervillains together to eliminate its heroes. Clint Barton was among the heroes to had survived though he was blinded by Avalanche where he came to marry three times with his third wife being a woman named Tonya who was Spider-Man's youngest daughter. In their marriage, they had a daughter by the name of Ashley Barton before they divorced and separated. Barton was shown as being an ally of Old Man Logan with the two still operating in this timeline. Despite being blind, he was able to operate with a kind of radar sense that made it possible for him to still use his bow and arrow.
- In Avengers v4 #12.1 (2011), an alternate version of Clint Barton was shown to inhabit a reality that became the Age of Ultron with this one being designated Earth-61112.
In other media
Television
- In The Marvel Super Heroes, Hawkeye appeared in the 1966 animated television series where he was voiced by actor Chris Wiggins.
- In Iron Man, Hawkeye appeared in the 1990 animated television series where he was voiced by actor John Reilly.
- In The Avengers: United They Stand, Hawkeye appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Tony Daniels.
- In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Hawkeye appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Chris Cox.
- In Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Hawkeye guest starred in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Andrew Francis.
- In Ultimate Spider-Man, Hawkeye guest starred in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Troy Baker.
- In Avengers Assemble, Hawkeye appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Troy Baker.
- In Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, Hawkeye appeared in the setting of the anime television series where he was voiced by Japanese actor Eiji Takemoto.
- In Marvel Future Avengers, Hawkeye appeared in the setting of the anime television series where he was voiced by Japanese actor Kiyoshi Katsunuma and English actor Christopher Corey Smith in the dub.
- In Hawkeye, Clint Barton appeared in the setting of the 2021 live-action television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he was portrayed by actor Jeremy Renner.
Films
- In Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, Hawkeye was referenced in the setting of the 2007 animated film. Clint Barton was shown to had operated in the world as an Avenger where they helped defeat many threats. During this time, he had a son that he named Francis Barton who was a young boy when Ultron attacked. Ultron defeated and killed the Avengers but not before Iron Man took their respective children to safety. However, Clint Barton and his son were stranded behind in Ultra City where they were forced to survive. Barton believed that they were the only superheroes that survived the purge and gathered a band of human survivors that became the Scavengers who hid from Ultron's forces. At some point, Clint Barton died and his young son Francis continued his fathers mission in ensuring the survival of the Scavengers with him taking on the mantle of Hawkeye.
- In Iron Man: Rise of Technovore, Hawkeye appeared in the setting of the anime film where he was voiced again by actor Troy Baker.
- In Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher, Hawkeye appeared in the setting of the anime film where he was voiced by an uncredited Matthew Mercer.
- In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hawkeye made multiple appearances in the shared continuity setting:
- In Thor, Hawkeye briefly appeared in the post-credit sequence in the live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Jeremy Renner in an uncredited role.
- In The Avenger, Hawkeye made his first full appearance in the live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Jeremy Renner.
- In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Hawkeye returned in the live-action film where he was once more portrayed by actor Jeremy Renner. During the movie, it was shown that he was married to Laura Barton with the pair having two children Cooper and Lila with them later having a third child they named Nathaniel Pietro.
- In Captain America: Civil War, Hawkeye returned in the live-action film where he was portrayed again by actor Jeremy Renner. He was shown to had been in retirement but was called by Captain America to assist him in the growing conflict between those that supported Registration and those against it.
- In Avengers: Endgame, Clint Barton appeared in the live-action film where he was once more portrayed by actor Jeremy Renner.
Video games
- In Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety, Hawkeye appeared as an NPC support character in the setting of the video game.
- In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Hawkeye appeared as a playable character in the PSP version of the video game where he was voiced by actor Nolan North.
- In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Hawkeye appeared as a playable character in the Facebook video game.
- In Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Hawkeye appeared as a playable character in the fighting video game where he was voiced again by actor Chris Cox.
- In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Hawkeye appeared as a playable character in the setting of the video game where he was voiced again by actor Chris Cox.
- In Marvel: Future Fight, Clint Barton as Hawkeye and Ronin appeared as a playable character in the setting of the mobile video game.
- In Marvel's Avengers, Hawkeye appeared as a playable character through DLC for the setting of the video game where he was voiced by actor Giacomo Gionniotti.
Appearances
- Tales of Suspense v1: (1964)
- Avengers v1:
- Hawkeye v1:
- Avengers v3:
- Hawkeye: Blindspot v1:
- Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America v1:
- New Avengers v1:
- New Avengers Annual v1:
- Secret Invasion:
- Dark Reign: The List - Avengers v1:
- Secret Avengers v1:
- Avenging Spider-Man v1:
- Hawkeye:
- Old Man Hawkeye v1:
- West Coast Avengers:
- Avengers: No Road Home v1:
- Hawkeye: Freefall v1:
External Links
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