Hawkeye (fictional character)

Hawkeye is a comic book superhero who is part of the vast Marvel Comics universe. First created by legendary writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck in 1964, Hawkeye is perhaps best known for his frequent role within various iterations of the Avengers superhero squad. Throughout most of the character’s history, Hawkeye has been the alter ego of one-time carnival archer Clint Barton. Given Barton’s natural skill with a bow and arrow, Hawkeye’s greatest strength is his elite marksmanship. Some of his closest allies include ex-wife Mockingbird and eventual successor Kate Bishop. In addition to enjoying a long presence in Marvel comic books, Hawkeye also emerged as a notable figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Played by actor Jeremy Renner, Hawkeye has appeared in such films as Thor (2011), Captain America: Civil War (2012), and the Avengers series. His first starring role in the MCU came on the Disney+Hawkeye series that debuted in 2021.

Background

Hawkeye is one of many superhero characters created and popularized by renowned comic book publisher Marvel Comics. The history of Marvel Comics dates back to the late 1930s, when company founder Martin Goodman decided to take a chance on getting into the rapidly growing comic book business. His first publication, Marvel Comics #1, introduced readers to characters like the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner when it hit newsstands in 1939 under the Timely Comics banner. Two years later, the debut of the wildly popular Captain America generated so much success for Timely Comics that Goodman was able to expand his creative staff. One of his new hires was writer Stan Lee, who went on to become one of the most prolific creators in comic book history.

In the 1950s, Timely Comics became known as Atlas Comics. During this period, superheroes waned in popularity. It was not until the early 1960s, when Atlas rebranded as Marvel Comics, that superheroes made a comeback. This led Lee and fellow creator Jack Kirby to develop a new cadre of superheroes that included the likes of the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and Hawkeye. These and other characters proved to be incredibly popular with readers and helped turn Marvel into one of the comics industry’s most successful companies. In the decades that followed, Marvel Comics evolved into a cultural juggernaut as its iconic superheroes gradually transcended the comic book page. In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, numerous Marvel superheroes appeared on the small screen as part of various animated television shows. The 2000s saw the launch of the MCU as Marvel entered the world of film with movies like Spider-Man, X-Men, and Iron Man. Even more Marvel superheroes, including Hawkeye, entered the MCU in the Avengers trilogy that started with The Avengers (2012) and continued with Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015); Avengers: Infinity War (2018); and Avengers: Endgame (2019). The success of the MCU also allowed Marvel to expand into live action television with shows like Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, WandaVision, and Hawkeye. By the time many of these films and television shows were produced, Marvel Entertainment had been purchased by Disney—a move that cemented Marvel Comics as one of the most recognizable and beloved entertainment brands in the world.

Overview

Now counted among the most popular Marvel superheroes, Hawkeye is a skilled marksman who rose to fame through his association with the Avengers. Interestingly, however, the character did not actually start out as a hero. As first envisioned by creators Stan Lee and Don Heck for his debut in 1964’s Tales of Suspense #57, Hawkeye was originally a reluctant villain. It was not until he eventually joined forces with the Avengers that Hawkeye became a crusader for good.

According to Marvel cannon, Hawkeye began life as Clint Barton. An orphan, Barton joined the circus at a young age and became apprenticed to a performer called the Swordsman. The two fought when Barton caught the Swordsman stealing, and the former was nearly killed. Barton subsequently started training with Trickshot, the circus’s archer, and soon became and expert with the bow and arrow. It was at this point that Barton reinvented himself as Hawkeye. Although he wanted to become a superhero after an encounter with Iron Man, Hawkeye was temporarily diverted into villainy when he fell in love with the Soviet spy Black Widow. When Black Widow later disappeared following a battle with Iron Man, Hawkeye switched sides to finally become a hero.

Shortly after his change of heart, Hawkeye was recruited to join a unique version of the Avengers called “Cap’s Kooky Quartet.” He remained part of the Avengers’ ever-changing lineup for the rest of the 1960s until he took a growth serum made by original Ant-Man Hank Pym and briefly became known as Goliath at the end of the decade. Upon returning to his original persona in the 1970s, Hawkeye spent time as part of the Avengers and other groups. He first became a solo superhero in the 1980s. During that decade, he and his love interest Mockingbird formed the West Coast Avengers before he again went off on his own following her apparent death. Hawkeye returned to the Avengers yet again before taking over another group called the Thunderbolts for a time in the 1990s. Hawkeye subsequently continued to be a prominent Marvel Comics hero well into the early twenty-first century.

Hawkeye’s popularity reached new heights when the character was introduced into the burgeoning MCU with a cameo appearance in Thor (2011). Played by actor Jeremy Renner, Hawkeye took on a full-time MCU role when he joined the onscreen version of the Avengers in the 2012 film of the same name. After appearing in all the subsequent Avengers films and other Marvel movies like Captain America: Civil War (2016), Hawkeye—with Renner still in the role—became the star of his first solo project, the Disney+ live action series Hawkeye, which debuted in late 2021.

Bibliography

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“Hawkeye.” Marvel, 2022, www.marvel.com/characters/hawkeye-clint-barton. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

“Hawkeye.” Marvel HQ, 2022, avengers.marvelhq.com/characters/hawkeye. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

Lerner, Jamie. “Hawkeye’s Origin Story Explained.” Distractify, 19 July 2021, www.distractify.com/p/hawkeye-origin-story. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

Moss, Molly. “Who Is Ronin? Hawkeye Alter-Ego Explained.” Radio Times, 24 Nov. 2021, www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/hawkeye-ronin-avengers-endgame. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

Saunders, Richard. “Who Founded Marvel Comics—The History of An Empire.” Comic Years, 23 June 2019, comicyears.com/comics/marvel/who-founded-marvel-comics-the-history-of-an-empire. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.

Tallerico, Brian. “One Hawkeye, Two Hawkeyes? Here’s What You Need to Know.” Vulture, 23 Nov. 2021, www.vulture.com/article/hawkeye-series-comics-mcu-history-clint-barton-kate-bishop.html. Accessed 20 Apr. 2022.