This is the second installment of the series Untold Origin Stories. In each installment, a character from the Marvel Universe (MU) will have their comic book origin story explored. Whether known by most or never heard of, each exploration will be of a character whose origin story was not featured on the cinematic screen.
Hawkeye, our resident baddie archer dude. Although he has been in our screens for a decade now since Jeremy Renner took on the mantle in Thor (2011) oddly enough the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has never given us his background story. All that they have managed to reveal to audiences about this OG Avenger is that he has a wife and children and was a former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.. With Hawkeye in the spotlight for this long now, what hasn’t the MCU told us about him? What more lies in his origin story?
So what don’t we know about Hawkeye?
Well there’s a lot, but let’s start with the biggest deviation from the Hawkeye we know and love. When Hawkeye first appeared in the MU back in September 1964 in issue #57 of Tales of Suspense, he was a supervillain. I’ll give you a moment to take that in…Hawkeye was born into the MU as a supervillain. Pitted as a foe to Iron Man, he got jealous of the attention Stark received and vowed to “never again [have people] sneer at his performance.” While this seems rather cliché and quite confusing, this ties into his earlier life as Clint Barton prior to taking on the mantle as the man with the bow and arrow.
The cover of issue #57 of Tales of Suspense. In it you see multiple images of Hawkeye aiming his signature bow and arrow at Iron Man.
Source: marvel.fandom.com
A life before the bow and arrow
Clinton “Clint” Francis Barton was born in Waverly, Iowa to Edith and Harold Barton and has an older brother named Barney. When he was rather young, Clint and Barney became orphans when a drunk Harold was involved in a car accident, killing both Edith and himself. The Barton brothers would spend six years in an orphanage before running away to join the circus. During his time in the circus, Clint became a master archer under the supervision of the Swordsman. However, he was soon betrayed by the Swordsman and left nearly for dead before he could turn his former mentor in; his brother left him as well. With no one left to support him, Barton adopts the Hawkeye persona and the plot of issue #57 plays out.
A young Clint and Barney contemplating their next steps.
Source: marvel.fandom.com
Hawkeye and the Avengers
Come to think of it, you can’t help but feel a little for Clint. Although he’s pitted against Iron Man, when the MU is first introduced to Hawkeye, he’s in a broken place. His level of trust is at an all time low and ultimately, he just wants to feel like he is wanted and belongs.
Some time later, Hawkeye recuses Edwin Jarvis and his mother from a mugger. In an act of thanks, Jarvis invites him to the Avengers Mansion to clear his name. Tony sees that Clint is serious about becoming a superhero and using his gifts for the betterment of society and decides to forgive him. And the rest is history (well MCU-wise).
Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, taken from The Avengers (2012)
Source: vulture.com
So why hide this side of Hawkeye from MCU fans?
Although audiences will never know, part of the answer lies in the first Iron Man movie, as Tony arguably goes through a similar story arc (no parents, playboy (‘soft-core villain’) turned good, betrayal of a mentor – to name a few). In a period where the heads of MCU were setting up the stage, choosing to tell Clint’s comic origins might have felt a little repetitive. So instead of having two similar origin stories, they chose to skip to the good part: Hawkeye the Avenger.
Author Bio
Felicity Girty is an English major with a double minor in Cognitive Science and Film, Television, and Digital Media and is the club’s Head Blog Writer. She is addicted to all things Disney and has an enormous passion for literature and entertainment. If not reading or immersed in pop culture, you can find her listening to literally any kind of music. Felicity hopes to work her way into the entertainment industry as a producer/showrunner, starting out in development. She is also involved in UCLA Project SPELL.
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