How Did Hawkeye Get His Powers and Abilities?
Clint Barton, better known as Hawkeye, is one of the best marksmen in Marvel’s universe, if not the best. He is also one of the best marksmen in the history of comic books in general. Hawkeye is soon going to be the main character in the MCU TV series of the same name, where he is once again going to be played by Jeremy Renner. In preparation for the show, we are going to tell you how Hawkeye got his powers and abilities!
Hawkeye has no superhuman powers or abilities, which means that he got his current powers and abilities through sheer training. He has trained with the best marksmen, swordsmen and acrobats, besting them and becoming one of the best and most skilled characters in the franchise.
In the rest of the article, you are going to find out about the genesis of Hawkeye’s powers. We’re going to divide the story into two sections, one detailing his comic books origins and the other detailing his MCU origins. Also, we’re going to tell you whether Hawkeye was genetically modified in any way, such as Captain America or Black Widow. Let us commence?
How did Hawkeye get his powers and abilities in the comics?
Clint Barton was born in Waverly, Iowa to unknown parents. At a very young age, he lost his parents in a car accident and was left an orphan along with his younger brother, Barney. After six years in an orphanage, Clint and his brother Barney ran away to join the Carson Wonderland Traveling Carnival, where Clint would learn most of his skills.
Not long after arriving at the Circus, Clint caught the attention of the Swordsman, who took the boy as his new assistant. Together with the help of Trick Shot, the swordsman trainer with the circus, Clint decides to become a master archer. Clint later found the Swordsman embezzling money from the Circus.
Before he could turn his mentor over to the authorities, Clint was beaten up and taken for dead, which allowed the Swordsman to escape town. This was Hawkeye’s first major comic book narrative, which explains the strained relationship he had with the Circus and his former mentor.
Clint’s relationship with his brother Barney, who also worked in the Circus, and Trick Shot, soon deteriorated. Clint adapted his archery skills to become a star carnival attraction, a master archer named “Hawkeye”, also known as “The World’s Greatest Shooter.” He spent some time as a member of the Ringmaster Circus, before joining the Coney Island Circus. Most of what he did at this point of this career was exchange circuses.
He witnessed Iron Man in action and was inspired by him to become a hero in disguise. However, after a misunderstanding during his first comic appearance under a new name and mantle, Hawkeye was immediately charged with theft and labeled a dangerous criminal. While on the run, the naïve Hawkeye ran into the Black Widow, a spy for the Soviet Union, with whom he fell in love.
Blindly following the Black Widow, whose real name was Natasha Romanoff, Hawkeye aided her in her attempt to steal the technology developed by Tony Stark, the civilian alter ego of the superhero Iron-Man. In one of her battles with Iron Man, the Black Widow was seriously injured by the former. Hawkeye rescued her and fled the battle to save her life.
But before Hawkeye could get her to a hospital, the Black Widow disappeared. Hawkeye decided to be a “straight shooter” from then on. Hawkeye later rescues Edwin Jarvis and his mother from an assailant. In gratitude, Jarvis invites Hawkeye to the Avengers Mansion and begins a stage of a confrontation to allow the archer to clear his name and gain the trust of the Avengers.
Hawkeye is then sponsored by his former enemy Iron Man, who sees in him serious intentions about becoming a hero. Led by Captain America, Hawkeye joins the team alongside Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch to form the second incarnation of the Avengers. Almost immediately, Hawkeye clashes with his fellow Avengers.
His romantic intentions toward the Scarlet Witch were met with hostility from his brother, Quicksilver. Hawkeye rebels against Captain America’s leadership (due to his past issues with authority figures), but eventually comes to respect him as a mentor and friend. When the swordsman tried to join the Avengers, Hawkeye warned them of his previous history with the villain.
How did Hawkeye get his powers and abilities in the MCU?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) did change some origins stories of its main character. Now, these were rarely drastic changes, but the producers had to adapt the stories to fit the larger cinematic universe. Now, as for Hawkeye’s origins, they haven’t really changed at all from the comic books, with some details being left out in comparison to the comics.
Clint Barton was born in Iowa to Edith Barton. Barton never graduated from high school, but he has shown a talent for shooting, primarily with a bow and arrow, and was also trained in fencing by Jack Duquesne. Sometime later in his life, Barton met Laura, whom he eventually married and with whom he raised a family.
Barton was later chosen by Nick Fury personally for his skills and became one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most skilled agents. Barton had only spoken to Fury about his relationship with Laura, so Fury organized that Laura be kept out of Barton’s S.H.I.E.L.D. file to keep them safe. He also helped in setting up a farm for the couple in Missouri.
This is all we know about Hawkeye’s comic book origins but the upcoming TV show might dig a bit deeper into his origins.
Is Hawkeye genetically modified?
Unlike some other Marvel superheroes, Hawkeye is not genetically modified in any way and he as absolutely no superpowers whatsoever. Hawkeye is just a man who trained for a very long time to become the best at his job and was lucky enough to have achieved that level of quality over time.
