Hawkeye is often considered a goofy Avenger. His motif is using bows and arrows against super-powerful beings while standing alongside the likes of Thor, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel. He's proven himself able to survive some intense showdowns with famous villains several times over the years, but he's still often considered a punchline.

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The truth is, Hawkeye has dealt with serious things over the years. He's not just a joking and jovial swashbuckler of a hero. He's seen some things, and they've left their scars on both his body and his psyche. It's not all that easy being Hawkeye.

10 Many People Think You're A Joke And Have No Right To Be An Avenger

Hawkeye facing the side and readying an arrow with a city background Cropped

One of the worst things about being Hawkeye is that many people think he's a joke. He plays with bows and arrows alongside godlike-beings like Vision and the Hulk. It's hard to imagine how much of a role Clint (or even Kate) could play in intergalactic dramas involving Thanos, Kang the Conqueror, and the Kree Empire.

Despite that, Hawkeye has put it all on the line many times for his fellow Avengers. He's saved the day, and he keeps trying to make a difference, even when he doesn't have a team behind him.

9 You're An Aging Human Being Still Trying To Play Robin Hood With Superhumans

Hawkeyes teaming up David Aja Matt Hollingsworth

The rule of thumb with the Marvel Comics timeline is that everything happened "about 10 years ago." This includes events like Captain America coming out of the ice, Spider-Man being bitten by the spider, and the Fantastic Four first getting their powers.

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By this logic, Hawkeye first joined the Avengers about 10 years back when he was either in his late 20s or early 30s. That would put him around 40 in the modern comics, and a lot of the more recent Hawkeye-starring comic books emphasize how he's getting too old for his crime-fighting ways. This is one of the reasons why, even after Clint came back from the dead, he still encouraged Kate Bishop to carry on the Hawkeye mantle.

8 Baron Zemo Has A Personal Vendetta With You Over The Thunderbolts

 

Baron Zemo

In Hawkeye: Blind Spot by Jim McCann and Paco Diaz, Clint Barton found himself tested by a mystery nemesis with the intent of seeing Hawkeye brought low and killed. After a few twists and turns, this nemesis is revealed to be none other than Baron Helmut Zemo, the longtime enemy of Captain America.

This time Zemo had it out for Hawkeye. After Zemo first left his Thunderbolts teams years prior, Hawkeye took over and tried to steer the team straight. Zemo took this as a slight by Hawkeye, and he finally enacted this revenge scheme years later.

7 You Have Dated Many Of The Active Women Superheroes, And They (Rightfully) Resent You For It

Bobbi Morse Mockingbird flying with her wings

Hawkeye has a bad habit of dating his coworkers on the Avengers. His history of superhero exes includes Spider-Woman, Mockingbird, Black Widow, Night Nurse, and even a brief flirtation with the Scarlet Witch.

None of these relationships ended well, and it was almost entirely Clint's fault. He has yet to show himself capable of having a functioning adult relationship (outside of his marriage to Mockingbird). The endings were all the messier due to Hawkeye's immaturity. This hasn't stopped said superheroes from still working with Hawkeye and saving his life in the time since, but that is more of a testament to their patience than anything.

6 You Started Your Career As A Patsy For An At-The-Time Supervillain

Black Widow In Her Original Costume working with Hawkeye

Speaking of Black Widow, Hawkeye actually made his debut as her partner back when Natasha Romanoff was still a villain. In Tales Of Suspense No. 57, she primarily tangled with Iron Man. Clint and Nat forged a genuine romantic connection at this point, but he was still a tool the Black Widow used to enact her plans. It didn't take Black Widow or Hawkeye long to turn over a new leaf, and a big part of that was their joining the Avengers.

5 Your Childhood Mentors Were Supervillains For A Time

The Swordsman pointing his sword from Marvel Comics

Clint, and his brother Barney, learned how to fight and use a bow as children from circus performers. Their mentors were the Swordsman, aka Jacques Duquesne, and Trickshot, aka Buck Chisholm. Both later became supervillains working with the likes of the Lethal Legion and the Circus of Crime.

The Swordsman eventually turned things around and also became a member of the Avengers. Trickshot remained a hired killer and was even tangentially involved in Zemo's revenge scheme against Clint. Swordsman died a hero with the Avengers. Trickshot died after being used by Zemo, with his body being left in Avengers Tower as a message for Hawkeye.

4 You Have Permanent Hearing Damage Due To An Encounter With Crossfire

Crossfire pointing a rifle

A detail from Hawkeye #4 that was in the Hawkeye Disney Plus series, Clint Barton suffered long-term hearing damage during his career as a hero and even needs a hearing aid. This is due to a plot by the villains Crossfire and Oddball against Hawkeye and Mockingbird.

This tale came to a climax with Crossfire using a sonic weapon to force Hawkeye and Mockingbird to fight one another. Hawkeye overcame the effects of the sonic weapon, but shutting it down caused permanent damage to Clint's inner ear.

3 You've Died Twice And Remember It Happening Both Times

Hawkeye Sacrifices himself to destroy a Kree warship in Avengers Disassembled

Hawkeye's first death came about during the Avengers Disassembled story by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch. He had been shot with an energy weapon by a Kree soldier, and it set his quiver ablaze. He used a jetpack from another Kree soldier to fly into the engine of their warship, blowing it up with his detonating trick arrows.

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This was caused by Scarlet Witch's decaying mental health and malfunctioning powers. She later reshaped the world at the behest of her brother, Quicksilver. In this new world, Hawkeye was resurrected, but he discovered the truth of it all and tried to kill Wanda. She in turn erased Hawkeye again. However, Clint was again resurrected when Wanda returned the world to the way it was. It was soon after that he took up the Ronin name after Echo.

2 Your Father Was An Abusive And Hateful Alcoholic

Hawkeye Shooting An Arrow

Harold Barton is the reason that Barney and Clint Barton ended up being raised by circus performers. Harold abused his family, and he killed himself and his wife in a drunk driving accident. Barney and Clint were bounced between foster homes before running away and joining the Carson Carnival.

The scars left by Harold never left Barney and Clint, and it's one of the reasons that Barney became such a troubled individual in his adulthood.

1 Your Brother Has Tried To Kill You On More Than One Occasion

Hawkeye's brother Barney Barton as the second Trickshot

The cornerstone of Baron Zemo's revenge against Hawkeye in Hawkeye: Blind Spot was Barney Barton. He took up the name Trickshot and waged his own war against Hawkeye and even came close to blinding his brother (though Clint's sight was actually saved through Barney's actions). After he was beaten the first time, he was recruited by Norman Osborn to join his second team of Dark Avengers. This team was defeated by the Avengers, leaving its members to be recruited by Luke Cage and John Walker's Thunderbolts.

Since then, Barney has made amends with his brother and even helped him in his private war against the gang that Hawkeye called "the Tracksuit Draculas."

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