Hawkeye is a bit of an underrated Avenger. Sure, we all know and love Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, and the others, but Clint Barton is one of the unsung heroes of the team that typically doesn’t get a lot of credit. However, there’s been more emphasis on Hawkeye in recent years, particularly in the MCU. Although he was absent from Avengers: Infinity War, we know from the Avengers: Endgame trailer that he has a big role in the film. He’s one of the team members that survived Thanos’ deadly snap, so it’ll be interesting to see how he factors into the big plan to restore life on Earth.
When Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) encounters Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) in the rain taking out a clan of bad guys (presumably in Japan), we see Clint revel himself as Ronin. Obviously a lot has taken place since Clint went missing, so hopefully we’ll get to see his transformation into the deadly assassin through the course of the film. In the meantime, we have to admit the new look is pretty damn cool and we can’t wait to see what other costumes he might unveil in the movie. It’s not the only time Hawkeye has gone through a transformation though. Since his debut in the early ‘60s, the stealthy archer has tried on many different outfits and looks. It would be difficult to compile absolutely all of them into one list, but we did our best to collect the coolest looks Hawkeye was gone through over the last five decades. Some of his more memorable looks, no matter how good or bad, are ranked below.
15 ULTIMATES 3 HAWKEYE
With the huge betrayal in the second Ultimates series still fresh in Clint's mind, he decided to become a much darker version of himself which included more use of firearms and a new costume that was controversial to say the least. Sporting the familiar black and purple but with a mask that covers his face, the one detail that stands out to most fans is the bullseye on his forehead.
The bullseye was so prominent and obvious that it was called out by one of his teammates as him having a death wish following what happened to his family. Thankfully, this look didn't stick around too long.
14 THUNDERBOLTS HAWKEYE
In 2006, a limited edition Avengers/Thunderbolts series was written where Hawkeye has split from the Thunderbolts, whom he led, and fights them as part of the Avengers. The battle ends when Iron Man, disguised as Cobalt Man, sneaks his way into the Thunderbolts and convinces Hawkeye to lobotomize Moonstone in order to stop the chaos.
As a Thunderbolt, Hawkeye retained all of his skills but his look as slightly altered, with a large “H” on his ask and a more muscular body tone. As the leader of the first generation of the group, he probably could have used some upgraded armor or weapons, but sadly this version was just sort of plain.
13 ALL-NEW HAWKEYE (CLINT & KATE)
In All-New Hawkeye Vol. 1 #1 published in 2015, Clint Barton and Kate Bishop got back together for more adventures fighting crime as a two-generational team. This time, their luck was tested as the biggest force they’d ever encountered challenged them to rethink everything they knew about their roles as a Hawkeye.
The comic was written by newcomer Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Ramon Perez, who drew the pair both in and out of costume like they were in Matt Fraction and David Aja's run. Perez had the difficult task of making them new and fresh, while still recreating the qualities that fans knew and loved. By issue #3, Hawkeye was looking pretty cool again though.
12 MCU AGE OF ULTRON HAWKEYE
Following a somewhat disappointing (for both the character and the actor) outing in the first Avengers movie, Clint Barton had a much more prominent role in the sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron. With the reveal that Hawkeye has a secret family came a whole new costume that features fully covered arms and a long skirt in the front.
Age of Ultron delivered on the promise that Hawkeye would have a much bigger role, and with the spotlight came a new a spiffy costume. However, when it comes to the screen, there are some looks that we prefer over this one.
11 GOLIATH
In April 1963, Hawkeye shed his crossbow and archery skills to become the second Goliath (after Hank Pym). On the cover of Avengers #63 (illustrated by Gene Colan), he’s towering over his teammates in purple tights and a steel belt buckle. When Hawkeye’s bow breaks in battle, he adopts the new moniker to help out the Avengers.
Later, Egghead and the Swordsman attempt to capture Goliath, but it’s the giant who apprehends the evil pair instead. After he stops them from extorting money from the United States and the "Kree-Skull War" ends, Clint goes back to being Hawkeye. It was a totally different look but we’re glad he went back to being himself.
10 AVENGERS “UNITED THEY STAND” ARMOR
The Avengers: United They Stand was a short-lived animated TV show that ran for only 13 episodes in October 1990. The show was loosely based on the 1984 series West Coast Avengers and the team featured Wasp, Wonder Man, Tigra, Hawkeye, and Scarlet Witch. Some of the elements in United They Stand were different from the comics, such as more emphasis on Hawkeye’s deafness.
Several characters on the show wore body armor, such as Ant-Man, Wasp, Falcon, and Hawkeye. The armor was later explained in the Avengers Assemble Part 1 & 2 #1 comic, where Hawkeye notes that the outfit was made for him by Hank Pym after Dragon Man broke his legs.
9 HAWKEYE DARK REIGN
In the “Dark Reign” era from 2008-09, power has shifted to Norman Osborne in the “Secret Wars” aftermath. Bullseye becomes a member of the Dark Avengers and assumes the identity Hawkeye in the five issue series Dark Reign: Hawkeye. His look in this comic is a little more exaggerated, with his mask protruding off his face and a plate around his neck like a medieval knight.
He also wears a purple loincloth, which is a bit of an interesting choice since it’s something that Hawkeye doesn’t normally wear. In the end, the delayed Dark Reign: Hawkeye #5 apparently wasn’t worth it and didn’t have a satisfying conclusion anyway.
8 HAWKEYE AVENGERS SPOTLIGHT
In Avengers Spotlight Vol. 1 #30 from March 1990, Hawkeye gets a new (albeit short-lived) armor costume. The cover depicts the masked hero being shot after encountering a street gang in Hollywood. Luckily he survives due to the actions of a quick thinking boy and three weeks later, he’s out for revenge from the gang that wronged him.
Hawkeye tracks the perpetrators down in their hideout and we see Hawkeye’s new suit: a dark full body piece with purple accents and a yellow bow and arrow. The ending is rather underwhelming though, as Hawkeye catches all the bad guys in one net with one shot. Suit = Cool. Conclusion = Lame.
7 HAWKEYE MUTANT X
In Mutant X, Hawkeye is blind, wearing a blindfold that covers his eyes. The story takes place on Earth-1298 but Hawkeye retains his powers from Earth-616, including the ability to hit targets with extreme accuracy even though he’s blind.
On the cover of Mutant X Vol. 1 #30, he’s wearing a trench coat that makes him look pretty awesome. Inside though, he wears a black sleeveless trench coat, and his pants, blindfold, and arrow tips are all blue. Although Hawkeye and the Avengers are successful in overpowering the Six, he’s eventually taken out by Captain America working for the forces of evil.
6 RONIN
For Marvel, the Ronin identity was created by Brian Michael Bendis and is used by several different characters. In Japanese culture, “Ronin” refers to a solo warrior, a samurai who answers to no one. We know that Clint Barton appears as Ronin in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame movie, but in the comics, Clint the second person to assume the Ronin identity after Maya Lopez.
Clint appears as Ronin in the New Avengers series from 2007 to 2010, as well as the “Secret Invasion” story line from 2008. He looks pretty awesome as a ninja decked out in all black so we can’t wait to find out how his transformation is explained in Endgame.
5 YOUNG AVENGERS KATE
Kate Bishop really steps out on her own and makes a name for herself in the “Young Avengers” storyline. In Young Avengers Vol. 1 #1, the Young Avengers try to stop gunmen from taking hostages at Kate’s sister’s wedding party, but they are instead captured themselves. Thinking quickly, Kate ends up saving the guests by using one of Iron Patriot’s throwing stars to thwart the villains.
Kate creates a look for herself using Mockingbird’s Battle Staves and mask, Black Widow’s utility belt, and of course, Hawkeye’s bow and arrow. It’s a pretty bold look and as far as mashups go, it actually comes together quite nicely.
4 MCU AVENGERS HAWKEYE
Our first look at Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye came in 2011 in the first Thor movie. While not yet in full Hawkeye gear, he was ordered by S.H.I.E.L.D. to take out Thor while he was searching for his magic hammer Mjolnir. That didn’t happen, and we then saw Hawkeye take on a more prominent role in The Avengers in 2012.
His MCU look is largely driven by his “Ultimate Comics” all-black look, with a black vest, sometimes gloves, and a bag for his arrows across slung on his back. One difference in the MCU, however, is that he rarely wears sunglasses. We know that he becomes Ronin in Avengers: Endgame, but more on that later.
3 CLASSIC HAWKEYE
When you think of Hawkeye, the first thing you probably picture is his classic purple outfit, first introduced in Tales of Suspense #57 in 1964. His sleeveless shirt, pointed mask, and “H” emblazoned on his forehead immediately come to mind. His look is changed and altered over the years, but this is usually the basis from which those changes evolve.
There’s a raging debate going on over whether the classic Hawkeye look is better than the new versions, particularly those depicted in the MCU. Whether you’re a purist or not, we can all agree that it’s pretty exciting that the classic costume might return in next year’s Avengers: Endgame
2 OLD MAN HAWKEYE
The relatively new comic Old Man Hawkeye #1 imagines Clint Barton as one of the few Avengers left to survive in a barren wasteland. Clint has abandoned his Hawkeye moniker and spends his days scavenging to survive. He soon realizes that he’s going blind and wants to do one thing before it’s too late: seek revenge for his Avenger teammates who are no longer with him.
Old Man Hawkeye is an alternate version of the character that actually holds up to modern times. Grittier comics like Old Man Logan are becoming more popular and the creative team really did a great job of capturing Clint in a raw, ragged yet determined state.
1 ULTIMATE COMICS HAWKEYE
Is there any better look for Hawkeye than the killer threads (or lack of) he dons on the cover of Ultimate Comics: Hawkeye? Published in 2011, this comic focused on the deadly assassin aspects of Hawkeye and played down the purple costume. His military background and history as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. were brought to the forefront, giving him a new look and slightly different color scheme to go with it.
His sunglasses and uniform had shades of red, while his crossbow had lasers for ultra-accurate aim. His fingerless gloves and sleek arrow pack made him look more agile. It’s an outfit that’s translated well into the MCU, making it the most familiar to young legions of new Hawkeye fans.