Hawkeye and Deadpool have had their fair share of team-ups, with Wade Wilson iconically crossing over with Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Clint Barton has teamed up with different covert heroes, like Black Widow and the Winter Soldier.
While these two often travel in different circles, they did team up briefly in 2014's Hawkeye vs. Deadpool. The miniseries was by writer Gerry Duggan, artist Matteo Lolli, artist Jacopo Camagni, colorist Cristiane Peter and colorist Nick Filardi, and it saw two of Marvel's more comedic heroes join forces and butt heads.
What Is Hawkeye vs. Deadpool?
Hawkeye vs. Deadpool has the titular heroes team up after hacker Jeremy Ellsden is found dead at the hands of a man dressed as the Punisher. Before they can apprehend the fake Punisher, he walks into traffic, killing himself while saying, "I am a patriot." While this situation is strange, Deadpool and Hawkeye luck out because Ellsden snuck a thumb drive to Wilson before dying, which reveals he stole files on every active S.H.I.E.L.D. agent hidden somewhere.
Wilson and Barton are invested instantly, given Hawkeye's history with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Wilson's daughter living with an agent. From there, the two, along with Kate Bishop, team up to uncover who's behind these "patriots" and what their plans are; however, Deadpool and Hawkeye fight along the way.
Why Is Clint Barton Fighting Wade Wilson?
Their first fight is because Barton wants to keep the S.H.I.E.L.D. files private and get them to the right people; however, Wilson wants access to them because his daughter is at risk. This is a minor fight, especially compared to their fight later on.
It turns out fake Punisher was brainwashed by Doctor Lusk, who's working alongside Black Cat. With Hawkeye and Deadpool getting closer to cracking the case, Lusk captures Barton and brainwashes him as well; therefore, the archer turns on Wilson and Bishop after they find the thumb drive with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' information. Bishop and Wilson have to chase Barton throughout the city, and when they get too close to Hawkeye, he nearly kills himself. To keep him alive and to find the villains behind this mess, Bishop and Wilson let Hawkeye go, following him in the process.
This works out, and after Bishop blows up an electrical substation beside Black Cat's hideout, Barton snaps out of his trance. The two Hawkeyes come together to fight off Black Cat and co. until Deadpool flies in to save the day on Barton's skycycle while wearing the classic Hawkeye outfit. This cumulates with all three heroes getting the thumb drive back and arresting Black Cat, who's killed Lusk in an attempt to cover her tracks.
Hawkeye and Deadpool Are Cut From the Same Cloth
Hawkeye and Deadpool have their differences, but the team up makes a lot of sense, with both heroes throwing caution to the wind many times. Deadpool can regenerate; therefore, he isn't afraid to throw himself into things 100 percent, even if it hurts him. Meanwhile, Hawkeye has no powers; however, even if he is gravely injured, he will not give up, as seen in Matt Fraction and David Aja's run. While Wilson can bounce back quicker than Barton, both heroes don't let the pain keep them down.
Along with this determination, which can be interpreted by some as a disregard for their well beings, both characters are comedic. They have self deprecating senses of humor, and they also provide a unique look at the world of heroes. For Deadpool, his meta sense of humor allows him to poke fun at himself, the X-Men and comics at large. Hawkeye, on the other hand, isn't on the same meta level as Wilson, but he is unlike his superpowered allies in the Avengers; therefore, he can make plenty of jokes about how ridiculous superheroes are from an average man's perspective.
While their approaches to comedy differ at times, Deadpool and Hawkeye look at the world of mutants, heroes and Marvel with unique sets of eyes. Often times, they speak for the audience, who either relate to how painfully human Barton is or they agree with Wilson on how wild and ridiculous Marvel can be. Because of this, the two heroes have amazing chemistry together, even if they butt heads. It also makes this team up work exceptionally well in terms of humor and action.