One of the best archers in the Marvel universe, Kate Bishop first met her hero, Hawkeye, when el Matador kidnapped her for ransom. The entire troupe of the Avengers came out to help her, but it was Clint Barton who impressed her the most, for being a seemingly ordinary man who had worked hard on developing his fighting skills.
Later, when she joined the Young Avengers, she slowly fell into the role of her idol—even taking on the pseudonym Hawkeye—an event that will be an important part of the upcoming Hawkeye web series on Disney+. This was only the beginning for the young Avenger, though. She went on to accomplish the most complicated tasks and incredibly difficult missions over the course of several comics.
10 She Helps The Young Avengers In Crucial Moments
In the Young Avengers comics, Kate becomes a part of the eponymous superhero group after saving them, instead, in a high-stakes situation. In one of their first major battles with a supervillain, Kate plays a crucial role in defeating Kang the Conqueror.
Despite their success, though, both Captain America and Iron Man weren’t willing to take them under their wing and train them. They were concerned about their safety and wanted their parents’ permission before going forward and legitimizing them. It was a disheartening moment for the young ones, but Kate didn’t step down and instead turned an old warehouse, owned by her father, into their headquarters.
9 Jessica Jones Gives Her Hawkeye’s Bow & Arrows
In the aftermath of an accident in Young Avengers #12, where Patriot suffered severely for taking growth hormones, Kate admonishes Captain America for abandoning them. If only he had not rejected them, she told him, and had instead trained them from the beginning, then such a mishap would not have occurred.
Rather than feeling insulted, Captain America actually found her courage and determination impressive and later instructed Jessica Jones to give her Clint’s bow and arrows as a gift. Not only that, he also gave her his code-name, Hawkeye.
8 Doesn’t Recognize Clint When She Meets Him
In the days of chaos following the supposed death of Captain America, in Fallen Son - The Death of Captain America #3, Clint took up the garb of the fallen hero on the insistence of Iron Man and began to work for him—Iron Man had sided with the government on the Superhuman Registration Act while Captain America hadn’t.
It was while he was in the guise of the Captain that Clint came across Kate, who went by Hawkeye now, and Patriot. She didn’t recognize him, and instead scolded him for dishonoring Captain America by wearing his costume and carrying his shield. Her comment had an effect on him, and he later left Iron Man to his plans and started on a new journey of his own.
7 Helps An Older Clint With His Revenge
Written as a precursor to the Old Man Logan series, Old Man Hawkeye sees a much older Kate Bishop take leadership of a refuge located in the vast wastelands. There is a dystopian element to these comics, set as it is in a world where most of the superheroes are gone—killed by evil megalomaniacs. Only Clint, of the major heroes, is still alive.
He is an old man now, and is losing sight in his eyes, but there is still fire in him. And there is one last job for him to do, and that is to seek revenge for all his dead friends and colleagues. But seeing his failing health, he realizes that he needs help, and enlists Kate for the job.
6 Marries Tom Shepherd Version Of Quicksilver
No superhero story is complete without an arc involving time travel or alternate reality. If only to see a character step out of their comfort zone, writers often place them in different yet familiar settings. In the case of Kate, her alternate life in Avengers: The Children's Crusade: Young Avengers sees her expecting twins with her husband Quicksilver, with Tom Shepherd playing the role in this version.
Quicksilver has a more important role to play here, since Magneto is on the lookout for both him and Wiccan. He has been told that they have been reborn as his daughter Wanda’s children, so he wants to get to know them as human beings.
5 Becomes A Private Investigator
Once the long-arching Civil War event is done and dusted, Kate decides to fight crime in another way—as a private investigator. She opens her own agency in Los Angeles for it, naming the firm Hawkeye Investigations, and starts to work on a stalker case, in Hawkeye Vol 5 #1, which leads her to a bigger conspiracy in the form of a group called Take Back Control.
Later, her old acquaintance Jessica Jones joins the fray with her own detective agency, in Hawkeye Vol 5 #5, and comes to work with Kate for a few cases.
4 Joins HYDRA With Her Family
HYDRA, the evil organization that has plagued many in the course of Marvel’s history, finds a way to torment Kate as well. She is a 16-year-old in the Ultimate Marvel series and is dating Miles Morales, although he hasn’t told her that he is Spider-Man.
When he does, all hell breaks loose. Unbeknownst to him, Kate and her family are members of HYDRA—Kate is under the delusion that they are good people—and the moment her parents get to know his identity, they instantly inform HYDRA and kidnap Miles. At the end of the story, when Miles is set free, he ends his relationship with her.
3 Works As A Female Robin Hood
One of the most unusual series in the Marvel universe is the Secret Wars, which takes place in the early 17th century and features our heroes in the clothing and guise of that day and age. Apart from characters from the Avengers, there are also appearances by X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and others.
Kate, too, is a part of this series. Known as Lady Katherine, Kate operates as a female version of Robin Hood by stealing from the wealthy, particularly those who are undeserving. In this version, as well, she is an exceptional archer.
2 Rescues Thor & Others From Doom
In All-New Wolverine, in the aftermath of the Doom World War, Laura Kinney enlists the help of Kate and Captain Marvel to lay siege to the Doom Dome and kill Doctor Doom once and for all. There is another purpose of her mission: to free her clone, Bellona. Her other clone, Gabby, accompanied Laura to Doom.
The team found much more than what they had anticipated, though, when Kate and Gabby came across Gambit, Daredevil, Captain America, Thor, and others, along with Bellona in Doom’s prison. The two of them freed them all, and the story arc ended on a happy note with Doctor Doom’s death.
1 Split From Clint For A While
The All-New Hawkeye series starts with two different storylines: one in which Kate and Clint are working together to bring down a criminal. It’s not a harmonious partnership, though. There is a bit of friction between the two regarding their style of functioning. The cracks are already there; all they need is a push and the two will go their separate ways.
In the other storyline, set thirty years later, we see Clint as an old man meet Kate. It seems all those years ago, they actually did break their partnership, but now there was a chance for them to fight together once again. Mandarin is stirring things up, and only Clint and Kate can stop him.