WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Hero Academia #267, by Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb Cook and John Hunt, available now from Viz Media.
The Number 2 Hero, Hawks, is at the epicenter of the current arc in the My Hero Academia manga, but he's explored some nefarious means to get the job done.
My Hero Academia's "Paranormal Liberation War Arc" is in full swing with one of its key players, Keigo Takami/Hawks, being one of the busiest heroes out there. His journey in this arc began by going undercover to infiltrate the League of Villains, which has now merged with the Meta Liberation Front, to form the Paranormal Liberation Front. But proving himself as an asset to the villains has come at a price -- a price that may or may not include a couple of lives. Though, arguably, being in a position to feed the hero's information saved lives as well.
As part of his espionage mission, Hawks seems to deliver the body of Tsunagu Hakamata/Best Jeanist. When he hands over a bag containing a body that looks like Jeanist, Dabi notes, "Whether this is really him or not... clearly you actually killed someone." We see that Hawks is, at the very least, willing to hand a corpse over to the villains to prove himself.
While the fate of Best Jeanist may still be unclear, we do know that all of Hawks' dealings with Dabi yield less than heroic results. The fight between Enji Todoroki/Endeavor and the high-end Nomu, Hood, also turned out to be a collaboration between the mysterious blue-flamed villain and the Number 2 Hero. Hawks may have thought the fight was supposed to happen the next day in a far less crowded area, but that means he was aware of the eventual attack in the first place.
Hawks' most recent venture on the darker side of the law is his decision to kill Jin Bubaigawara/Twice. With Twice on his way to help out the other villains and Hawks on the ropes in his fight with Dabi, he had to make a difficult decision. While lives were likely saved by keeping Twice out of the battle, this choice must certainly have ramifications. Now, this isn't to say it wasn't the right or heroic thing to do, but his willingness to employ lethal force speaks to his resolve.
We've already seen that a young Hawks was more of an Endeavor fan than an All Might one so his ideals could be more in line with the Flame Hero. Plus, in the same issue, he reveals, "If dirtying my hands can somehow bring everyone peace of mind... I'll gladly take on this task." He's clear with his intentions, is willing to do whatever is necessary to get the job done and, ultimately, does strive to make the world a better place.
Being a hero may not always be a straight path, and Hawks is likely just one of many heroes who must put aside their morality for the sake of peace. In the case of Hawks, we know he isn't a bad guy but is willing to do things others may consider villainous. The last time we saw Hawks, he was getting saved by his pupil Fumikage Tokoyami/Tsukuyomi, so we'll have to wait to see how things end between him and Dabi.
My Hero Academia #269 will release April 26 from Viz Media.