Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)

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Hawkeye


Kate Bishop as Hawkeye. Art by Jim Cheung

Publisher Young Avengers
First appearance Young Avengers #1 (April, 2005).
Created by Allan Heinberg
Jim Cheung
Characteristics
Alter ego Kate Bishop
Affiliations Young Avengers
Abilities Excellent archer and fighter

Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) is a fictional character, a member of the Young Avengers, a team of superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the third character to take that name, the first being the original Hawkeye, Clint Barton of the Avengers, and the second being Wyatt McDonald of the Squadron Supreme, later known as Golden Archer.

Her costume appearance is patterned on the first Hawkeye and his deceased ex-wife Mockingbird.

She first appeared in Young Avengers #1 (April, 2005). The issue was scripted by Allan Heinberg and drawn by Jim Cheung.

[edit] Fictional character history

[edit] Young Avengers

A "normal" civilian forcibly introduced to the Young Avengers in an early rescue attempt made by the team, Kate has demonstrated skill and level-headedness in high pressure situations. Independent, tough-minded, and blunt, she is also an excellent archer. Her encounter with the young team led her to investigate them on her own, following them to Avengers headquarters and donning the gear of Mockingbird and Hawkeye, as well as what may be Swordsman's sword and Black Widow's belt. When Kate first appears wearing Mockingbird's mask, Patriot jokingly refers to her as "Hawkingbird." She invites herself to join to the team after freeing them and helps them in their battle against Kang the Conqueror. She was subsequently confirmed as a member of the team.

After the team's first adventure stopping Kang the Conqueror, Captain America and Iron Man ordered the team to break-up and refused to train the team without the parents' consent. But Kate Bishop still wants to be a Young Avenger. Thinking the worst Captain America and Iron Man can do is tell their parents, Kate takes the team to an abandoned warehouse previously owned by one of her father's companies, Bishop Publishing, which becomes the team's lair. She also has new uniforms made for them, since Cap told them to "Never wear those uniforms again" & never mentioned anything about new uniforms.

Kate is close with her friend and teammate Stature, and has a certain degree of chemistry with teammate Patriot, although their relationship is punctuated by near-constant bickering and oneupsmanship; when Stature observed that “no matter what happens” Wiccan and Hulkling “have each other” and Kate has Patriot, Kate immediately objected, saying “all we do is fight” (Stature’s response: “Gee, why do you think that is?”). The team’s newest member, Speed, immediately referred to Patriot as “your boyfriend,” prompting another denial by Kate. Upon meeting Speed for the first time, she was not her usual composed self (for lack of a code name, her self-introduction stalled after “I’m...”). Still, she's the driving member of the team, pushing everyone to stay together and borderline leading when Patriot's not around, even giving him occasional orders.

In Young Avengers #12, after Patriot is injured, Captain America informs the Young Avengers that he hopes that they start normal lives. Kate tells him if he had trained them, Patriot might not have been injured and it was best for him to help the Young Avengers by accepting them. Jessica Jones returns to give Kate the original Hawkeye's bow and arrows with a note from Captain America addressed to Hawkeye. Jessica told Kate that the only other person to stand up to Captain America the way Kate did was Hawkeye, and that Captain America wanted her to take Clint's codename. Kate did and became the third Hawkeye.

[edit] Young Avengers Special

Young Avengers Special revealed that sometime prior to joining the team she was brutally attacked in (what appears to be) Central Park. The exact nature of the attack is not made clear—only the initial ambush is shown on panel. At first, the incident left her traumatized, but then it spurred her to engage in intense combat training. So far the team is unaware of this incident as Kate only told her therapist and Jessica Jones.