Hawkeye

"Just can't seem to miss."

- Hawkeye

Clinton Francis "Clint" Barton, better known as Hawkeye, is the greatest living marksman on the planet and a former special agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., where he worked under the supervision of Phil Coulson. Known for his use of the bow and arrow as his primary weapon, Barton became one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agents and was responsible for the recruitment of Black Widow, whom he developed a strong friendship with. Assigned by Director Nick Fury to watch over the Tesseract, he was brainwashed by Loki and used as a pawn for his evil schemes. However, following the Attack on the Helicarrier, he was freed from Loki's mental control by Black Widow and joined the Avengers to fight against Loki's alien army in the Battle of New York, ending the Chitauri Invasion before Barton returned to his work as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Hawkeye continued to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. until its collapse following the HYDRA Uprising, he and the Avengers worked to bring down the remnants of HYDRA, eventually capturing Baron Wolfgang von Strucker and ending the organization's threat to the world. However, Hawkeye was pulled back into the fight as Tony Stark had inadvertently used HYDRA as well as some Chitauri technology to create the psychotic artificial intelligence known as Ultron. As Ultron tried to destroy the world, he allied himself with Pietro and the Wanda Maximoff and Barton focused much of his efforts in convincing them to change sides while keeping the Avengers safe by bringing them into his family home. During the final Battle of Sokovia, Hawkeye's life was saved by Quicksilver's sacrifice, resulting in Barton retiring from the Avengers to return to his family.

Despite living happily within retirement for a brief time, Barton was recruited by Captain America to aid him during his fight against the newly produced Sokovia Accords, which had forced Rogers to protect his friend Bucky Barnes from being arrested for a crime he did not commit. Feeling he owed a debt to Rogers and Maximoff which he intended to repay, Hawkeye then joined in the Clash of the Avengers, fighting against Iron Man who was in support of the Accords. Despite putting up a good fight, Hawkeye and most of their team were eventually defeated and then briefly imprisoned at the Raft under the orders of Thaddeus Ross, only to be freed by Rogers. Barton returned back to retirement and, after striking a deal with Ross, was placed under house arrest, as the strain of being a vigilante affected him and his family.

Unfortunately after Thanos successfully collects all Infinity Stones and wiped out 50% lives in the universe, Clint survives the snap, but somehow resurface into a katana wielding vigilante.

Marrying Laura
Clinton Barton was born in Waverly, Iowa. He would not finish high school, for unknown reasons. Barton would come to develop a unique talent for marksmanship, mainly with a bow and arrow, being renowned as the "Greatest Living Marksman on the Planet". Later in his life, Barton met and formed a romantic relationship with a woman named Laura, whom he would eventually marry and have three children with.

Working for Director Fury
"Fury helped me set this up when I joined. He kept it off S.H.I.E.L.D.’s files."

- Clint Barton

Barton was hand picked by Director Nick Fury for his leadership abilities, strategic prowess, combat skills, and his tendency to do what he believes is right even when that conflicts with his commanding officers' orders. Barton would soon come to be one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most elite agents. Of his associates, only Director Fury knew about his relationship with Laura and he excluded her, their future children and the location of their farmhouse from Barton's S.H.I.E.L.D. file in order to protect them. During one of his missions, Barton was targeted for assassination by Marcus Scarlotti. Through Barton thwarted the attempt on his life, Scarlotti came closer than anyone to successfully killing Barton.

Meeting Black Widow
"I got on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar in a bad way, Agent Barton was sent to kill me, he made a different call."

- Black Widow to Loki

During his time with S.H.I.E.LD., a KGB assassin codenamed Black Widow, started to appear on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar as a threat to global security. Fury then assigned Barton to Russia where he would carry out the assassination. Barton arrived in Russia and tracked down Black Widow and confronted her. However, instead of killing her, he opted to let her live, seeing her potential as a good person, giving her the chance to work for S.H.I.E.L.D.. Barton would discover her true name, Natasha Romanoff and the two would work closely. Romanoff was seen as Barton's counterpart and the relationship between the two developed into a lasting partnership, as well as becoming best friends. Together, they ran tactical missions in Budapest, Abidjan and many other locations where they would always be successful, despite never having an extraction plan. The pair became so close that Romanoff was the only other person Barton told about his family. She became a close family friend to them, and adopted an aunt-like relationship with their children.

New Mexico
"This is the first day of the first week of the first vacation I've taken since I signed up to work for you." "Oh, that's right, silly me. You get yourself some rest, I don't think providing extra muscle at a possible alien crash site is something you'd be interested in anyway."

- Clint Barton and Nick Fury

Eventually, Barton decided to take his first vacation since he had joined S.H.I.E.L.D. where he was called by Nick Fury. Fury then informed Barton that they need some extra muscle at a possible alien crash site, which immediately gained Barton's interest and he was deployed to New Mexico. Barton drove to New Mexico, listening to, when he stopped at a gas station which had recently encountered an attempted robbery. Barton talked to the night clerk about the incident, knowing that mysterious guys in black suits stopped the robbery.

Barton soon arrived at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Crater Investigation Site where he met up with Coulson. He informed Barton that what they had encountered was an extraterrestrial object, not an actual alien, Barton's initial belief. Barton then asked about the location of the alien that the object belongs to, for which they were about to find out.

Sharpshooting Thor
"You'd better call it, Coulson, cause I'm starting to root for this guy."

- Hawkeye to Phil Coulson

Soon after his deployment, an intruder broke into the S.H.I.E.L.D. compound and fought his way to the hammer. Coulson ordered Barton to be their eyes up high and to use a gun, but as Barton went to retrieve a rifle, he instead collected a compound bow. Barton then claimed a vantage point suspended from a crane and watched from above as Thor knocked out more and more guards. Barton requested if he should slow Thor down, but Coulson wanted to see what Thor would do. Despite warning Coulson that the intruder was getting closer to the hammer, Barton was never given a shoot order, letting his target go. Barton commented into the radio that he was starting to root for him, implying a level of self-given autonomy. As Barton continued to watch from above, he noticed a woman fleeing the compound into a car. Barton returned to the compound and observed as Coulson interrogated Thor. After not getting any information, Barton suggested to Coulson to set him free, believing that he would return to the woman he spotted fleeing recently, which would let them track Thor.

Battle of Puente Antiguo
"Hey, Coulson, I've just encountered an extraterrestrial object. You want to try to lift this one too?"

- Clint Barton to Phil Coulson

Still in New Mexico, Hawkeye was called in as backup when the Destroyer began to attack Coulson and other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. When Barton arrived, the Destroyer had headed towards the nearby town. Coulson ordered any soldier able to fight to go after the Destroyer. When Hawkeye arrived at the town, he witnessed Thor battling the Destroyer, causing him to be amazed in the obscurity of what he was witnessing. Hawkeye, along with some other agents found the defeated Destroyer and reported it to Coulson and joked about if he wanted to lift it.

Barton drove up with Coulson to a S.H.I.E.L.D. Airbase in Roswell to oversee the transport of the Destroyer to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters in New York City, under heavy security measures to avoid the activation of the armor. When they arrived, Barton woke Coulson up and later brought up that the next time he is called in, he would appreciate the opportunity to shoot something.

Security Check
"You really sure you can count on this bunch in a tight spot?"

- Hawkeye

Barton was then given orders by Nick Fury to break into the Helicarrier and access the Avengers Initiative database in order to test its security. A masked Barton swam through to the helicarrier and breached through the bilge pump where he was able to infiltrate his way to the archive room. Barton knocked out one of agents and gained access into the room where he began the download. As it downloaded, Barton watched Fury's evaluation of candidates Captain America and Hulk until he was apprehended by Black Widow. While the two knew it was only a test by Fury, both agents went along with the situation in order to make it as realistic as possible.

As the fight went on, the file continued, displaying Fury's evaluation on the next two candidates, Iron Man and Thor. The download eventually finished and Barton made his move to escape the S.H.I.E.LD. spy, by was stopped by her Widow's Sting. This ultimately ended the test, as Fury stepped in the address and review the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents performances. Barton then consulted Fury about his evaluations on the "would-be Avengers" questioning the accountability of the team, to which Fury responding that they need to count on these people.

Watching the Tesseract
"If there was any tampering, sir, it wasn't at this end." "At this end?" "Yeah, the cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right? Doors open from both sides."

- Hawkeye and Nick Fury

Barton was called by Nick Fury and stationed at the main facility of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. in order to guard the Tesseract. Before arriving on site, Barton did background checks on all the scientists working there, including Erik Selvig. Despite deducing that Selvig's back history was clean as he had no contacts who would be leaking information about their activities, Barton was ordered to stay at the facility to watch over the experiments on the Tesseract.

As Barton and Fury drove to the facility, Barton questioned Fury on not choosing Romanoff who was on a deep cover mission in Asia at the time, plus Fury knew not to isolate her in a bunker full of men. Fury then made it clear to Barton that not only is he guarding S.H.I.E.L.D.'S most important object in possession, but he needed to keep an eye on Selvig as he has been said to of been acting bizarre lately. Fury introduced Barton to Selvig and then left to catch a plane to the Arctic. As Fury left, Selvig asked Barton about his presence during the Battle of Puente Antiguo as he remembered him, not knowing that Loki was manipulating him. Sometime later, the Tesseract began acting strangely so Nick Fury and Maria Hill were called in to inspect the situations. Fury first spoke to Erik Selvig and demanded a report about the Tesseract's energy levels before he spoke to Barton about his views on the situation, asking for a briefing on the team, Barton expressed his belief that Selvig and his team were not a threat to them. When Fury asked him if he believed that the Tesseract had been tampered with, Barton responded by saying that if there was tampering, it was not this end of the Tesseract, as he viewed the Tesseract as a doorway from space which could be opened from the other end, something Selvig and the other scientist weren't able to figure out.

Destruction of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.
"Sir, Director Fury is stalling. This place is about to blow. Drop a hundred feet of raw material, he means to bury us."

- Hawkeye to Loki

The Tesseract suddenly opened a portal that brought Loki to Earth, who immediately attacked the base, killing several agents. Barton was just able to save Nick Fury's life from a blast of energy from Loki's Scepter. Loki then used his Scepter to alter and control the minds of Hawkeye, Erik Selvig, and a handful of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Under Loki's influence, Barton believed that he willingly worked for Loki and recommended that they evacuate the facility and the Tesseract was about to overload. Loki ordered Barton to shoot Fury before they departed. Barton helped Loki steal the Tesseract and escape from the base towards S.H.I.E.L.D. Jeeps, however Fury managed to survive due to wearing a Bulletproof Vest and warned Maria Hill of his betrayal, leading to a brief shoot out. They managed to get into a jeep and were chased by Hill until she became trapped under rubble when the facility imploded. Nick Fury managed to catch up with them and shot at them from a Helicopter, Loki shot the helicopter from the sky and Barton drove them away to safety.

Controlled by Loki
"What did it show you, Agent Barton?" "My next target." "Tell me what you need." "I'll need a distraction, and an eyeball."

- Loki and Hawkeye

He then acted as Loki's commander at his safe house, which Barton personally selected due to protective defenses. Barton commanded various other mind-controlled mercenaries and workers, and helping collect the materials that Dr. Erik Selvig needed to utilize the Tesseract. Selvig asked Barton were he found all of the workers which he informed Selvig that S.H.I.E.L.D. a lot of enemies. Barton located a material that Selvig needed to complete his work. Loki came to be updated on their work, while Selvig complimented the Tesseract's incredible power, Barton noted that it had shown him their next target which he would require a distraction and an eyeball. When Selvig mocked the choice of hide-out, Barton explained that it was the most secure base they could acquire. Barton told Loki that Nick Fury would be putting a team together to stop their plans, although Barton insisted that the team was more likely a danger to themselves. Loki demanded to know everything about them, vowing to test them so he could rule the Earth. Loki questioned why Barton had failed to kill Fury, asking if it was because he admired him, but Barton argued he was disorientated and not at his best with a gun. Barton traveled to Stuttgart, Germany with Loki where he used his infiltration skills and knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D. to help to steal a store of iridium needed to stabilize the Tesseract. While Loki found and attacked Heinrich Schafer, a man with security clearance to access the facility, and used a device to violently scan his eyeball, Barton silently shot several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with his bow and arrows before getting inside and using a hologram of Schafer's eyeball to gain access to the facility and successfully steal the iridium before escaping.

Attack on the Helicarrier
"It's Barton, he took out our systems, he's headed for the detention level, does anyone copy?"

- Nick Fury

Loki allowed himself to be captured by the Avengers, and Hawkeye led a small group of mercenaries in an attack on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, using a stolen Quinjet to covertly approach the Helicarrier. Hawkeye destroyed an engine with an accurately placed explosive arrow and boarded the Helicarrier with a team of Loki's soldiers with their task to destroy the Avengers by unleashing the Hulk and freeing Loki so they could complete their plan to use the Tesseract to bring about the War on Earth. Using the chaos onboard the Helicarrier to his advantage, Barton made his way to the control room and while his team of mercenaries distracted the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with grenades and gunfire, Barton fired a Hacker arrow at the controls where he further crippled the ship's systems, turning off the remaining engines and causing the Helicarrier to fall from the sky. Before he could cause more damage with explosive arrows, he was shot at by Nick Fury and Maria Hill, forcing him to retreat and continue his way through the Helicarrier to find Loki. As he continued to make his way through the Helicarrier, Barton was confronted by Natasha Romanoff; who snuck up behind him in an attempt to disarm him. The two old friends had a prolonged fight using Hawkeye's bow and arrows, knives, and, when the fight got dirtier – with teeth. Barton used all his top level training to kill his former friend, including firing several arrows at her, although she was able to dodge them, as well as attempting to drive a knife into her neck while pulling her hair back. In the end Barton was no match for Romanoff's speed and quick-thinking and eventually she got the upper hand, disarming him and slammed Barton's head onto a steel pipe. The blow weakened Loki's grip on Barton's mind and he recognized Romanoff, calling her by her first name before she knocked him out with a final strong punch to the head, breaking his connection to Loki and restoring his mind. He was then taken away by a S.H.I.E.L.D. team to be rehabilitated and cared for to ensure he was safe to continue working for S.H.I.E.L.D..

Regaining Control
"Clint, You’re gonna be alright." "You know that? Is that what you know? I got... I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out." "We don’t have that long, it’s gonna take time." "Have you ever had someone pick your brain and play? Pull you out, stuff something else in. Do you know what it's like to be unmade?"

- Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton

While Barton was arrested and tied down until Loki's control was gone and he was no longer a threat, and he fought as hard as he could to recover. Natasha Romanoff looked after Barton in the recovery room, listening as he described the experience, which he compared to being unmade. Romanoff also refused to tell Barton how many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents he had killed, telling him that Loki and Loki alone was responsible for the killings and he must not blame himself. Satisfied that he was freed of his mind control, Barton resolved to help the Avengers fight back against Loki and stop his schemes of world domination. When Captain America arrived to ask Natasha Romanoff if she could pilot a Quinjet, Barton told him he could. After Romanoff gave him the nod of approval, Rogers allowed Barton to join them on the mission, but first ensured that he had a uniform ready to go, Barton assured him they did and together they agreed to disobey the World Security Council and confront Loki head on as they had discovered he was hiding at Stark Tower.

Arrival of the Chitauri
"You think you can hold them off?" "Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure."

- Captain America and Hawkeye

With their new determination to bring down Loki, the small team of Avengers took control of a S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet. Hawkeye flew Black Widow and Captain America to New York City just as the Tesseract portal opened. As Iron Man engaged the hordes of Chitauri Soldiers that came pouring out of the portal, Hawkeye assisted by using the Quinjet's gatling gun to shoot them out of the sky as they flew past. They found Loki battling Thor on top of Stark Tower, when they attempted to assist, Loki shot down the Quinjet and the team crashed on the ground. Hawkeye, Black Widow and Captain America made their way to Stark Tower on foot and witnessed the Chitauri coming in from the portal and they all stayed on the ground to fight. Alongside Black Widow, Hawkeye fought the oncoming horde of Chitauri soldiers until the rest of the Avengers arrived. Hawkeye fired several trick arrows at the Chitauri army while the civilians all clear out. While Hawkeye and Black Widow fight the Chitauri, she reminded him that the situation of being similar to their mission in Budapest, which Hawkeye told Black Widow that he remembered Budapest differently.

Avengers Assembled
"I have unfinished buisness with Loki." "Yeah, well get in line."

- Thor and Hawkeye

While Hawkeye and Black Widow took on the Chitauri, Captain America joined them and was soon followed by Thor. While Hawkeye was reloading his quiver with used arrow rods from before, Thor told the Avengers that the power protecting the Tesseract is impenetrable so the team decided to fight the Chitauri in the meantime. When Thor discussed his desire to battle Loki, Hawkeye made it clear that he wished to kill him for revenge for the trauma he had suffered through, by telling him to get in line although Rogers told him to save that anger for later. As Captain America tells them the plan, they are interrupted by Bruce Banner who arrived on a motorbike. As a Leviathan flew towards the Avengers, Banner transformed into the Hulk and destroyed the Leviathan. Hawkeye took cover behind a car to protect himself from the destruction. The Avengers all stood together in a circle as they overlooked the city overrun with Chitauri soldiers. As Captain America went through their plan, he ordered Hawkeye to take up a position on a building's rooftop, calling out enemy movements. Barton asked for a lift from Iron Man who told him to clench up while jokingly calling him. '

Eyes On Everything
"Stark, you got a lot of strays sniffing your tail." "Just trying to keep them off the streets." "Well they can't bank worth a damn, find a tight corner." "I will roger that."

- Hawkeye and Iron Man

On the rooftop, Hawkeye was able to shoot many enemies out of the sky, and used his skills in combat to kill any Chitauri soldiers who made it onto the roof, while advising the Avengers the best strategical maneuvers to defeat them. Hawkeye assisted Iron Man in fighting the Chitauri and to use his maneuvering skills to force to Chitauri to accidentally crash into the side of buildings. Hawkeye also informed Iron Man that Thor was taking a squadron on sixth to which Stark joked that he was disappointed that he was not also invited. As the Battle of New York continued, Hawkeye fought off all Chitauri soldiers that climbed the building and flying on the chariots, managing to casually shoot one out of the sky without looking. Hawkeye dodged a blast and then fired an arrow at a Chitauri soldier flying on a chariot at a far distance that crashed into a Leviathan. While Captain America fought a Chitauri Soldier, Hawkeye informed him that a lot of civilians were being cornered in a bank ready to be executed to which Captain America told Hawkeye that he was on it and went to rescue the civilians single handedly from the alien attackers.

Last Stand
"Hawkeye!" "Nat, what are you doing?" "A little help?" "I got him."

- Black Widow and Hawkeye

When Hawkeye witnessed Black Widow being chased by Loki on a Chitauri Chariot, she called him for assistance. Delighted to get his shot at revenge against his own enslaver, Hawkeye loaded an explosive arrow out of his quiver and, taking his time to aim the perfect shot and fired it at Loki. However, Loki managed to catch the arrow and looked at it which made him smile smugly at the Avengers attempt to stop him. The smile disappeared when the arrow exploded in Loki's face and caused him to fall from the sky and crash land on Stark Tower, where he was promptly attacked by the Hulk who beat the god into submission. As the battle became more intense, The Avengers found themselves starting to become overpowered by Loki's forces. As Hawkeye continued to fight the Chitauri, he found that he has almost exhausted his supply of arrows. Eventually Hawkeye ran out of arrows and began to fight the Chitauri with his bow. Hawkeye then saw an incoming horde of Chitauri crafts heading in his direction. He took his last arrow that was in a dead Chitauri, put it in his quiver and turned it into a grapple, and jumped off the building just as it was destroyed by the Chitauri. He shot the arrow onto the building and swung into a window to get away. Eventually, with the combinded effort of Black Widow, Erik Selvig and Iron Man, the portal was closed and the Chitauri army was killed. After the battle, the Avengers all went to Stark Tower to capture Loki. As Loki turned around, he saw the Avengers stand before him with Hawkeye taking aim at him.

Aftermath
"I don't think you understand what you've started letting the Avengers lose on this world. They're dangerous." "They surely are, and the whole world knows it."

- Hawley and Nick Fury

Later, the team took a breather at the Shawarma Palace. They were interrupted by War Machine, who arrived too late to help in the battle. The Avengers gathered together in Central Park the next day to send Thor back to Asgard with Loki and the Tesseract. While Loki was in chains, Romanoff whispered something in Barton's ear about Loki's punishment, causing Barton to grin.

The team went their separate ways, Barton left with Romanoff to go back home to his family. Barton, along with Romanoff, continued working for S.H.I.E.L.D., with Steve Rogers joining and working with Romanoff. In 2014, S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed, causing Barton to no longer be working for them and did not join the new S.H.I.E.L.D. that was created from the aftermath.

Avengers Reassembled
"I'm gonna have to do better than that if I don't want someone else grabbing my seat on the Avengers. Stark's got his armor. Steve's got his Super Serum-ness. Thor's a god. Hulk's Hulk. If I don't got this, then what have I got?"

- Hawkeye

With the rising threat of HYDRA, the Avengers were officially reassembled, with the financial backing of Tony Stark. Using the former Stark Tower, now renamed Avengers Tower, as their headquarters, and using the new drones of the Iron Legion, they embarked on several missions to ruin HYDRA's plans for world domination. Their main target was the cell of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, which was in possession of Loki's scepter. During the interim, Barton continued to practice at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Archery Range. He felt insecure about his place with the team due to being a non-enhanced human among gods and super soldiers. However, he refused to let this concept slow down his training or cause him to leave the team. When the Avengers reunited on the call of J.A.R.V.I.S. that Natasha Romanoff needed assistance in Port Sudan, Barton stopped practicing and piloted the others in the Quinjet there. During the Battle of Sudan, Hawkeye fired an explosive arrow at Doctor Jensen that defeated her assault and raised Barton's confidence in himself and his place among the others.

Attack on the HYDRA Research Base
"I think we lost the element of surprise."

- Hawkeye

Hawkeye joined the other Avengers in an assault against Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's HYDRA base. Hawkeye rode in the back of a jeep being driven by Natasha Romanoff, firing arrows as they went while Iron Man and Thor flew alongside and Captain America commanded the mission while riding a weaponized motorcycle. When the jeep was crashed Hawkeye continued to fight, keeping himself at a distance, using explosive arrows to destroy many HYDRA bunkers and tanks. Hawkeye destroyed a HYDRA bunker with an explosive arrow and stated that they had lost the element of surprise. Silently sneaking through the battlefield, Hawkeye took position behind a tree and attempted to destroy another HYDRA bunker with an explosive arrow, but the arrow was strangely intercepted by an incredibly fast moving opponent. Hawkeye attempted to reload and fire again but the attacker then threw Hawkeye through the air before revealing himself to be an enhanced man named Pietro Maximoff, who taunted Hawkeye before dashing off into the distance. Hawkeye launched up and aimed his bow, but before he could fire he was shot in the side by a HYDRA cannon and gravely wounded; Black Widow came to his aid and patched up the wound while the Hulk destroyed the bunker. Thor came to his aid and was able to get him back to the Quinjet to recover while the rest of the team continued with the mission and were able to capture both Baron Wolfgang von Strucker and the Scepter.

Recovery
"Oh, he’s flatlining. Call it. Time?" "No, no, no. I’m going to live forever. I’m gonna be made of plastic."

- Tony Stark and Clint Barton

Barton was taken back to Avengers Tower where Natasha Romanoff stayed by his side while his injured skin was repaired by Doctor Helen Cho using a device called the Cradle. Bruce Banner asked how is Barton, which Tony Stark joked that he is 'still Barton' and that he was thirsty. Tony brought Barton a drink and Barton joked that he was now made of plastic but made a full recovery. When Cho asked if he had a girlfriend who would notice the difference, Barton told her that he did not have a girlfriend, not mentioning his wife.

The Party
"But it's a trick." "Oh no, it's much more than that." "Uh, Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power! Whatever man, it's a trick." "Well please be my guest."

- Clint Barton and Thor

Having fully recovered from his life endangering injury, Barton attended a party at Avengers Tower to celebrate their victory over HYDRA. Enjoying the company of his fellow Avengers as well as some of their other allies including James Rhodes and Sam Wilson. Barton spent time speaking to his life-saving doctor Helen Cho during the party. Before long, all of the guests had departed, leaving only the Avengers, Rhodes, Cho and Maria Hill. As they sat around and drank, Barton voiced disbelief that Mjølnir could only be lifted by Thor, believing it to be a trick. Thor then challenged Barton to lift his hammer, where everyone joked at him about lifting it. Barton acknowledged Thor of his first encounter of him, seeing him fail to lift the hammer. Barton then attempted to lift the hammer but failed, laughing at ridiculousness of the challenge. He then challenged Stark to lifting the hammer, and before long, all the others had attempted it with no success, leaving Thor to proclaim that they were all not worthy.

Attack on Avengers Tower
"Cap!" "That was dramatic."

- Hawkeye and Ultron

The party was interrupted when a piercing screech rang through the room and a broken down and seemingly malfunctioning Iron Legion robot calling itself Ultron appeared. Barton watched as Ultron claimed that he had been created by Tony Stark to bring about peace, but he believed that the only way to achieve peace was with the extinction of the Avengers, as he viewed them as destructive and a danger to the world. When a small army of Ultron Sentries attacked the Avengers. Barton found himself unarmed and initially forced to hide during the sentries' assault, using his speed and agility to duck and dive out of the way of the blasts, leaping over and under the tables. However, Barton found Captain America's Shield and threw it to Rogers to help him defeat the last sentry before Thor smashed the original Ultron apart.

Argument
"He also said he killed somebody." "But there wasn’t anyone else in the building."

- Clint Barton and Maria Hill

With the team confused and rattled after Ultron's attack, Barton joined the rest of the Avengers to discuss what they had witnessed. Although Barton stayed mostly silent during the ensuing argument, he witnessed the rest of team's tempers being tested when Tony Stark tried to defend his actions in creating Ultron, which caused Thor to attack him by grabbing his throat. The team eventually calmed down and resolved to discover what Ultron's next step would be.

Looking for Ultron
"Negative, I answer to you. Yes ma'am." "Barton, might have something." "Gotta go." "Who's that?" "Girlfriend."

- Clint Barton and Steve Rogers

Barton then used a few of his old contacts to find Ultron but he had not heard from them so he called his wife to tell her he was alright. While on the phone, Steve Rogers came over and told him they may have found key information regarding Ultron's location, when Rogers asked who Barton was speaking to, Barton claimed it to be his girlfriend, which he had previously stated he didn't have. The Avengers learned that Ultron had tracked down and murdered Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, as well as earning all of the Avengers files of Strucker. They decided to go through all of their hard copy files that they have on him and any known associates. As they looked through boxes of files, Stark alerted them to one of Strucker's associates that he knew back when he sold weapons. They soon discovered that he was connected with Wakanda, the source of Vibranium, which made them believe that is where Ultron would be.

Battle at the Salvage Yard
"I've done the whole mind control thing, not a fan."

- Hawkeye to Scarlet Witch

Hawkeye joined the team when they had located Ultron and the Maximoff twins in a ship off the coast of South Africa, getting a supply of Vibranium from arms dealer Ulysses Klaue. While Iron Man, Captain America and Thor confronted Ultron directly, Hawkeye and Black Widow stayed further back to provide cover. As peaceful negotiations quickly failed, Ultron and the Maximoffs attacked, whilst at the same time Klaue sent his soldiers to attack the both groups. Barton positioned himself in a high vantage point, his speciality, where he could eliminate any enemies with great ease. Barton and Romanoff focused their efforts on battling Klaue's soldiers, Barton taking down many soldiers as the other Avengers fought the Ultron Sentries. As the battle continued, the Scarlet Witch entranced most of the Avengers, causing them to become distracted by terrible visions. Barton was able to defeat the remaining soldiers with a stun arrow, instantly knocking them out. When Scarlet Witch attempted to entrance Barton, he incapacitated her with a taser arrow, not allowing himself to be put under mind control again. Her brother whisked her away to safety before she could be captured, throwing Barton through a glass window. Barton then tried to call in the other Avengers, but he didn't receive a response as they were all under the effects of Scarlet Witch. He went to check on them, where he saw Black Widow defeated and barely conscious. Having retreated outside, the Maximoff twins continued their mission and attacked Bruce Banner, causing him to transform in a rage filled Hulk who charged straight into the centre of Johannesburg. To defend the people, Iron Man flew in to confront him, along the way Stark asked if Black Widow would be able to perform a lullaby to calm him down, but Barton informed him that she was far too weak and traumatized to join the fight, along with the rest of them team.

Retreat
"Hey, you wanna switch out?" "No, I'm good. If you wanna get some kip, now's a good time because we're still out a few hours." "Few hours from where?" "A safe house."

- Tony Stark and Clint Barton

The Avengers then all gathered into the Quinjet, defeated by Ultron and the Maximoff's. As Barton piloted the jet, Maria Hill had informed them that they had become unpopular due to a massive battle between Hulk and Iron Man in his "Hulkbuster" armor in the middle of South Africa; at the same time many of the members were still suffering from the effects of Wanda Maximoff's visions. Maria Hill stated that there was no information about Banner's arrest order yet. Knowing they needed to get away and recover, Barton then decided to take the team to his homestead, realizing that no one would be able to find them there. He then informed Stark that he would be taking them to a safe house.

Returning Home
"Honey? I'm home. Hi. Company. Sorry, didn't call ahead." 'Hey." "Gentlemen, this is Laura." "I know all your names."

- Clint Barton and Laura Barton

Once the Avengers arrived at his home, Barton led the Avengers in his house, while the team were unsure of where they were. When they entered the house, they found a woman inside who was revealed to be Barton's wife. Barton hugged his wife and children while the rest of the Avengers where left confused as they were not aware of Barton having a family, making Tony Stark to believe that they were agents. Barton then introduced the team to his family. Seeing how surprised they were at the revelation, Barton explained how Nick Fury had set up this hideaway for him when he first joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and requested that the team keep his secret. While Natasha Romanoff spoke with Laura about her new baby, Thor decided to leave the farm to investigate his vision in detail while Barton and the others recovered.

Place on the Avengers
"You don't think they need me?" "I think they do, which is a lot scarier. They're a mess." "Yeah. I guess they're my mess."

- Clint Barton and Laura Barton

While Barton got changed, Laura felt Barton's chest where his skin had just been repaired. Laura then informed Barton that some of the Avengers will have to sleep together which Barton knew wasn't going to sell, which lead to Laura asking about how long Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner had been seeing each other. Barton was unaware of Romanoff and Banner dating which Laura found cute and jokingly called him "Hawkeye" for not seeing the relationship. Laura expressed concern about whether he should remain on the Avengers. He initially thought that she believed they did not need him, but she revealed that she felt they needed him too much, as the others' teamwork leaves a lot to be desired and she did not believe they would support him and the work he does for them. As she touched her husband's chest, she noted that she could tell the where his body had been recently repaired by the Cradle. Barton then joined his children outside and did some woodworking with his son for a new crib for his unborn son. Nick Fury arrived after being called by Hill, to speak to the team, motivating them to gather together and fight Ultron. That night, as Fury spoke tom the team, Barton was spending time with his family and preparing his children to go to bed. He then joined the team as Fury explained that Ultron had been unable to access neculear codes due to someone blocking all his attacks. Barton then teased Tony Stark by beating him at darts, hitting the bullseye with multiple darts. As they discussed what Ultron's next move would be, Bruce Banner worked out that Ultron would create another body made of synthetic tissue using the Cradle, and would do this with Helen Cho's help.

One Last Project
"I'm gonna finish re-flooring that sunroom as soon as I get back." "Yeah, then you'll find another part of the house to tear apart." "No. It's the last project. I promise."

- Clint Barton and Laura Barton

The team then made a plan, Barton going with Rogers and Romanoff to Seoul while Stark went to NEXUS Internet Hub. As the team prepared to leave they collected their uniforms and their equipment, Barton said his farewells to his wife. Barton promised that this would be his final mission with the Avengers and vowed that he would return and finish redecorating the house. They kissed each other goodbye and Barton left, taking control of the Quinjet and flew their team to Seoul to search for Ultron and the Maximoff twins and end the war.

Battle of Seoul
"You're not a match for him, Cap." "Thanks, Barton."

- Hawkeye and Captain America

The team arrived in Seoul where Rogers departed from the Quinjet to do recon in the U-GIN Genetic Research Facility. They soon discovered Bruce Banner was correct about Ultron attempting to build a body using the Cradle. Barton and Romanoff searched through Seoul for Ultron, Romanoff suggested that Ultron could be at a private jet taking off, but Barton spotted a truck from the lab driving away. Barton informed Rogers of this and told him that he could eliminate the driver, but Rogers stopped him, warning him of the danger of the stone. Rogers then went to stop the truck himself, drawing out Ultron away from the cradle. Rogers then attempted to distract Ultron, despite being outmatched by him, something Barton made clear to Rogers. As this occurred, Barton made his way through the city, catching up to Rogers and preparing to drop Romanoff out of the Quinjet on a motorbike to assist Rogers and obtain the cradle. As Barton dropped Romanoff, telling her to "give them hell", he navigated her of the trucks position and how to get there as he had no shot at the truck from the Quinjet. Romanoff then asked Barton to draw away the Ultron Sentries guarding the truck so she could gain access inside. Barton made his way in front of the truck and began firing at Ultron, knowing that the Sentries would come after him in defence. Barton then began to fly upwards, leading the Sentries away. He then found himself under attack by the Sentries, trying to blast through the cockpit. However, Barton was able to manoeuvre away from the Sentries. When Rogers removed Ultron from the truck, the Sentries then went to return to the truck to protect it. Barton informed Romanoff of the Sentries position and to do whatever she was going to do soon. When the Sentries returned to the truck, they attempted to fly the truck away. Barton went to take out the truck, but Romanoff altered him that she was still in there. She then informed him to be ready to receive the cradle by lining up with the truck, facing the opposite way. As Romanoff jumped out of the truck with the cradle, she was grabbed by Ultron at the last second, but still able to deliver the cradle to Barton. Barton then called out to Nat, worried for her safety and asked Rogers if he knew her status. However, Rogers ordered Barton to deliver the cradle to Stark, much to Barton's dismay as he pleaded to rescue her. Barton reluctantly left Seoul and headed back to the Avengers Tower, frustrated about leaving his best friend behind.

Birth of Vision
"I looked in your head and saw annihilation." "Look again." "Yeah. Her seal of approval means jack to me."

- Wanda Maximoff, Vision and Clint Barton

Bringing the Cradle back to Avengers Tower, while Tony Stark and Bruce Banner prepared to study it, Barton began searching for Natasha Romanoff by working out where Ultron could have taken her. Before long, Barton managed to find a signal she was sending over the radio waves which revealed her location to be in Sokovia. He soon learned that during the Battle of Seoul, Steve Rogers had recruited the Pietro and Wanda Maximoff as they had betrayed Ultron. Barton was present when Tony Stark and Bruce Banner were confronted when they tried to upload J.A.R.V.I.S. into the body Ultron was creating. When Pietro attempted to sabotage the machine, Barton was able to trick and defeat him by firing his gun at the glass below his feet, and mocking him as he landing hard on the floor below, repeating what Maximoff had taunted him with during the Attack on the HYDRA Research Base. As Stark and Rogers began to fight, they were interrupted when Thor arrived and used his lightning to activate machine. The being within jumped out and briefly attacked Thor until he looked out over the city. Having seemingly calmed down the being apologized and called itself the Vision. Barton told the team of Natasha Romanoff's location was in Sokovia while the Vision claimed to wish to assist them in the fight against Ultron as he needed to be stopped, as proof of his honor, Vision handed Thor Mjølnir while Barton and the rest of the team looked on in shock. As the team prepared for their mission, Barton collected his uniform and weaponry ready for the oncoming battle. Barton took a moment to look at a photograph of his family to remind himself of what he was fighting for. Barton took control of the Quinjet and flew the Avengers into Sokovia while Captain America gave them a speech about what they had to expect from Ultron and vowing that they would protect the people of Sokovia before confronting Ultron.

Fighting Ultron's Army
"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. And that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace. And that's not gonna happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done."

- Captain America

The team soon located Ultron in the city of Sokovia where he had planned to continue his schemes. Once the Avengers had arrived; Captain America made it clear that their first priority was to evacuate the civilians to ensure their safety. The Avengers landed and as they exited the Quinjet, Captain America noticed some graffiti written on a building wall which Barton commented as not bad. Barton sat in a clock tower and overlooked the whole evacuation, watching as Scarlet Witch used her mind control powers to convince the people to leave while Barton ensured that the Ultron Sentries did not attack the people. Eventually, Ultron made his move and used a device to cause the city to float off the ground before sending out his Sentries to attack the Avengers. When one of the Sentries gave a speech about Ultron's plan, Barton shot it out of the sky. Barton and the rest of the team engaged the robots in a major battle, while focusing on protecting the civilians. While Scarlet Witch created forcefields to defend the people from the blasts, Hawkeye engaged them in battle.

Helping Scarlet Witch
"Doesn't matter what you did, or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. Stay in here, you're good. I'll send your brother to come find you. But if you step out that door, you are an Avenger."

- Hawkeye to Scarlet Witch

As they became overwhelmed by the incoming Ultron Sentries, Barton saved Wanda Maximoff and hid her in a building as she had a panic attack. Barton managed to calm her down and told her that he would continue to fight and it was her choice to stay or run, promising to go get her brother to help her if needs be, but he assured her that if she continued fighting, she would be an Avenger. Hawkeye then reloaded his bow and charged out the door to continue to fight. As he became overpowered by the great number of Ultron Sentries, Barton's words proved effective as Scarlet Witch joined him and destroyed the robots with ease and confidence. With Scarlet Witch having gained his faith, Hawkeye called Captain America over the radio to tell him they had cleared the area and learned that Rogers was being overwhelmed at the bridge. Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch began to make their way to the bridge to assist the rest of the team, but before they could get there Quicksilver then took his sister in his arms and ran to the centre of the city, mocking Barton by calling him an old man and telling him to keep up. Irritated, Barton aimed his arrow at Quicksilver and jokingly considered shooting him, claiming that no one would ever know as he could easily blame the death on Ultron.

Hawkeye eventually made his way to the middle of the city, where he reunited with Captain America, Scarlet Witch and Black Widow. Hawkeye took off his jacket and gave Black Widow her weapons to fight. Hawkeye informed them that if the city kept getting higher, people would start dropping due to the thin air. Captain America ordered Scarlet Witch to help get the people hiding in the city out and Hawkeye told him that he would watch her back.

Reinforcements
"Okay, here we go. Here we go, let’s move."

- Hawkeye

As the first wave of Ultron Sentries was pushed back, the team's attention turned to how they would get the people to safety without destroying the city. Suddenly, Nick Fury and Maria Hill arrived on a Helicarrier and sent in Transporters to bring the citizens to safety. Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch took charge of the operation to load the people onto the transporters while Iron Man and War Machine protected them.

Protecting the Key
"What about the core?" "I’ll protect it. It’s my job."

- Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch

Hawkeye joined Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver at the centre of the city as they regrouped with the Avengers. As Iron Man explained that they had to protect the device's key from Ultron, the robot gathered his army outside. When Thor taunted him, Ultron unleashed his army upon the Avengers and Hawkeye joined his team in putting all of his energy in fighting back against the seemingly unstoppable army of evil robots. Before long, the combined might of the Avengers pushed the army of Ultron Sentries back and with combined efforts of the Vision, Iron Man, Thor and Hulk destroyed Ultron's armor and sent him fleeing. With the city of Novi Grad rising ever so higher, Captain America ordered the team to fall back before the city could be destroyed. Hawkeye questioned what would be done to protect the key and Scarlet Witch vowed to protect it, noting that it was her job to do so, repeating the words Hawkeye had said to her earlier. Leaving Scarlet Witch to protect the key, Hawkeye and Black Widow stole a car and drove to the Transporters ready to be taken to safety. As they drove along, Barton spoke to his friend about his plans to rework his home by fixing up the dining room to make more room inside for his children to play. As they parked, they overheard Hulk's roar and Romanoff went to calm him down and bring him to safety while Barton took his seat on the Transporter.

Enemy Turned Savior
"No, no. I’m fine. Oh, it’s been a long day."

- Clint Barton

Eventually Barton made it to a Transporter and attempted to board, but when he heard the cries of a young woman whose brother was missing, Barton knew he had to continue to help and ran back into the battlefield to find him. Barton found the boy and attempted to rescue him, but as he lifted the child up, he found himself under fire by Ultron who had stolen a Quinjet. Seeing no way to escape, Barton tried to use his own body to shield the boy from harm, but, as a dash of wind went by, they found that none of the bullets had struck them. Barton looked up to see that they had all hit Pietro Maximoff, who had run into the line of fire to save Hawkeye and was fatally wounded. Maximoff told Barton with a smile that he did not see that coming before falling down. Captain America ran over to their aid but Barton confirmed that Maximoff was dead. Barton ensured that the boy was reunited with his sister and Captain America carried Maximoff's body onto the Transporter. Barton refused medical attention as he claimed to be fine, just exhausted; he then sat down beside his savior and breathed a sigh of exhaustion. Moments later, Ultron activated the key and the city fell to the ground, only to be destroyed by Iron Man and Thor, saving billions of lives. Shortly afterwards the final Ultron Sentry was destroyed by the Vision, ending the war.

A Normal Life
"Clint?" "Says he's retired."

- Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff

Having promised to his wife during the Ultron Offensive, Barton retired from the Avengers and returned home to be with his family. Soon after, Laura Barton gave birth to Nathaniel Pietro Barton, named after Natasha Romanoff and Pietro Maximoff. Later, the Bartons set up a video call to Romanoff to show off their newborn as she worked at the New Avengers Facility. During his retirement, Barton played golf with his spare time, always hitting a hole-in-one due to his incredible marksmanship. Barton would plan a waterskiing trip for his kids to go on around mid-2016. Nearly a year later, Barton was informed by Romanoff about the Sokovia Accords, a registration document for enhanced individuals. When asked about signing, Barton confirmed to Romanoff that he was retired, allowing him to not need to sign the Accords.

Rescue of Wanda Maximoff
"Guess I should've knocked." "Oh my God, what are you doing here?" "Disappointing my kids."

- Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch

A day after being in contact with Romanoff about the Sokovia Accords, Barton was called by Steve Rogers, who had no other choice as he had become a fugitive, and was asked to help him. Barton was asked to come out of retirement ad rescue Wanda Maximoff from the New Avengers Facility where Tony Stark had instructed Vision to supervise her. Barton arrived at the facility, and to distract Vision, Barton set off an explosion outside, allowing him to sneak into the facility. However, Maximoff suddenly sensed a presence behind her, causing her to launch a knife towards the intruder, stopping her attack when she realized it was Barton. Barton pushed the knife away from his face and joked that he should had knocked. Surprised to see Barton, Maximoff asked what he was doing here, to which Barton that he was disappointing his kids. Barton shot a Trap Arrow on both sides of the room and told Maximoff they had to leave because Captain America needed their help to fight against the Sokovia Accords. Barton took Maximoff's hand, and without any question, she began to follow, only to be stopped by Vision, who returned to the facility. Vision told Barton that he should not be there to which Barton joked that he had retired for five minutes and it all went to shit. As Vision started to approach Barton and Maximoff, he told Barton to consider the consequences of his actions before he was stunned due to Barton's electrical arrows. While Vision was incapacitated, Barton started to leave, knowing that it would not hold him for long. However, as he went to exit, Barton noticed Maximoff's hesitancy, as she felt gulity in the wake of the fight against Crossbones earlier that week and felt that she should stay in the facility. Barton attempted to get her to leave, but before he he could, Vision escaped the electrical bondage and approached Barton, who fired an arrow, but it phased through Vision. Vision then knocked Barton away, Barton responding by telling himself that he should of stretched first. Barton then equipped himself with a collapsable baton and prepared to fight the android. All of Barton's attacks were countered by Vision's ability to phase around objects. Barton attempted to punch Vision several times in the head, but his attack was useless due to Vision's Vibranium skin. Barton soon became overpowered by Vision, who broke his baton and captured him in a headlock. Vision stated to Barton that he could not defeat him, to which Barton agreed and noted that Maximoff could. Maximoff then told Vision to let Barton go and that she was choosing to leave, but Vision told Wanda that he could not let her. Maximoff proceeded to use her powers to control the Mind Stone in Vision's forehead and forced him to phase, which released Barton and then caused Vision to fall to his knees by increasing his density.

While Barton recovered from the fight, he watched as Maximoff then pushed Vision several stories through the ground. Having taken a moment to look at the crater left by the battle where Vision could no long be seen, Barton and Maximoff then left the New Avengers Facility to make one more stop for building up Captain America's team by recruiting Scott Lang, also known as Ant-Man, who had been recommended to the team by Sam Wilson.

Recruiting Scott Lang
"Cap." "You know, I wouldn't have called if I had any other choice." "Hey, man, you're doing me a favor. Besides, I owe a debt."

- Clint Barton and Steve Rogers

Barton and Wanda Maximoff soon recruited Scott Lang and waited for Steve Rogers in Berlin. When Rogers arrived, he told Barton that he would not had called him if there were any other choice but Barton insisted that he was doing him a favor as he owed Maximoff a debt. Barton retrieved Lang and introduced him to Rogers. They then discussed their enemy, the Winter Soldiers under the control of Helmut Zemo. They then heard the airport was being evacuated by Tony Stark. The group all suited up and made their way to the Flughafen Leipzig-Halle Airport where they would depart to Siberia.

Clash of the Avengers
"Hey, Clint." "Hey, man." "Clearly retirement doesn't suit you. Got tired of shooting golf?" "Well, I played 18, shot 18...Just can't seem to miss." "Well, first time for everything." "Made you look."

- Iron Man and Hawkeye

Captain America and his team headed to the Flughafen Leipzig-Halle Airport where a Quinjet was waiting to take them to Siberia. However, Captain America got surrounded by Iron Man's team and Spider-Man took his shield and webbed his hands together. Hawkeye, who was with Scarlet Witch, shot an arrow cutting the webbing on Captain America's hands and the Avengers began to fight each other. Iron Man located and went after Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch. Iron Man fired several missiles near them and confronted the two. Iron Man then joked about Hawkeye coming out of retirement. Barton stated that he had played eighteen holes and got eighteen, implying that he could not miss, to which Iron Man said there was a first for everything. Barton fired a few arrows at Iron Man and dodged and destroyed them all. As Hawkeye continued to fight Iron Man, he revealed that he was just distracting him so Scarlet Witch could drop a bunch of cars at him. Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch managed to make their way to Captain America and his team, so they could get to the Quinjet that would take them to Siberia. Hawkeye spotted the Quinjet up ahead, but they were stopped by Vision who shot a laser beam in front of them. Vision warned them to surrender as the rest of Iron Man's team regrouped but Captain America informed his group to fight. The two teams stood on opposite sides of each other and Hawkeye stood with Captain America as they prepared to fight.

Fighting Former Comrades
"We're still friends, right?" "Depends on how hard you hit me."

- Black Widow and Hawkeye

The battle between the Avengers began with the two teams charging at each other, Hawkeye firing several trick arrows at his former allies including Iron Man, Vision and their new recruit: Spider-Man. As the attack progressed, Hawkeye and his best friend Black Widow started to fight, and as Hawkeye threw Black Widow to the ground, she questioned if they were still friends, which he jokingly responded with, "depends on how hard you hit me." Black Widow got the upper hand due to Hawkeye holding back, but Scarlet Witch saved Hawkeye and knocked Black Widow out. As the battle raged on, Hawkeye continued to fight and held his own against Iron Man's team. As Falcon was being attacked by Iron Man, Hawkeye teamed up with Ant-Man, firing one of his Scatter arrows with Ant-Man on it so he was able to crawl inside and disable Iron Man's armor. The arrow broke apart into several, smaller arrows, but was destroyed by Iron Man's repulsor blast. Ant-Man managed to jump off the arrow, land on Iron Man and crawl into his suit. While Ant-Man was disabling the suit, Hawkeye fired his arrows to distract Iron Man. Right as Iron Man prepared to fire back at Hawkeye, his armor started to malfunction, and Hawkeye made his way to his next fight.

Winning a Losing Battle
"As much as I hate to admit it, if we're going to win this fight, some of us might have to lose it."

- Hawkeye to Captain America

As team Iron Man pressed in, Falcon realized they could not win the battle and get everyone to Siberia. Dodging an attack by War Machine, Hawkeye commented that some of them would have to stay behind and fight in order for Captain America and Winter Soldier to get to the Quinjet. As Captain America and Winter Soldier made their way to the get-away vehicle, Ant-Man transformed into Giant-Man, and Hawkeye faced-off with Black Panther in order to distract their enemies from noticing the escaping pair. Hawkeye fired several arrows at a closing in Black Panther, who caught the arrows while they exploded. Hawkeye put away his bow and introduced himself to Black Panther, who replied that he did not care. Knowing archery was not the best for face-to-face conflict, Hawkeye began using his bow as a combat bo staff, hoping to distract Black Panther while Captain America and Winter Soldier run to the Quinjet. Hawkeye managed to hold his own briefly, but was defeated when Black Panther hit him in the face, broke his staff, and was knocked out, allowing Black Panther to go after Captain America and Winter Soldier.

The Raft
"The Futurist, Gentlemen! The Futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you whether you like it or not." "Give me a break, Barton. I had no idea they'd put you here, come on."

- Clint Barton and Tony Stark

Following the Clash of the Avengers, Barton, Wanda Maximoff, Scott Lang and Sam Wilson were all captured and taken to the Raft where they were imprisoned for their role in destroying the airport. When Tony Stark visited, Barton taunted him, saying that the futurist had arrived. When Stark noted the Raft was built for criminals, Barton claimed they are all now because of Stark. Stark refused to take Barton's bait, however, casually telling Barton he did not make the law that the former Avengers readily broke, his calm attitude at his former friends being imprisoned enraging Barton. Stark then told Barton he should have thought of his family before he chose to join Captain America, before he walked off furthering angering the archer for his dismissive attitude.

As Stark went to Sam Wilson's cell while Barton slammed on the cell and warned them to watch their back, as Stark was likely to break it, emphasizing his anger at his former teammate. The Avenger leader, however, didn't even turn to look at Barton for the remainder of his visit.

Escape from the Raft
"This has been fun, but believe me when I say that I am officially retired now." "Understood, Clint. Go back home and take care of that brood of yours."

- Clint Barton and Captain America

Not being able to let the people who helped him be imprisoned, Steve Rogers eventually infiltrated the Raft and freed Barton, Wanda Maximoff, Sam Wilson and Scott Lang. Once they were freed by Rogers, the group celebrated their freedom until and Barton decreed that he was officially retired from the Avengers, unlike when he tried the first time. Rogers approved of Barton's decision and told him to take care of his family, telling him to enjoy his time with them.

Back into Retirement
"We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?" "After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families. They're on house arrest."

- Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff

Barton then departed the group and returned home to his wife and children, alongside Lang, making a deal with the government to be placed under house arrest instead of being returned to the Raft. The deal with the government was that Barton and Lang would be under house arrest temporarily, with constant checkups to make sure they were not going against their house arrest, revealing the secret location of his home. Barton would eventually no longer be under house arrest, but would still not be able to break the Sokovia Accords, which wouldn't matter as he would still stay in retirement.

Personality
"Okay, look, the city is flying, we're fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense. But I'm going back out there because it's my job."

- Hawkeye to Scarlet Witch

Clint Barton is a brave operative with a deadpan focus; dedicated to his job of protecting the innocent. Through his years of being with S.H.I.E.L.D., Barton had made himself one of their best soldiers, tacticians and marksmen, and had shown great loyalty and dedication to whatever his objective is, and always gets the mission done, as he will fight until the end and then keep fighting. However, despite this commitment, Barton has proven himself to be a maverick, disobeying orders in order to do what he believes is right as well as seeing through whatever he does his own way. When Phil Coulson gave Barton orders to use a gun to take aim at Thor but he chose to grab a bow, his signature weapon, as he knew that he is at his best with it.

Though commonly misjudged and underestimated as one of the most under-powered Avengers, with his ability to blend in with his environment, his stoic professionalism, and ability to see and assess from afar, Barton is often valued by his superiors for his ability to keep an eye on people and assess situations. For this, he was able to stay alert and level headed during the Battle at the Salvage Yard and not succumb to the affects of the Scarlet Witch, unlike the other Avengers, who were easily subdued due to their more reckless approach. It is because of this that Barton can even understand when he is outmatched and accept it and use his skills to benefit him. When he went to rescue Wanda Maximoff, he knew that he could not defeat the Vision, despite placing traps to stop him, but instead had Wanda defeat him. During the Avengers Civil War, Barton also understood that in order for them to win, some of them had to sacrifice themselves and be arrested, including himself.

For Barton, this is not a tough call, as he is willing to sacrifice himself for what is right. That is why he went back to save a Sokovian boy who was missing, even though Barton himself was safe from the near destructing country, because for Barton, he needs to make sure that everyone is safe no matter how the fight is going. So even though there was a massive army of aliens attacking, Barton went to rescue a bus filled with civilians who were trapped, rather then fight them off with Black Widow.

Despite his professionalism and approach to missions, Barton is a humorous and often sarcastic person and is able to not take things too seriously, even in the midst of battle where he can sometimes be overwhelmed. Whether it be fighting aliens, robots or even fellow Avengers, Barton will constantly make a joke or bring levity to a situation, mainly when he is fighting alongside his best friend and partner, Black Widow, one of the few people who not only understands Barton’s level of banter, but also keep up with it, as seen in the Battle of New York where both of them make jokes about the situation and as well as each other.

Barton’s humor is occasionally used to compensate for Barton being overwhelmed in situations that include people like Thor, a literal god. However, despite his ability, or lack there of, Barton is respected and valued in the Avengers, being seen as equal to them, being able to confidently express doubt about Thor’s hammer, but also open to be made fun of, all in good sense as they are all friends. However, Barton is mainly the one who makes the jokes at a constant, even in moments of pain, seriousness or conflict, such as the Avengers Civil War. For this, Barton is seen as the jokester of the team.

Because of this, Barton can sometimes be seen as more immature then the other Avengers, as well as being cocky and always feels the need to be competitive with anyone who acts as a challenge. When he was easily bested by the enhanced Quicksilver, Barton then happily participated in a rivalry with him, despite it being childish as he is much older and supposably maturer then then the adolescent. He also uses his perfect aim to show off, such as hitting a moving target without looking, especially towards those who appear to be more powerful or better then him, mainly Tony Stark. While Stark causally threw darts, Barton decided to hit the bullseye with three darts at the same time, right next to Stark’s head, disarming the usually confident and always in control billionaire.

He is also seen to be very revengeful and does not take kindly towards being betrayed or manipulated. After regaining control from Loki’s influence, Barton was then motivated to fight by the thought of killing his former enslaver. During the battle against Loki, even though focusing on protecting others and stopping the attack, Barton seized the moment to get revenge by exploding an arrow right next to the God of Mischief, defeating him. However, Barton is not as immature when the person who wrongs him is someone he trusts. For Barton, trust is very important, but when Stark, a man who Barton was good friends with and even revealed his secret family to him, had a hand in fighting against and arresting him, Barton became furious and lost his respect for him, even to label him as someone who can never be trusted.

Uniquely, Barton is quite compassionate for an assassin, as he sees the good in people and who they could be, rather then who they were. For this, Barton is seen as a better man, then a good soldier. When he was ordered to kill Black Widow, he made the call to spare her, recruiting her for S.H.I.E.L.D., and developing a great friendship with her, while others would only see her as a merciless assassin, beyond redemption. From this, Barton developed a strong partnership with Romanoff, caring for her deeply at all times, as seen when he would go to check on her when she was affected by Wanda and frustrated when Ultron captured her, causing him to not stop searching for her. This is also seen with Wanda Maximoff, who he inspired to do good and fight with them against Ultron. Since her brothers death, ultimately saving Barton, he has felt some responsibly towards Wanda, him being a father figure towards her, guiding her and making sure she does what is right.

This is because Barton is a very loyal, caring and dedicated person who would do anything for the people he cares about. But the most important people in his life, are his family, who are very supportive in his role as an Avenger. Being a loving husband and father, Barton think about his family before a battle, motivating him, and would call is them afterwards to tell them he is fine. However, because he cares so much about them, he decides to retire to be with them. Although, if he was ever needed, Barton would also go to help his friends if they needed him, especially Wanda. Barton being a compassionate person and a family man go hand in hand with each other, and is what separates him with the other Avengers. It is the experience of being a husband and a father that makes him the soldier, Avenger and man he is.

Barton’s place on the Avengers can be misconceived, with him not having any powers, but in fact he is incredibly vital to the teams unity. As the other members either have extraordinary powers or are beings beyond human, Barton in fact grounds the team, and makes sure that they stay focused and helps them to be better. However, despite this, Barton still can seem very overwhelmed by the other members. However he does not let that stop him. Barton is able to address the absurdity of his situation, such as fighting against an army of robots with a bow and arrow, but keeps fighting anyway. From this, Barton is able to understand his place amongst the Avengers, usually taking a high vantage point, assessing the situation, and keeps up with the Avengers, showing to be confident in his place.

Abilities
"I see better from a distance."

- Hawkeye to Nick Fury

Clint Barton's main ability is his extraordinary talent in marksmanship, with a particular specialty in archery. His unique skills have made him a core member of the Avengers, and one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agents prior to the fall of the agency. "A man who's talent appears to be-" "Killing."
 * Master Marksman: Hailed as the World's greatest marksman, Barton is an outstanding all-around master marksman, tremendously skilled in wielding both conventional firearms and archery bows with virtually unerring accuracy. Due to his superior eyesight and impeccable hand-eye coordination, Barton is capable of firing multiple arrows in a few seconds, strike enemies's weak points with extreme accuracy and directly hit small targets in the greatest of distances, even precisely shoot down a Chitauri Chariot without even looking at it. He is ambidextrous, able to use bows with either hand in either place. He can also score a bulls-eye with three darts simultaneously thrown without effort. During his retirement, he often played golf where he claimed to hit a hole-in-one every single time.

- World Security Council Member and Nick Fury

"Can you fly one of those jets?" "I can."
 * Master Assassin: Barton is one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s greatest assassins, having once been assigned to kill Black Widow, a notorious master assassin, and was assigned to be a special agent in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation of the item that was found in New Mexico, having been able to neutralize Thor in case Phil Coulson had ordered it.
 * Expert Acrobat: Barton is highly athletic and agile, capable of complex acrobatic maneuvers.
 * Master Martial Artist: Barton is an excellent combatant, having been extensively trained in various forms of martial arts as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. He could swiftly incapacitate Scarlet Witch in close quarters, successfully avoiding her mind manipulation powers. When brainwashed by Loki, he could fight the extremely skilled Black Widow to a standstill, only losing when the latter resorted to guerrilla tactics to best him in combat. In the Avengers Civil War, he later fought evenly against her again, and was able to swiftly knock Black Widow down, but it should be noted that Scarlet Witch swiftly interrupted their duel and called Barton out on pulling his punches. He also managed to temporarily hold his own against the considerably stronger Black Panther during the airport fight. Barton also managed to bring down many Chitauri troops and Ultron Sentries while fighting alongside the other Avengers, using his bow and arrows as melee weapons for close quarters.
 * Expert Tactician: Barton has been trained in military tactics, being able to command a team of operatives under the unwitting control of Loki to heist a vault in Germany and infiltrate the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier with esteemed success, often using diversions to accomplish his goals.

- Steve Rogers and Clint Barton


 * Expert Pilot: Barton is an accomplished pilot, able to fly a Quinjet even when a fierce battle was going on and even receiving a cargo into the Quinjet while piloting it in mid-air. He was also the one usually piloting the Avengers Quinjet before he left the team.
 * Multilingualism: According to his S.H.I.E.L.D. file, Barton can speak English, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic.

Weapons

 * Recurve Bows: Hawkeye is seen with two separate recurve bows: the first is seen while he is under Loki's mind control and in the direct aftermath at the Battle of New York. It is a heavily customized Hoyt Buffalo in 'blackout' colors, and is capable of folding on itself for easier transport and concealment by way of added hinges located by the tiller adjustment bolts. It also has multiple buttons on the bow's grip which are capable of selecting specific arrowheads stored in his mechanical quiver. A laser sight to assist in targeting can also be found on the riser. The second recurve bow Hawkeye uses is the Hoyt Gamemaster II, seen in his hands during the Avengers' attack on the HYDRA Research Base and War against Ultron. Like the Hoyt Buffalo he used before, the customized Gamemaster II has several selector buttons on the grip so Hawkeye can choose the arrowhead he needs. The bow has a capability to transform into a bo staff which can be used for closed quarters combat. The bow was destroyed by Black Panther during the Clash of the Avengers.
 * Compound Bow: When Thor broke the perimeter S.H.I.E.L.D. had set up around Mjølnir, Hawkeye was one of the agents who responded to Phil Coulson's order to neutralize him. Although Coulson requested that a firearm be used for the job, Hawkeye chose the Mathews Apex 7 compound bow instead. Hawkeye aimed at Thor from an aerial position in a crane, but ultimately did not fire.
 * Specialized Arrow Quiver: Hawkeye's quiver was supplied with a multitude of different arrow heads in the bottom. By dialling up an armament setting from a control on his bow, Hawkeye could cause the quiver to affix these special arrowheads. This effectively increased the capabilities from conventional arrows, to explosive arrows, a grapple line, and more.
 * Trick Arrows: Hawkeye has a number of trick arrows, utilized to perform specific tasks.
 * Speed Loader: Hawkeye uses a Speed Loader arrow cartridge capable of holding nine collapsible arrows.
 * : Hawkeye carries a Heckler & Koch P30 as his main sidearm, holstered his left leg during any of his missions. He used it to fire at Nick Fury and at Maria Hill's car while he escaped from the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility after being brainwashed by Loki. He still carried it during the Clash of the Avengers, but he kept it holstered not to harm his former allies.
 * : Clint Barton resorted to use one of these guns to confront Pietro Maximoff at Avengers Tower, shooting it to the glass floor below Maximoff and making him fall to the floor below.
 * Wristbow: Hawkeye used once the Wristbow as his weapon during a security exercise to test the security systems of the Helicarrier, where he was disguised as a mercenary who had to battle Natasha Romanoff.
 * Busse 'Hawkeye' Dagger: This dagger was made by knife manufacturer Busse, and was made specifically for Hawkeye (though this design would be standardized, replicated, and sold as an official Busse product). He used this blade while fighting with Black Widow on board the Helicarrier during his raid, on Loki's behalf.
 * Remington 700PSS: Hawkeye initially reached for his Remington 700PSS sniper rifle when ordered by Phil Coulson to target Thor, although he ultimately chose to use his Mathews Apex 7 compound bow.
 * Baton: Barton carried a collapsible metal baton hidden under his quiver. He tried to use it to attack Vision, but it shattered in half against the android's skin once he had increased his density.

Vehicles

 * Quinjet: Clint Barton has used a Quinjet for transportation to travel around the world and take out threats during active missions as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and as a member of the Avengers.
 * Jeep: During the Destruction of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., Loki stole the Tesseract and brainwashed Clint Barton and Erik Selvig into serving him. The three of them fled the scene in a Jeep they stole with Loki sitting in the back. During the Attack on the HYDRA Research Base, Barton and Black Widow used a Jeep to fight the HYDRA soldiers and move around faster. When all the Avengers regrouped to attack the HYDRA soldiers, Black Widow crashed the jeep as she and Hawkeye jumped out to continue fighting on foot.

Facilities

 * Clint Barton's Homestead: To be added
 * S.H.I.E.L.D. Crater Investigation Site: To be added
 * Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility: To be added
 * Loki's Hideout: To be added
 * Avengers Tower: To be added
 * Raft: To be added

Family

 * Laura Barton - Wife
 * Cooper Barton - Son
 * Lila Barton - Daughter
 * Nathaniel Barton - Son

Allies

 * S.H.I.E.L.D. (First Incarnation) (Former Relationships)
 * Nick Fury † - Former Director
 * Maria Hill † - Former Deputy Director
 * Phil Coulson - Former Colleague
 * Bobbi Morse - Former Colleague
 * Avengers - Former Teammates and Friends
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Former Leader and Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Colleague
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Best Friend, Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Colleague and Temporary Enemy
 * Thor
 * Bruce Banner/Hulk
 * Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver † - Former Enemy and Rival turned Savior
 * Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch † - Former Enemy and Friend
 * Sam Wilson/Falcon †
 * Erik Selvig
 * Helen Cho
 * Costel
 * Scott Lang/Ant-Man
 * Bucky Barnes †

Enemies

 * Marcus Scarlotti - Attempted Killer
 * Loki † - Former Enthraller
 * Chitauri
 * Leviathans
 * HYDRA
 * Wolfgang von Strucker †
 * List †
 * Jensen
 * Ultron † - Attempted Killer
 * Ultron Sentries †
 * Ulysses Klaue †
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man - Former Teammate and Situational Enemy
 * James Rhodes/War Machine - Former Teammate and Situational Enemy
 * Vision † - Former Teammate and Situational Enemy
 * Peter Parker/Spider-Man † - Situational Enemy
 * T'Challa/Black Panther † - Situational Enemy
 * Thaddeus Ross

Trivia

 * In the comics, Hawkeye is the ex-husband of Bobbi Morse, but in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that role is filled by Lance Hunter. Barton married a woman named Laura in the Ultimate comics.
 * In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Black Widow wore a necklace with an arrow pendant as a symbol of her friendship with Hawkeye.
 * In Captain America: Civil War, the scene where Hawkeye fires a trick arrow with Ant-Man on the arrowhead is based on the cover of Avengers Vol 1 #223.
 * Hawkeye is a fan of 's.
 * It takes Hawkeye only 1.3 seconds to hit three arrows straight in bullseye.
 * In Captain America: Civil War, when Hawkeye says the line "I knew I should have stretched" when fighting Vision is a reference to a running joke called the 'Renner Stretch' that started when Jeremy Renner would stretch whenever he got nervous. This joke was added into Renner's other films, including .
 * In the comics, Hawkeye took the identity of Ronin, starting between the end of Civil War, while letting Kate Bishop kept the Hawkeye alias in his honor.

Behind the Scenes

 * Hawkeye is the only Avenger from the first film that did not appear in a Phase Two movie prior to Avengers: Age of Ultron, or Avengers: Infinity War, however he was mentioned in the latter.
 * Jeremy Renner is left-handed, but since the character is ambidextrous he is shown shooting from his right hand in Thor and his left hand in The Avengers. However he usually uses his left hand to pull back on the arrow.
 * Hawkeye was originally going to appear in Captain America: The Winter Soldier before his appearance was scrapped by directors Joe and Anthony Russo.
 * Jeremy Renner was uncredited for his appearance in Thor.
 * Alex Chansky, Adam Brashaw and Kyle Mclean were stunt doubles for Jeremy Renner in the role of Hawkeye.
 * Aaron Worthington was a stand-in and a double for Jeremy Renner in the role of Hawkeye.
 * Hawkeye is the only Avenger from the first film that has not received his own solo movie. The movie was planned but never reached development.
 * Joss Whedon had a detailed backstory for Hawkeye written up for The Avengers, but was unable to even reference any of it, due to time constraints. During the early planning stages, Hawkeye was envisioned to be depicted as a circus performer, trained by supervillains, who manipulate him into fighting the team, essentially a modernized version of his 616 origin story.
 * At another point, Hawkeye was planned to debut in Iron Man 2 as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who works closely with Black Widow and Nick Fury.