Hawkeye

"I see better from a distance."

- Hawkeye

Clinton "Clint" Francis Barton, better known as Hawkeye, is a former special agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Assigned by Nick Fury to watch over the Tesseract, he was brainwashed by Loki during the destruction of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.. However, after 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 War for Earth.

He then continued to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. until its collapse, after which he and the Avengers worked to bring down the remnants of the terrorist group HYDRA and the psychotic artificial intelligence, Ultron. After the War against Ultron, Barton chose to leave the Avengers to return to his wife and children.

Early Life
"Fury helped me set this up when I joined. He kept it off S.H.I.E.L.D.’s files, I’d like to keep it that way."

- Clint Barton

Clinton Barton was born on Thursday, January 7, 1971, and spent much of his childhood on his family's homestead. As he matured, Barton developed exceptional marksmanship skills and used them to great effect in the military arm of S.H.I.E.L.D., in which he was given the codename Hawkeye. In one of his missions, he thwarted the plans of mercenary Marcus Scarlotti.

Around the time he joined S.H.I.E.L.D., he met and formed a romantic relationship with a woman named Laura, whom he married. Of his associates, only Director Nick Fury knew about his relationship with Laura and he excluded her and their children from Barton's S.H.I.E.L.D. file in order to protect them.

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."

- Natasha Romanoff explains her first encounter with Barton

Later, he was tasked to carry out the assassination of a young Russian agent codenamed "Black Widow". However, instead of killing her, he opted to let her live, and discovered her true name, Natasha Romanoff. The relationship between the two developed into a lasting partnership that continued through bringing her in to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. Together, they had missions in Budapest, Abidjan and many other locations. The pair became so close that Romanoff was the only other agent Barton told about his family.

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

- Barton speaks to Phil Coulson

Some time later, unnatural atmospheric events, followed by the discovery of an immovable hammer in an impact crater, caused Barton to be deployed to New Mexico as part of a security force to protect the object from the locals. Nick Fury personally called him for this mission to be put under the command of Agent Phil Coulson who had taken charge of the operation. Soon after his deployment, an intruder broke into the S.H.I.E.L.D. compound and fought his way to the mysterious hammer. Barton responded to the alarms by collecting a compound bow and claiming a high vantage point suspended from a crane. Despite making several radio transmissions warning that the intruder was reaching the hammer, Barton was never given a shoot order, forcing him to let his target go. Barton also commented into the radio, "Better call it soon, Coulson, cause I'm starting to root for this guy," implying a certain level of self-given autonomy.

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

- Hawkeye

Upon orders from Nick Fury, Hawkeye broke into the Helicarrier to access the Avengers Initiative database in order to test its security. He learned about each of the choices Fury had made for the Avengers, Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man and Thor. Black Widow, ignorant of his assignment, fought the masked Hawkeye until Fury entered to stop the scuffle.

Controlled by Loki
"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."

- Clint Barton and Nick Fury

Hawkeye 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. Sometime later, the Tesseract began acting strangely so Nick Fury and Maria Hill were called in to insect 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. 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 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's power was about to overload. Loki agreed and ordered Barton to shot Nick Fury before they reparted. 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.

Working for 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 Clint Barton

He then acted as Loki's commander at his safe house, which Barton personally selected due to protective defences. Barton commanded various other mind-controlled mercenaries and workers, and helping collect the materials that Dr. Erik Selvig needed to utilize the Tesseract. 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. When Selvig mocked the choice of hide-out, Barton explained that it was the most secure base they could acquire. Barton told Loki at 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 it 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 killed Doctor 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 recognised 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 distrained and cared for to ensure he was safe to continue working for S.H.I.E.L.D..

Regaining Control
"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?"

- Clint Barton speaks to Natasha Romanoff

While Barton was arrested and tied down until it was certain that Loki's control was gone and he was no longer a threat, he fought as hard as he could to recover. Natasha Romanoff looked after Barton in the recovery room, listening to him as he described the experience, which he compared to being unmade. Despite him asking, Romanoff 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.

Battle of New York
"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

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, Barton 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 managed to shoot down the Quinjet and the team crashed on the ground and prepared for war. Alongside Black Widow, Barton fought the oncoming horde of Chitauri soldiers until the rest of the Avengers arrived, including Bruce Banner who transformed into the Hulk and destroyed one of Loki's Leviathan Creatures. While Thor discussed his desire to battle Loki, Barton made it clear that he wished to kill him for revenge for the trauma he had suffered through. Captain America ordered Barton to take up a position on a building's rooftop and fight from there, calling out enemy movements for his teammates, to get into position, Barton for a lift from Iron Man. From his high position he was able to shoot many enemies out the sky, and used his skills in hand to hand combat to kill any Chitauri soldiers who made it onto the roof, while also advising the rest of the Avengers and the best strategical manoeuvre to defeat the invading force, telling Iron Man to use his superior manoeuvring skills to force to Chitauri to accidentally crash into the side of buildings.

Last Stand
"You think you can hold them off?" "Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure."

- Captain America and Hawkeye

When Barton witnessed Natasha Romanoff being chased by Loki, she called on him for assistance. Delighted to get his shot at revenge against his enslaver, Barton took an explosive arrow out of his quiver and, taking his time to aim the perfect shot, fired at Loki. However, Loki caught it and smiled smugly at the Avengers. The smile disappeared when the arrow exploded in Loki's 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 got more intense, Barton found he had almost exhausted his supply of arrows and saw an oncoming horde of Chitauri craft heading in his direction. He took his last arrow, turned it into a grapple, and jumped off the building just as it was destroyed by the Chitauri. He used the grapple to swing into a window and survived. 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 team captured a wounded Loki from Stark Tower.

Aftermath
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 thinking about his tormentor's suffering. When the team went their separate ways, Barton left with Romanoff to go back home and spend time with his family.

Operation: HYDRA
During the interim, Barton continued to practice at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Archery Range. He felt insecurity about his place with the team due to being a unpowered human in a team with 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 to the Avengers

Hawkeye joined the other Avengers in an assault against Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's HYDRA base. Hawkeye rode in the back of a truck 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 weaponised motorcycle. Went the jeep was crashed Hawkeye continued to fight, using explosive arrows to destroy many HYDRA bunkers and tanks. Silently sneaking through the battlefield, Hawkeye attempted to destroy another HYDRA bunker by 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; 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, making no reference to his wife.

The Party
""Whosoever, be he worthy, shall haveth the power", whatever man! It's a trick!" "It is more than that, my friend!"

- 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 Helen Cho. Before long many of the guests had departed leaving on the Avengers and a few others. As they sat around and drank, Barton voiced disbelief that Mjølnir could only be lifted by Thor; Thor then challenged all of the guests to lift his hammer. Barton was the first to try but soon failed, laughing at ridiculousness of the challenge. 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 was to achieve peace was with the extinction of the Avengers, as he viewed them as destructive and a danger to the world. With this 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 aglity 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. Barton 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. The Avengers learned that Ultron had tracked down and murdered Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, likely trying to gain information about where he could obtain Vibranium.

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

- Clint Barton to Wanda Maximoff

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, at the same time Klaue sent his soldiers to attack the Avengers. Barton and Romanoff focused their efforts on battling Klaue's soldiers, and Barton was able to defeat most of the with a stun arrow. As the battle continued, the Scarlet Witch entranced most of the Avengers, causing them to become distracted by terrible visions. When she attempted to do the same to Barton, however, he was prepared for her and 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. 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 traumatised to join the fight. The Avengers 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 flew the team to his homestead, realizing that no one would be able to find them there.

Retreat
"I see you with the Avengers, and, well..." "You don't think they need me?" "Actually, I think they do. They're gods, and they need someone to keep them down to Earth."

- Laura Barton and Clint

Once the Avengers arrived at his home, Barton hugged his wife and children and 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.. In private, Laura expressed concern about whether he should remain in 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 repaired by the Cradle. Nick Fury arrived and spoke to the team, motivating them to gather together and fight Ultron. While Fury explained that Ultron had been unable to access neculear codes due to someone blocking his attacks, Barton teased Tony Stark by beating him at 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 the help of Helen Cho. As the team prepared to leave they collected their uniforms and their equipment, While Rogers and Stark spoke to Fury about their next move, 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 before Barton took control of the Quinjet and flew the team to Seoul to search for Ultron and the Maximoff twins.

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

- Hawkeye and Captain America

The team discovered Bruce Banner was correct had use attempting to build a new body using the Cradle, Barton piloted the Quinjet and used it to keep the team informed of Ultron's location. He spotted Ultron attempting to leave on a truck from the lab and sent Captain America to challenge him. When Rogers needed assistance fighting Ultron, Barton dropped Black Widow out of the Quinjet on a motorbike to join the fight. As the fight became more intense, Rogers ordered Barton to draw out the Ultron Sentries, to do this Barton fired upon Ultron causing hi Sentries to attack. During this Romanoff was able to get onboard the truck, but when the Ultron Sentries returned and tried to fly the Cradle to safety, Romanoff dropped it out for Barton to catch with the Quinjet. However, Romanoff was captured by the Ultron at the last moment, much to the dismay of Barton. Despite Barton's pleas to rescue her, Rogers ordered him to return the Cradle to Avengers Tower for analysis.

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 apologised 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.

Battle of Sokovia
"The city is flying, we’re fighting an army of robots and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense."

- Hawkeye to Scarlet Witch

The team located Ultron in Sokovia and arrived; Captain America made it clear that their first priority was to evacuate the civilians. Barton sat in a clock tower and overlooked the 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 speaks to Wanda Maximoff

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 get her brother to help her if needs be, but he assured her that if she continued fighting in the battle, 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 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.

Reinforcements
"Alright, let’s load ’em up! Alright, here we go. Here we go, let’s move. Let’s go everyone!"

- Hawkeye to the people of Sokovia

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 his energy in fighting back against the seemingly unstoppable army. 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.

An Enemy Turned Saviour
"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 been saved by Pietro Maximoff, who had run into the line of fire and was fatally wounded. Maximoff told Barton with a smile that he did not see that coming before falling to the ground. 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 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 saviour and relaxed. 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.

Returning Home
Having made his wife a promise, Barton retired from the Avengers and returned home to his family. Soon after, Laura Barton gave birth to their second son whom they named Nathaniel Pietro Barton out of respect for Quicksilver and Natasha Romanoff. The Bartons set up a video call to Romanoff to show off their newborn as she began work at the New Avengers Facility. For unknown reasons he later joins Captain America in siding against the Sokovia Accords.

Personality
Clint Barton is a brave operative with a deadpan focus; dedicated to his job of protecting the innocent. Uniquely, he can be quite compassionate for an assassin and sees the good in people despite their scandalous history. Barton chose to spare Black Widow and offered her a way for redemption when he was ordered to assassinate her and forgave and inspired Scarlet Witch to become an Avenger during the war with Ultron. It is during these moments that Barton has shown himself willing to be a maverick and disobey orders in order to do what he believes is right. For this very reason, people feel he grounds his teammates and inspires them to be better.

Though commonly 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 keep an eye on people and assess situations. Barton is often sarcastic and humorous to his friends and is a loving father and husband.

Abilities
Clint Barton's main ability is his extraordinary talent in marksmanship, with a speciality in archery. His unique skills have made him a core member of the Avengers, despite not being applied to the initiative, and one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agents prior to the fall of the agency.
 * Bow Mastery: Barton has trained himself to become a master archer specializing in the use of regular bows, longbows, compound bows, and crossbows with perfect accuracy. He is capable of firing multiple arrows at a single target in a few seconds, and directly hit small targets in the greatest of distances. Barton can fire six arrows faster than the average human can fire six bullets.
 * Master Marksman: Barton possesses very keen eyesight, and his accuracy is virtually unerring. He was able to shoot down a Chitauri Chariot without even looking at it. He is also an excellent all-around marksman well versed in conventional firearms and has an uncanny knack for using miscellaneous hand-held objects as projectile weapons. He can also score a bullseye with three darts simultaneously thrown without effort.
 * Master Assassin: Barton is an excellent assassin, having been sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. to kill Black Widow, a woman notoriously known for her assassination skills. As such, he is an expert with all types of firearms, throwing knives, explosives, and his bows, among other things.
 * Expert Acrobat: Barton possesses exceptional human strength, endurance, and stamina. He is athletic, with very good reflexes and agility. This makes him capable of complex acrobatic maneuvers.
 * Expert Martial Artist: Barton is an excellent combatant, having been trained in various forms. He was able to fight Black Widow to a standstill, although she eventually bested him in combat. He fought alongside Black Widow and Captain America during the Battle of New York, eliminating multiple Chitauri soldiers. He also incapacitated Scarlet Witch in close quarters before she could use her mind manipulation powers on him after she subdued the other Avengers.
 * 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. Each of these actions required a diversion.
 * Expert Pilot: Barton is an accomplished pilot, able to fly a Quinjet even when a fierce battle was going on. He was also the one usually piloting the Avengers Quinjet before he left the team.
 * Ambidexterity: Barton can shoot his bow using both his left arm and right arm.

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.
 * Compound Bow: When Thor broke the perimeter S.H.I.E.L.D. had set up around Mjolnir, 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 is supplied with a multitude of different arrow heads in the bottom. By dialing up an armament setting from a control on his bow, Hawkeye can cause the quiver to affix these special arrowheads. This effectively increases the capabilities from conventional arrows, to explosive arrows, a grapple line, and more.
 * Trick Arrows: Hawkeye has a number of trick arrows.
 * Speed Loader: Hawkeye uses a Speed Loader arrow cartridge capable of holding nine collapsible arrows.
 * : Hawkeye carries a Heckler & Koch P30 as one of his sidearms, using it to fire at Maria Hill's car while he escapes from the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility after being brainwashed by Loki.
 * : Hawkeye uses the Beretta Cheetah 84 model to shoot the glass out from underneath Pietro Maximoff's feet in the Avengers Tower during the Vision's birth.
 * 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.

Family

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

Allies

 * S.H.I.E.L.D. (First Incarnation) - Employer (Former Relationships)
 * Nick Fury - Director
 * Maria Hill - Deputy Director
 * Phil Coulson - Colleague
 * Bobbi Morse - Colleague
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Best Friend, Colleague and Partner
 * Avengers - Former Teammates
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Team Leader and Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Colleague
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man - Former Teammate
 * Thor - Former Teammate
 * Bruce Banner/Hulk - Former Teammate
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Colleague, Partner and Best Friend
 * Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver † - Former Enemy and Rival turned Teammate and Savior
 * Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch - Former Enemy turned Teammate
 * Erik Selvig
 * Helen Cho

Enemies

 * Marcus Scarlotti - Attempted Killer
 * Loki - Temporary Enslaver
 * Chitauri
 * Ultron †
 * Ultron Sentries †
 * HYDRA
 * Wolfgang von Strucker †
 * List †
 * Ulysses Klaue

Appearances
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" width="100%" ! Appearances for Clint Barton In chronological order:
 * The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week
 * Thor
 * The Avengers: The Avengers Initiative
 * The Avengers
 * Thor: The Dark World Prelude
 * Iron Man 3 Prelude
 * Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Season One
 * Pilot (mentioned)
 * The Hub (mentioned)
 * Season Two
 * A Fractured House (mentioned)
 * Avengers: Operation HYDRA
 * Avengers: Age of Ultron
 * Captain America: Civil War (unreleased)
 * Avengers: Infinity War (unreleased)

Non-canon appearances

 * Lego Marvel's Avengers
 * }

Trivia

 * In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Black Widow wore a necklace with an arrow pendant as a symbol of her friendship with Hawkeye.
 * 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.
 * Hawkeye shares his birthday with his actor, Jeremy Renner.
 * 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.

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, and the only male Avenger not to star in a solo movie.