We advise caution when dealing with any recently-released media involving multiversal subjects. Please do not make assumptions regarding confusing wording, other sites' speculation, and people's headcanon around the internet. Remember, only this site's policies fully apply in this site.
"You showed me that being a hero isn't just for people who can fly or shoot lasers out of their hands, it's for anyone who's brave enough to do what's right, no matter the cost."
Katherine Elizabeth "Kate" Bishop is the daughter of Eleanor Bishop. Having lost her father during the Battle of New York, Bishop idolized the heroics of the AvengerHawkeye, and trained herself throughout childhood to become a master in archery. She participated competitively in combat sports and won many awards. After investigating the activities of an auction house that fell under attack by the Tracksuit Mafia, she had inadvertently taken up the mantle of Ronin, which resulted in her coming face to face with Barton himself. She subsequently became his partner during an investigation into the Tracksuits, while also investigating her mother's fiancé Jack Duquesne of murdering Armand Duquesne III. When Bishop discovered her mother murdered Armand instead, and was secretly in league with Kingpin, Bishop worked with Barton to dismantle the Tracksuits' operations and arrest Eleanor. After the pair succeeded and Bishop had proven herself to be worthy, Barton rewarded her with the mantle of Hawkeye, which the two would now share.
Kate Bishop was born to Derek and Eleanor Bishop, in a wealthy household in New York City. From an early age, she was encouraged by her parents to play various sports, and she displayed several medals and trophies in her room.[1]
On May 4, 2012, Bishop overheard her parents arguing about their finances, and the possibility of them all having to sell their penthouse and move away, much to her displeasure. After the toy truck which had been used as a stool fell, she was caught and jumped on her bed, pretending to be asleep. When her father came inside her room, he comforted her telling not to worry.
Later, she was having lunch with her mother and, upon her request, went to search for a checkers board. As she went upstairs, she witnessed as an alien known as a Leviathan soar through from the window as the Chitauri army descended from the skies and started their invasion on New York City. As the invasion proceeded, a Chitauri explosive hit their house, blowing a hole in the side of it and causing major destruction.
Bishop walked to the hole and saw that Stark Tower had been damaged. She then saw that the Avengers were engaging in a battle with the aliens. However, she was promptly targeted by a Chitauri but was saved by Hawkeye, who used his bow and arrow. After being saved by him, she was deeply touched and became inspired by his actions, deeming him as her favorite superhero.[1]
Bishop was found by her mother and carried away, however, after the battle was over, they learned her father had died. Shortly afterwards, they attended her father's funeral in which he was buried in the same cemetery as their other relative.
During her father's funeral, Bishop, having been inspired by her favorite hero, told her mother she would protect them now. However, her mother told her it wasn't her job but hers as Bishop's mother. Despite this, Bishop decided to take up archery in the case of another threat. Throughout her middle and high school career, she went through high amounts of martial arts training, being able to gain many medals in several competitions.[1] During this time, she also learned fencing and kept posters of Clint Barton in her bedroom.[4] On January 16, 2016, Bishop was awarded with the JOAD Olympian Achievement Award at the Bronze level by USA Archery. She also joined the New York Coalition for Young Archers.[8] She attended the Spence School for high school,[8] and earned her first black belt by the age of fifteen.[1] She later earned the JOAD Olympian Achievement Award at the Silver level.[8] In 2018, Bishop survived the Snap.[1] She was inducted into her school's honor society on October 20, 2018, and later graduated from the Spence School. She also won a basketball tournament during high school and learned art, painting a picture of a fox.[8] After high school,[1] she attended college and inherited an apartment in Manhattan.[1] On March 19, 2024, Bishop won a fencing tournament, which she had been the first to sign up for.[8]
In December 2024, Bishop went to the rooftop of her college while her friends, Greer and Franny, watched from below. Bishop used her own bow and arrow to strike the bell on Stane Tower. On her first hit, she missed the tower, causing herself to get embarrassed. She tried again, successfully hitting the bell. However, the hit was hard enough to cause the whole tower to break. A campus security guard then found her, causing her friends to flee the scene, leaving her to face the guard.[1]
Bishop, now on Christmas break, returned to visit her mother at her house. When she arrived, her mother told her that as punishment for the Tower's bell her credit cards would be cancelled and that she had to attend a socialite gala that night. Her mother then introduced her to Jack Duquesne. Her mother told her to wear a red dress that she had put in her room for the gala.
Bishop attended the gala at a nearby hotel, instead wearing a black suit, instead of the red dress her mother had given her, and thus was mistaken for a waiter. She was approached by Armand Duquesne III who told her that her mother and Duquesne were engaged. Stunned with the discovery, she confronted her mother, but was too shocked to talk with her. She then momentarily went outside, where she found a golden retriever looking at her. When Bishop tried to pet the retriever, he ran off.
Bishop witnesses the black market auction
When she returned inside, Bishop eavesdropped on Duquesne III who was threatening her mother. Concerned, she stealthily followed him into the hotel's cellar, where she watched as he and Duquesne attended a black market auction of various items, including the Ronin suit and sword which had been obtained from the ruins of the Avengers Compound. Bishop, who had gone undercover as a waiter was eventually caught, as she was not supposed to be there, forcing her to give the catering supervisor, Gary, the slip.
The auction was then interrupted by an attack from the Tracksuit Mafia. In the chaos, Bishop stole the Ronin suit and used her martial arts skills to fend off several of the Tracksuits. After running outside, she saw the golden retriever fighting off one of the gang members, before running away into the street. Bishop chased after the retriever and rescued him from the ongoing traffic. She then took the retriever to her apartment and gave him pizza to eat, before tracking down Duquesne III's location using her app.
Continuing to wear the Ronin suit, Bishop arrived at Duquesne III's house, but was startled when she found him lying dead from a stab wound in his living room. A maid then entered the house, forcing Bishop to flee the scene.
[1]
After fleeing from the home, Bishop was met by the Tracksuit Mafia who surrounded her. Despite being outnumbered, Bishop put up a good fight against them, but was eventually defeated. To evade them, she broke into an unlocked vehicle and locked the doors. To her surprise, a mysterious man landed on the roof of the vehicle and defeated the Tracksuits, forcing them to flee.
The man then pulled Bishop out of the vehicle and led her into a nearby alley. As he cornered her against a wall, he pulled off her mask, causing him to pause noting how young she was. Bishop then realized the man was her favorite hero, Clint Barton.[1] Bishop introduced herself to Barton, who asked where she got the Ronin suit from, but she was too in awe to answer. Hearing sirens, Barton decided to get Bishop to safety.
Bishop, who was in awe of being with her hero, led Barton to her apartment as he wanted a private place to talk. The golden retriever was happy to see them upon their arrival. Bishop then went to her room and got changed out of the Ronin suit. When she returned to the main level, Barton asked her where she had been in the suit.
After she told him she had briefly dropped the retriever off in the suit, they heard a commotion outside as the Tracksuits had found her location as well as her name, to the fact that her name was on the apartment buzzer. A pair of Molotov cocktails were thrown inside, causing a fire in the kitchen. When a third was thrown, Barton threw it back at them, but the fire had increased. Bishop retrieved her bow and arrow and shot out a fourth Molotov, setting the Tracksuits' van on fire. She then tried to extinguish the fire keeping them from retrieving the Ronin suit by shooting a fire extinguisher, only for the canister to shoot out onto the street. Barton instructed the three of them to leave through the fire escape.[4]
Bishop, Clint Barton, and the golden retriever then ran off to the subway and took the train in order to lose the Tracksuit Mafia. After they left the train station, they went to a local pharmacy and retrieved medical supplies, much to Bishop's dismay as he had hoped for some of Barton's superhero tools. Bishop then brought them to her aunt's apartment and told them that they could remain there for the time being as her aunt was away. Barton left to recover the Ronin suit, but returned empty-handed, and noticed that Bishop incorrectly cleaned her wounds, so he did it for her.[4]
"Your problem is branding." "No, my problem is you. And this ninja suit, and the people trying to kill you 'cause of it. It's a problem that I am going to solve today, so I can go home to my family." "No, it's branding."
The next day, Bishop was startled to learn from NY1 that the NYPD had begun investigating Ronin's connection to Armand Duquesne III's death, with them knowing that she was involved. After Clint Barton informed her that he would retrieve the suit, he told her to stay in the apartment with the golden retriever. However, she told him she wanted to go to work, believing it to be the safest place for her. The two then walked through Times Square and witnessed a little boy more excited to see cosplayers dressed as superheroes than Barton himself. This led Bishop to discuss branding problems Barton had.
When they arrived outside Bishop Security Headquarters, Bishop gave Barton her number after getting his in return, with the latter instructing her to contact him only in emergencies, convinced that this would be their last encounter if he is able to resolve his conflict with the Tracksuits as planned. Much to her sadness, her idol told her that if everything goes to plan, this was the last time they would ever meet. Bishop immediately went to her office, greeting Dee at the receptionist's desk, and went to her mother's office to inform her of her situation, but found herself unsettled with Jack Duquesne's presence, after knowing his association with the criminal underworld.[4]
Much to her shock, a NYPD detective named Caudle contacted her in regards to the fire, but Bishop stuttered her way out of the call. That night, she joined her mother at her home for dinner, where she learned that Duquesne shared her affinity for swordsmanship. Bishop then challenged him to a fencing duel, much to her mother's dismay. During the fencing duel, the fairly experienced Bishop easily noticed how Duquesne downplayed his skills to impress her.
After a while of him continuing to play with her, Bishop eventually gets him to show his skills as he disarmed her without looking to save his unguarded cheek from being cut. Bishop used it in an attempt to convince her mother of Duquesne's involvement in his uncle's killing. However, she refused to acknowledge it, believing that the NYPD would handle the matter. To cool their tension, Duquesne offered Bishop a butterscotch with his uncle's monograph on it. Recalling seeing the same butterscotch on the night of the murder, she left the house.[4]
Bishop got a ride in a taxi and attempted to contact Clint Barton, only to find out that Barton had been kidnapped by the Tracksuit Mafia, when Kazi Kazimierczak answered Barton's phone. Realizing the danger upon her idol, she used the app to track his location and suited up. After successfully tracking him down, she attempted to infiltrate into the KB Toys Store where he was being interrogated, but unfortunately ultimately ended up getting captured herself. She and Barton were then held captive together.[4]
They were tied up on two unicorns and were made to sit there the rest of the night into morning. When one of the Mafia named Tomas expressed discontent about his girlfriend, Bishop asked him what was wrong. She tried to reason with him about his problem, much to Barton's annoyance. She told Barton that he needed her help, but he told her he almost had it under control until she fell into the warehouse. Ivan Banionis was also irritated and confronted Bishop, telling her that she spoke too much.
A woman named Maya Lopez walked down from the upper level and approached them, with Bishop asking Barton who she was. Kazimierczak came with her and provided assistance as a translator after seeing that Barton didn't understand sign language. Barton told them that Bishop was innocent and had accidentally put on the suit and that Ronin was killed by Black Widow. However, Lopez refused to believe Barton and approached Bishop. She tried to explain her innocence, but was then attacked by Lopez, who tried to strangle her.
Bishop is suddenly interrogated by Lopez
Kazimierczak pulled Lopez away and Bishop struggled to catch her breath, looking at Barton, fearful of what had happened. Barton told her that she couldn't be scared though as they needed to remain confident. Barton then got out of his restraints and ran off to fight the Mafia. Bishop was impressed and in awe of how Barton did so and called out to him, asking how he did it. As Barton fought off the Mafia, Kazimierczak stood watch over Bishop. Bishop then saw as Barton fought Lopez in one of the warehouse's offices and used his bow and arrow to fight her and to free Bishop of her restraints.
Bishop then engaged in combat against Kazimierczak. She grabbed hold of a shopping cart and used it to plow into him, and to fend off Enrique, who charged her. Bishop then used her legs and slid on the floor to take Kazimierczak out, however, when he stood back up, Barton rushed over and knocked him out. Barton told Bishop to follow him and that his hearing aid had broken.[5]
Bishop followed Barton out of the warehouse and into the parking lot, where Barton hijacked an older vehicle and told her to drive. However, Bishop wanted to shoot, so she got into the passenger seat, just as the Mafia broke out and hopped into their vehicles. Bishop reported to Barton that four vehicles were chasing them and she grabbed Barton's bow and arrow to use, as hers was left at the warehouse. Barton handed her one of his arrows and she fired it, causing purple putty to form on Kazimierczak's truck's windshield.
Barton then handed Bishop another arrow in which she shot, which caused one of the Mafia's vans to explode, causing it to flip over. Bishop was astounded by that and told Barton that it would best for him to turn the car around in which he agreed much to her delight. In order to get away from the Mafia, Barton took a detour into Rosie's Christmas Trees, where Bishop used a trap arrow to net up a bunch of Christmas trees into Kazimierczak's path. As Barton continued on, he handed Bishop two acid arrows and told her to take out the stoplights at the intersection, but Lopez remained unphased and continued after them.
Barton drove onto Manhattan Bridge and as Lopez drove up next to them, Bishop saw her bow in the backseat. As Tomas tried to punch Barton, Bishop gained possession of her bow and shot a smoke arrow in their car, causing the charger to crash into the side of the bridge. Barton then managed to stop their car from crashing into traffic and told Bishop to get out, as the rest of the Mafia drove onto the bridge. Barton handed Bishop an arrow and told her to fire it high up in the sky, while he shot an arrow containing Pym Particles which caused the other arrow to enlarge and crash down onto Kazimierczak's truck, splitting it in half. Barton handed Bishop a USB arrow and ran to retrieve his plunger arrow, as Bishop threatened the Mafia not to move. She then shot the arrow into Ivan Banionis, but it bounced right off his chest. As Barton retrieved his plunger arrow, he called Bishop over and the two jumped over the side, grabbing hold of the train underneath.
Bishop and Barton made their way into a train car and sat down, tired from their fight with the Mafia. Bishop told Barton that they needed to get back to take the retriever out, in which Barton responded that Bishop was a great archer, much to her surprise. He then said they needed to get back for the dog and Bishop smiled, realizing that Barton hadn't heard her say it the first time. When they got back to the apartment, Bishop took the retriever outside.[5]
The next morning, Bishop took the golden retriever out again and returned, hearing that Clint Barton was on the phone. After hearing that his son was on the phone and that Barton was confused about who was talking to him, Bishop walked over and used a pad of paper to write down what was said so Barton could understand. When the phone call was over, Barton thanked Bishop for helping him.
The three then went out to get Barton's hearing aid repaired and waited outside a Chinese woman's business for her to arrive. As they waited, Bishop sent Barton a text, jokingly telling him that it was a good thing his name wasn't "Hawkear". Barton then proceeded to delete the text. When the woman came, Bishop gave her the hearing aid and was told it would only take a few minutes. Bishop thanked her for her help.
After getting the new hearing aid, they went to get breakfast at a nearby diner. Bishop was excitedly talking to Barton about their recent outing together, but realized his hearing aid was out. When he had it back in, she told him she had an idea for his branding and drew a picture of him with a new uniform. He disagreed with it, saying that all his career he had remained a ghost, that his wife would divorce him if he wore it, and how he wasn't a role model. Bishop quickly told him that he was a role model to her and that he had stayed to help her. She then told him that Ronin had brought them together and that they were in it together. When Barton got up to pay, he told her to name the retriever.[5]
Afterwards, they went walking in Central Park and Barton told Bishop that there was someone above Maya Lopez and that she didn't want to get involved with. After catching a taxi, Bishop told Barton why she thought Jack Duquesne was a murderer and that she had an idea of how to gain more evidence.
She brought them to the Bishop Residence and let the retriever off his leash to get settled in. After placing her coat on the couch, she logged into one of the laptops and entered the Bishop Security database. She and Barton discovered that Kazi Kazimierczak was an employee of Sloan Limited with Barton saying he recognized the name but forgot what it was. After Barton walked away, Bishop typed in Dusquene's name but was instantly locked out of the database. She then turned around and asked Barton where he had gone.[5]
Bishop ran into the room and found Jack Duquesne pointing Ronin's sword at Barton. She told Duquesne to put it down, just as her mother walked into the room. Bishop was surprised that both her mother and Duquesne had been inside the whole time, as she thought they were out. Her mother asked what an Avenger was doing there and told Bishop and Barton to come and talk to them.
After sitting down at the kitchen table, her mother asked her why she was trying to access Bishop Security's database. Bishop then eagerly explained she was partners with Barton, who tried to convince otherwise, and that they needed to obtain information relating to the guys they were looking into. Bishop then told her mother that she needed to go, but her mother asked her to stay. She then told Barton to leave and walked him out, much to Bishop's displeasure.
Bishop went into the living room and laid down on the couch. She was joined by her golden retriever and together they tried to get some rest. Bishop tried to block her mother's comments to Duquesne about her admiration of Barton out of her mind. Her mother then asked her to help set up a Christmas party for her business, but Bishop was hesitant. Duquesne expressed his interest and asked if dancing would be involved. Bishop told him that her mother didn't like dancing, but was surprised when Duquesne asked her mother for a dance and she agreed. He danced with her while singing a Christmas carol, and then to Bishop's amusement, got an euphemism wrong.[7]
Bishop and the retriever left her mother's house and went shopping for Christmas festivities and stopped by to pick up pizza. They returned to the apartment that evening and Bishop told Barton she wanted him to enjoy Christmas as much as he could. As she sat down on the couch, Barton told her that he learned that Duquesne was the CEO of Sloan Limited, which was a money laundering company of the Tracksuit Mafia. She told him that while they had some time, she wanted him to celebrate Christmas, and showed him a set of Christmas dvds she'd collected, as well as tossing him an ugly sweater to put on. To her delight, Barton agreed to have some fun.
While eating pizza on the couch, Bishop suggested that Barton get boomerang arrows as something to consider, but then realized they wouldn't be as efficient since they'd have to dodge each time. She fed her retriver some pizza as well. Bishop then got up and used one of her aunt's posters to brainstorm what they needed to do, but then was told by Barton that she had used permanent marker on it.
As Bishop and Barton put ornaments on the Christmas tree, she asked him what other tricks he knew. He told her about using a nickel to knock someone unconscious, which she didn't believe, until he flicked an ornament at the television causing it to turn off. Deeply interested, Bishop asked him to teach her and she practiced in the hallway. After almost hitting her retriever, she shot the ornament into the television, causing it to turn back on.
They then made slushies and sat in the living room, watching "It's a Wonderful Life". As Bishop could see that the movie made Barton homesick, she asked him what was his best shot. He reluctantly told her that it was his choice not to take the shot, recalling the time he saved Natasha Romanoff on one of his early missions.
Bishop then mentioned the Blip and asked if he had lost his family, in which he replied that he did, just like half of the universe. She then asked if it was during that time that he had met Ronin, before deducing that he was Ronin. Barton told her that he was just a weapon because he resorted to hurting people, but Bishop told him that he was still a hero and that the Blip was hard on everybody. Barton then suggested she get some sleep, and she agreed, calling him boss, before calling her retriever to the bedroom.[7]
The next day, Bishop went into the kitchen and was informed by Barton that she was tasked with retrieving his trick arrows with the aid of the NYC LARPers, before correcting him stating that they were both of their arrows, as Bishop wanted to be united with Barton. Barton told her he would seek out Kazi Kazimierczak and left.
Bishop then got dressed and brought her retriever with her. They went to Central Park and walked in it until they found a group of LARPers. The LARPers were practice fighting with their props and Lucky became distressed, barking at them, until Bishop told him they weren't a threat. Bishop then tried to get their attention, introducing herself as Barton's partner/best friend and that she was on official Avengers business.
She asked to speak to the NYPD officer present and was met by Wendy Conrad. Bishop asked if they could get access into a NYPD facility where Barton's arrows were located. Conrad agreed, but only one condition. Missy, Grills, and Orville also approached Bishop, offering their help. As Conrad left to get the arrows, Bishop and Lucky were taken to Grills' apartment with Grills, Missy, and Orville.
Bishop tries on the LARPers costumes
In the apartment, Missy showed Bishop various costumes and let her try on them. As Bishop was trying one on, Barton arrived and asked for the arrows. Bishop told him they were on the way and that she had agreed to help them get materials for their costumes. She then asked Missy if she could make suits for her and Barton. Barton then received the location of the watch and told Bishop it was time to go. Conrad then returned and gave Barton the arrows, and the two left the apartment.[7]
Bishop and Barton then went to the location of the watch, staking out on the rooftop of a building opposite the apartment complex. As Barton detailed the plan to Bishop, she ran down the stairs when he was looking and made her way across the street to the complex. Barton told Bishop through their communications of how to enter stealthily, but she had different ideas and went to the main entrance.
Bishop attempts to help an elderly man
After an elderly man walked inside carrying two grocery paper bags, Bishop offered to help carry one of them. While in the elevator, she told him that she was in communications with an Avenger and expressed her excitement over it. This though was something that the man didn't believe and he told her he could take both bags, before quickly leaving the elevator.
Bishop then made it to the apartment and went inside. After seeing a strobe light, she used one of the trick arrows to shoot the ceiling. Continuing to see the strobe lights flashing, she went further into the apartment and located the watch. She told Barton she found the watch and then found a pad of paper with Barton's family written on it. She reported back to him that Barton's wife, daughter, and his twosons were listed along with their ages.
Barton told her to get out of there and that the strobe lights were a silent alarm for people who were hard of hearing, before Bishop heard fighting sounds on his end and asked if he was okay. She was then ambushed by Maya Lopez, who knocked her to the ground. Bishop threw kitchen items at Lopez, before dodging her attacks, and told Barton that she was fighting Lopez there, with him wondering who he was fighting as he thought he was fighting Lopez.
Bishop getting stuck on the zipline
Bishop made her escape through the back door and was instructed by Barton to jump onto the zipline that he had just produced for her. She used her bow to slide on it, she lost momentum halfway and got stuck, suspended in the air directly above a street. When Barton saw this, he hit the zipline allowing her to continue sliding down until she made it to the roof.
Bishop was immediately slammed to the ground by the masked assailant and commented that it had hurt. Lopez then arrived via the zipline and engaged the assailant, knocking the gun of the person's hand. As Lopez fought off Bishop, the assailant stunned Lopez with a stun weapon and engaged Bishop, before snapping a grappling hook on her suit and flinging her over the roof. As Bishop was suspended in air, Barton rushed to her side, and not wanting her to get hurt, used a knife to cut the hook, causing Bishop to safely fall into the Christmas lights below.
Bishop immediately walked back into the building and up the stairs to the roof. She then used one of the trick arrows to diffuse the fight between the three, producing a disorienting boom and blinding light that sent Lopez, Barton, and the assailant flying across the roof. Bishop was then kicked hard by Lopez, and Bishop responded by firing an arrow into Lopez's shoulder, forcing her to flee.
As Barton got the upper hand on the masked assailant, he managed to unmask her, revealing the person to be Yelena Belova. She stunned Barton with her weapon, but was stopped from doing anything else by Bishop, who aimed her bow and arrow at her. Belova turned around and gave Bishop a menacing glare, discouraging Bishop enough to lower her bow. Belova then took the moment to drop a grappling hook on the ground and ran off the roof.
Bishop then asked Barton why he did not keep her informed of the situation since they were partners, but Barton curtly rejected that. He told Bishop that there was now a Black Widow assassin after him and that things were now very real, which meant he had to go alone from then on. Bishop pleaded with him to let her stay, stating that she knew the risks involved. However, Barton, not wanting to lose another partner, took away her bow and ordered her to leave.[7]
Afterwards, Bishop returned to her family's penthouse, where she was greeted by her mother, who noticed she was distraught, emotional, and injured. Bishop's mother asked if she was okay, and then inquired if Clint Barton was responsible for what had happened. Bishop shut down the accusations, stating that Barton protected her. Bishop then began to cry, and her mother embraced her in her arms.
In her childhood bedroom, Bishop's wounds were tended to by her mother. Bishop struggled with the realization that her lifelong dream of becoming a superhero might never come true. The two of them looked at Bishop's first bow hanging up on the wall, and reminisced about Bishop's childhood, reminding her of how passionately she used to believe in her dream. Bishop's mother comforted her by telling her that she believed that Bishop was on the path in life she was meant to be on.
Bishop admitted to her mother that she and Barton had been looking into the murder of Armand Duquesne III, informing her of the evidence that they found regarding Jack Duquesne and his shell company, Sloan Limited. She made her mother promise that she would look into it, and she agreed. Bishop's mother told her to grab her things from her apartment and come back to the penthouse.[8]
"All I'll say is that if there is someone out there that is telling you Clint is a bad guy, then maybe you should ask yourself what kind of person hired you. He is not perfect. Nobody's perfect. But he is good."
Bishop returned to her apartment for the first time since the fire, examining the damage the fire had done to her home. She was greeted from behind by Yelena Belova, and turned around, grabbing a bottle of hot sauce off her table and throwing it at the Black Widow. Belova asked Bishop if she wanted any of the macaroni and cheese that she had prepared, throwing Bishop off with the unexpected offer.
Bishop is asked to sit down and talk
Belova told Bishop she simply wanted to have a talk with her, but Bishop remained cautious. Belova tried to get Bishop to let her guard down so they could talk, promising that she would not hurt her, as if Belova wanted her dead, she would have already killed her. After much convincing, Bishop finally agreed to sit down and eat the macaroni with Belova.
After uncomfortably eating dinner with her enemy, Bishop asked Belova what she wanted. Belova started talking about the different tourist attractions she wanted to see while she was in New York City, which Bishop initially thought was a joke. As Belova continued, Bishop realized she was being serious, and offered some recommendations at Belova's request. Bishop asked Belova if she continued to refer to her by her full name to point out that she knows it, which Belova confirmed, as well as reciting more information she knew about Bishop, such as information about her parents and her university record.
Bishop asked if Belova was in New York to talk to Clint Barton, to which Belova corrects that she is there to kill him. Belova asked Bishop why she defends Barton despite his past, and Bishop responds that Barton is a hero who saved the planet. Belova revealed that she is the sister of Natasha Romanoff, and claims that Romanoff is the hero who saved the planet, not Barton. Belova tried to convince Bishop that Barton is not the hero that she made him out to be, but Bishop adamantly defended the Avenger. Belova told Bishop that Barton is responsible for Romanoff's death, which she did not believe because she knew how deeply Barton cared for his late friend.
Belova accidentally revealed to Bishop that killing Barton was an assignment, meaning she had been hired by someone else to kill him. Bishop tried to convince Belova that her client is likely the one lying about the kind of person Barton is, to no avail. Belova asked Bishop if she knew where Barton was, to which she said she did not, and Belova thanked Bishop for the "girl's night" and left, but not before issuing Bishop one final warning to stay out of her way.[8]
Bishop returned to her mother's penthouse, which she arrived to just in time to witness two NYPD officers arresting Jack Duquesne. Bishop went to hug her mother, who told her that she had verified the information she had given her and called the police on Duquesne.
Bishop returned to her room, where she looked at all of the archery equipment, awards, and photos that filled her room, reminding her of her hero, Clint Barton. Bishop decided to call Barton to reconcile, but he did not answer his phone. She left Barton a voicemail, and then proceeded to call and leave voicemails until eventually Barton's mailbox was full.[8]
Bishop tracked Clint Barton's phone in order to find his location. She tracked him at Fat Man Used Cars just as Maya Lopez was about to kill him with his own sword. Bishop shot an arrow, disarming Lopez, and allowing Barton to flee. Bishop caught up with Barton, and the two of them got into the car of a ridesharing driver that Bishop had ordered.
In the car, Bishop informed Barton that she had talked to their mystery assailant from the rooftop the night prior, telling him that she revealed herself as Natasha Romanoff's sister, to Barton's shock. The driver dropped them off near Grills' apartment and they walked back together as partners again.[8]
"Clint, this is my mess to clean up. You should go home, you should be with your family. You can still make it in time for Christmas." "Kate, you're my partner. Your mess is my mess. I'm not going anywhere until this is finished."
The next morning, Bishop had breakfast with Barton, Grills, and Lucky at Grills' apartment. Bishop tried replicating a trick Grills had taught Lucky to do, but could not manage. As Bishop was telling Grills how cool he is, her phone began to buzz. She checked her phone to see messages from Yelena Belova, who was texting her to inform her that Eleanor Bishop was the person who hired her, along with a video of Bishop's mother meeting with Kingpin.[8]
Bishop reacts as Clint Barton calls her his partner
Bishop watched the video and learned that her mother was working with the Tracksuit Mafia, killed Armand Duquesne III, and framed Jack Duquesne for Sloan Limited. Bishop struggled to cope with realization that her mother was a criminal and began to hyperventilate. As Barton tried to calm her down, she tried calling her mother but she did not answer her phone. Barton warned Bishop that her mother needed their help because the Kingpin was going to retaliate, but Bishop told Barton to go home to be with his family. Barton called Bishop his partner and promised he would not leave until their fight was finished.[3]
While riding a train, Clint Barton sympathized with Bishop over her situation, but Bishop shrugged it off, choosing to focus instead on the task at hand. Barton agreed, and stated that they would need more gear for their upcoming battle, specifically a whole batch of dangerous trick arrows, intriguing Bishop.
Bishop assembles trick arrows
The duo returned to Grills' apartment, where they crafted dozens of new trick arrows. Bishop utilized a label maker to print labels for arrows as she had previously suggested to Barton. As they neared completion, Bishop let out a sniffle, catching Barton's attention and reminding him of the emotional weight the mission carried for the young archer. He tried to make small talk by asking about the Christmas party's dress code, but then told Bishop she did not have to go through with the mission if she did not want to, understanding the pain heroes go through in situations like her current one, and wanting to make sure she was ready.
Bishop told Barton about how she had witnessed the Battle of New York, revealing to him that she witnessed him fighting the aliens that day despite not having superpowers like most of his teammates and that he had saved her from an attack. She told him that she learned in that moment that being a hero had nothing to do with having powers, but being able to make the right decisions no matter the price. She assured him that she was ready and they finished preparing for night.[3]
Bishop and Clint Barton arrived at the Christmas party hosted by Eleanor Bishop to find her. As they entered, they did not see her, so Barton asked Bishop to evaluate their assets and threats at the party. Bishop identified Gary as a threat for previously "firing" her from her job. She then identified their assets as their allies Wendy Conrad, Orville, Grills, and Missy, who were working at the party undercover as caterers.
Bishop puts on her comms device
Bishop noticed the arrival of Jack Duquesne, surprised to see him out of jail so soon, and Barton commented on the irony of Duquesne wielding a sword to a party immediately after leaving jail for allegedly murdering someone with a sword. Barton gave Bishop an ear piece and told her to stay on comms as he did a round around the building. Eventually, Eleanor arrived to the party, and Bishop quickly found her and brought her to the pantry.
There, Bishop played the video of her mother's meeting with Kingpin for her to see, revealing that she knew of all of the secrets that her mother was hiding. Bishop's mother tried explaining herself, but was interrupted by the arrival of Duquesne who was trying to talk to Bishop's mother. Responding to the sound of gunshots, Bishop left the pantry to aid her allies, sternly telling her mother to stay where she was and out of the fight.
Bishop returned to the party, where she noticed the presence of Yelena Belova. She approached Belova as she was waiting for the elevator. Belova told Bishop that she was only there to kill Barton and had no quarrels with Bishop, but Bishop followed Belova onto the elevator anyways to stop her from reaching Barton.
Bishop unveils her new uniform
Bishop attempted to hit the buttons for each floor on the elevator to slow Belova down, but Belova slapped Bishop's hand away every time. Bishop continued to struggle against Belova and slapped her across the face, until eventually Belova tore off Bishop's dress to reveal Bishop's archery uniform underneath. As Belova stopped to ask if Bishop planned the tropey uniform reveal, Bishop hit many of the buttons on the elevator, frustrating Belova. As the elevator stopped on the next floor, Belova took her coat off, revealing her uniform as well, and tossed it at Bishop. Belova then left the elevator and Bishop chased after her.
As Bishop chased Belova through various office spaces, she tried to grab Belova and throw her back. Bishop then tried to use her body to block the doorway to the next room, asking Belova to stop and have a drink with her for the holiday, which Belova agreed to but only after she kill Barton. Belova kicked Bishop down, and when Bishop got up to try and stop Belova, Belova grabbed Bishop and dragged her face along a window.
The two continued to fight as Belova progressed towards the end of the building. Barton tried to communicate with Bishop over their comms, but Bishop was preoccupied with the fight. Belova tried to smash a window with her batons to jump out of it, but Bishop tossed a pair of clackers she picked up off a desk at Belova's batons, knocking them out of her hands and through the window. Belova complimented Bishop on the throw, to which Bishop said thanks but became frustrated that Belova was such a likable person.
Bishop prepares herself to jump out of the window
Belova then said bye to Bishop and jumped out of the building, using her grappling rope to descend down the building to attack Barton. Bishop yelled out the window to warn Barton, allowing him to get out of the way in time. Bishop then looked out the window down at the street outside and decided to jump out of the building as well. She tied the pair of clackers around the rope and, after taking a moment to collect herself, jumped out of the window. She screamed the entire way down, but managed to slow her descent by connecting her feet to the wall before she hit the ground, and was able to land almost gracefully on the street.[3]
On the ground, Bishop noticed the arrival of Trust a Bro Moving Company trucks and informed her allies over comms that the Tracksuit Mafia had arrived. She was approached by a couple members, including Tomas, who she managed to fight off. As she disarmed Tomas, Tomas stopped to thank Bishop for the relationship advice she had given him a few days prior. Bishop was happy to hear that the advice worked, but when Tomas apologized that he still had to fight her despite the help, Bishop knocked him out with a kick to the stomach.
Bishop knocked out another member and then was approached by Enrique who was pointing a gun at her. Enrique was taken out by surprise by Jack Duquesne, who greeted Bishop. Bishop apologized to Duquesne for her mother getting him point in jail and asked if he was alright, to which he said he had never been better. Bishop watched as Duquesne used his swordsmanship skills to take out a few more Tracksuits, and then they both told each other they had lost track of Bishop's mother.
Bishop continued to fight off the Tracksuits as she asked Clint Barton about his location over comms. Barton informed her that he was inside the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, dumbfounding Bishop. Bishop met up with Grills, Conrad, and Missy who were exiting the building. Missy provided Bishop with her bow and quiver, and Bishop tasked the three of her allies with clearing the civilians from the area while she figured out how to free Barton from the tree. Conrad inquired as to whether Duquesne was included, to which Bishop decided he should probably be evacuated as well. Bishop then moved to higher ground and began taking out Tracksuits with her arrows.
Bishop slides across the ice skating rink
Bishop then told Barton to hold tight as she proceeded in her plan to get him out of the tree. Barton was concerned at the plan and begged her to stop, but Bishop ignored him, shooting her arrows and the ropes holding the tree steady, and using an acid arrow to disintegrate the trunk of the tree, causing the tree to fall onto the ice skating rink. As the Tracksuit Mafia approached Barton on the rink, Bishop slid across the ice and used her arrows to shoot electrical boxes across the rink to create a smokescreen.
Barton then removed his dress clothes to reveal that he was also wearing his new uniform, exciting Bishop as she told Barton he looked good in it. Barton told Bishop that they needed to get off the ice, and gave Bishop a handful of the dangerous trick arrows, exciting Bishop even more. The duo fought off the assailing Tracksuits, using a combination of multiple trick arrows such as a tranquilizer arrow, sonic arrow, spike arrow, and drone arrow.
Bishop shrinks the truck
After the archers knocked out most of their attackers, a couple more Tracksuits tried to take them out by running them over with a moving truck. However, as the truck approached them, Bishop used a Pym Particles arrow to shrink the van to the size of a toy car. Bishop asked Barton what would happen to the people inside the truck, but Barton did not know the answer, stating he had to ask Scott Lang about that. They then watched as an owl grabbed the truck and flew away with it. As the duo left the rink, they were contacted by Grills over comms, who had located Bishop's mother. Bishop began to leave to go find her, when a gunshot from Kazi Kazimierczak struck nearby. Barton insisted that Bishop go anyway, and the two partners split up.[3]
Bishop arrived by her mother's limo just as Wilson Fisk was beginning to attack her. Bishop warned Fisk to stay away from his mother, but Fisk did not feel threatened by her. Bishop shot an arrow into Fisk's chest, but it had no effect and he simply ripped it out of his body. Bishop was shocked, and shot a grappling arrow at Fisk, which he managed to catch and use to pull her in close and punch her back. As Bishop tried to stand up, her mother drove the limo into Fisk, sending him crashing through the wall of the store behind him.
Bishop entered the building through the wall, and tried to stop Fisk from leaving. Bishop shot a trap arrow at the gap in the building, causing electric wires to form over the hole, preventing Fisk's escape. Fisk became aggravated and began tossing Bishop around the room. He pulled her quiver off of her back, pulling her arrows out, snapping them in half, and tossing them on the ground. The two continued to fight but Fisk easily overpowered the young archer.
As Bishop sat on the ground, cornered by Fisk, she used his cufflink she had picked up to flick and activate the head of one of her magnet arrows on the floor. The magnet arrows activated the nearby explosive arrows, causing an explosion that knocked Fisk out. Bishop observed the unconscious body on the ground and left to check on her mother.
Bishop hugged her mother as she got out of the limo. Bishop listened as her mother tried to tell her that everything would go back to normal, but Bishop denied that anything had ever been normal. Her mother tried to explain that their situation was just a circumstance of life and that she had made the right decisions, but Bishop disagreed. Two New York City Police Department officers arrived to arrest Bishop's mother, as Bishop had informed them of her mother's crimes. Her mother tried to guilt her for having her arrested on Christmas, but Bishop simply told her mother she was sorry and that she loved her as the police took her away.
In the aftermath of the battle, Bishop sat with Clint Barton in the back of an ambulance. Barton let Bishop know how proud he was of her and that taking on Kingpin by herself and walking away was an extraordinary feat. Barton held Bishop's hand as he remembered they had to walk their dog.[3]
The next day, which was Christmas Day, Bishop and her golden retriever, who she named Lucky, were invited to stay with Clint Barton at his house in Iowa as she was now alone. They took a road trip with Barton and when they arrived at Barton's house, Bishop asked Barton if he was sure it was okay with his family that she was there, and he assured her they were excited to meet her.
She watched as Barton reunited with his family, and introduced herself to Nathaniel Barton after he asked her what her name was. Inside their house, Barton introduced Bishop to his wife, who greeted Bishop with a hug. Bishop and Lucky sat with Lila, Cooper, and Nathaniel as they opened up their presents.
Barton asked Bishop to come with him to help him with something. Outside, he placed the Ronin's Suit on a grill, and asked her to help her end what she started, as she used a match to light the suit on fire. Bishop then began to ask for Barton's opinion on some superhero names she had thought of for herself, but Barton rejected every one of them, eventually suggesting something himself.[3]
Personality
"This life you wanna live. To really help people. I mean, try to help people, anyway. Comes a lot of sacrifices. And some things you'll lose... forever." "Well, there's also things you gain, like trick arrows and a cool costume."
Bishop is an extremely confident, brave, and smart individual with a great sense of justice, who has a tendency to see things others do not due to her high intellect. She is a loyal friend who always stands by her friends' side, as shown when she didn't disclose her friends' involvement in the destruction of the belltower. Bishop is deeply inspired by her idol Hawkeye, gaining inspiration from him for becoming a hero, and protecting those that you care about. After seeing Barton's bravery, she herself was inspired to take a stand for whom she deeply loves and cares about.
Bishop cares about her family a lot, going above and beyond to save them as shown when she had gone to numerous lengths to uncover the secrets of her mother's fiancé, Jack Duquesne. This is shown when Bishop only uses the ability to use her cleverness and survival instincts to help those that are in need, from her pet dog Lucky to her own mother, Eleanor Bishop.
Bishop is also able to recognize and see the good in others. When discovering her idol Hawkeye to have been the vigilante Ronin, Bishop was able to understand that Clint Barton mercilessly killed criminals as he was in a lot of pain after losing his family to the Snap. Then, when Yelena Belova tries painting Barton as a villain and a killer, Kate's opinion on her idol does not change as she was able to noticed that while Barton has made mistakes, he was a good man who wants to atone for actions and has made many sacrifices to save the world many times.
Bishop is an extremely skilled marksman, especially with a bow and arrow, and has been praised by Hawkeye as being one of the world's greatest archers. She was capable of hitting a bell's rope from a considerable distance with a tennis ball, and was able to hit all her targets, including accurately taking out two traffic lights while sitting out of the window of a moving car, using Hawkeye's left-handed bow despite being right-handed. She is also capable of throwing and kicking projectile weaponry with extreme accuracy, being able to accurately hit a member of the Tracksuit Mafia by throwing a wine bottle, and even knocking one of them out by kicking a wine bottle towards his head with extreme accuracy.
Bishop is a highly skilled and formidable hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist, having trained in martial arts ever since she was five and earned her black belt when she was fifteen, as well as participating in and winning lots of martial arts competition. She has shown training in martial arts such as Karate, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Fencing, and Aikido. She was able to hold her own against several members of the Tracksuit Mafia at once, even though they were all armed. She is also able to quickly use her surroundings to her advantage and use random items as improvised weaponry, such as using wine bottles to fight against several members of the Tracksuit Mafia at once. Bishop was even able to hold her own against Maya Lopez. However, Bishop was vastly outclassed by Yelena Belova, an extremely skilled and experienced Black Widow who was on par with Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff. Belova could have killed her when she flung her over the side of a roof, but chose not to because she wasn't her target. Bishop's martial arts prowess was also no match for Wilson Fisk's brute strength. Even when she grappled his arm using her whole body, Fisk was able to swing her off with ease. Bishop is also very resilient and tough, taking several blows from an angered Wilson Fisk, with each one failing to knock her out, as well as withstanding being slammed into a concrete guardrail by Maya Lopez while fighting on a rooftop.
Sword Mastery: As the two-time state champion in fencing, Bishop is highly skilled at using a sword in combat.
Staff Proficiency: Bishop is skilled at using a staff in combat, being able to use her bow as a melee weapon against Maya Lopez, though she was quickly disarmed by her.
Bishop has gained amazing acrobatic skills from years of training in gymnastics and martial arts, effectively using them to defeat her enemies.
Spy: Bishop is able to disguise herself in different environments using appropriate clothing for the situation as seen when she disguised herself as a waiter to infiltrate the The Black Market Auction.
Gifted Intellect: Bishop possesses a great intellect, shown when she was easily able to deduce her mom's fiancee having ulterior motives to marry her, and how she tracked down Hawkeye using her mother's security systems to rescue him. Bishop has the tendency to be sharp and calculating, often combining it with her fighting prowess. She was also able to deduce Barton was Ronin. The score of her university GPA was 3.8.
Tactician: Bishop is a skilled tactician able to strike out vital key target points utilizing her arrows as seen when she eliminated several key members of the Tracksuit Mafia and during her duel with Kingpin.
Thief: Bishop is a skilled thief, being able to cleverly steal the Ronin suit mere moments before anybody else took the suit. Bishop was also able to lockpick her way into Maya Lopez's apartment.
Bishop has a prestigious knowledge of engineering as she was able to develop her own trick arrows during her mentorship with Clint Barton utilizing technology from StarkIndustries and Pym Technologies to develop the arrows.
Recurve Bow: Gifted to Bishop by Eleanor Bishop, This bow is a standard recurve bow, but has no sight, and lacks clickers, stabilizers, and would be considered a barebow. It has wooden limbs and a metal riser. Bishop used this bow for a while, but it was later removed from her by Clint Barton to stop her from following him as the risk had gotten to high.
Quiver: Bishop utilized a back quiver, opposed to a more functional hip quiver.
Sabre: Bishop used a fencing sabre during her sparring match with Jack Duquesne.
Hawkeye's Recurve Bow: After losing her Recurve Bow, Clint Barton provided her with his old bow after passing on the mantle of Hawkeye to her.
Wilson Fisk's Cufflink: Bishop took one of Wilson Fisk's cufflinks to flick it at her trick arrowheads to cause an explosion underneath him.
Uniforms
Archery Suit: Bishop's uniform consisted of a purple jumpsuit with two breast pockets that had matching black gloves on each wrist. There was a thigh holster on the upper left shoulder, that was connected to a belt buckle strapped around her waist. The uniform also came with a pair of black combat boots, and matching black trousers that had a thigh holster on the upper left leg.
"I put that suit on because I didn't want anybody to know that I was at the auction, okay? I didn't know what it was when I put it on, I swear."
Ronin's Suit: During the Robbery of the Black Market Auction, Bishop stole the Ronin suit, assuming her identity as Ronin. However, this did not last long, as she left the suit in her apartment after it was set on fire, where it would be taken by the firefighter Grills.
Fencing Uniform: Bishop wore a fencing jacket and mask during her fencing match with Jack Duquesne.
Hawkeye Suit: After partnering with Clint Barton, Bishop made a deal with Missy for her to make them new costumes that would have more recognizability towards the branding of Hawkeye. It is purple with with black pants, gloves and belt, as well as an arrow symbol on the chest. It is light and comfortable, being able to be worn under a tight dress with no problems.
Facilities
Bishop Residence: As the daughter of Derek and Eleanor Bishop, Kate Bishop has full access to the Bishop Residence, along with Bishop Security Systems.
In the comics, Kate Bishop took on the moniker of Hawkeye after Clint Barton's death. When Barton was revived by Scarlet Witch, they started to work with each other, sharing the "Hawkeye" mantle. She is also a member of the Young Avengers.
According to Trinh Tran, Bishop was 8 years old during the Battle of New York.[2] However, she was previously revealed to be 22 during the events of Hawkeye (Christmas 2024) thus making her 9 years old during the events of The Avengers.
