| Ronin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | New Avengers #11 (November2005) |
| Created by | Brian Michael Bendis,Joe Quesada |
| Characters | Maya Lopez Clint Barton Alexei Shostakov Eric Brooks |
Ronin is analias used by multiple characters appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. It was first adopted byMaya Lopez inNew Avengers #11 (November 2005) byBrian Michael Bendis andJoe Quesada. Following this, the Ronin mantle has been taken up by characters such asClint Barton,Alexei Shostakov,Eric Brooks, andBullseye.
Two incarnations of the character appear in theMarvel Cinematic Universe. The first incarnation,Clint Barton, portrayed byJeremy Renner, appears in the filmAvengers: Endgame (2019), and theDisney+ seriesHawkeye (2021) andEcho (2024). The second incarnation,Maya Lopez, portrayed byAlaqua Cox also appears inHawkeye andEcho.
The persona of Ronin was created byBrian Michael Bendis andJoe Quesada. Bendis stated that the original intention was forMatt Murdock to be the true identity of Ronin, but this was changed due to a conflict with plans in theDaredevil comic book title.[1]
The original iteration of Ronin first appeared inNew Avengers #11 (November 2005) (although the character appeared on the covers of several earlier issues).Maya Lopez was the first person to take on the Ronin identity.[2]
The second iteration of Ronin first appeared inNew Avengers #27 (April 2007).Clinton "Clint" Barton is the second person to have used the Ronin identity, after leaving behind his "Hawkeye" alias.[3]
WriterJim McCann revealed "We're going to learn that there is far more to the Ronin identity than anyone knew, pre-dating [the first two versions] before [the third iteration]. Why does Ronin exist? That's a central mystery we will tackle."[4][5]Alexei Shostakov is the third individual who dons the Ronin identity.[6]
A character (whose identity is initially kept from the reader) is introduced in theMighty Avengers and dons the Halloween-type Spider Hero costume during theInfinity storyline,[7] and is supplied with the Ronin costume from a "big box of Clint Barton's old stuff" during theInhumanity storyline.[8] Before being revealed incanon, a leaked script revealed the fourth iteration's true identity to beEric Brooks.[9][10]
In theHawkeye: Freefall storyline, Barton is Ronin once more to launch an attack onthe Hood's criminal empire while the Hood eventually hires Bullseye to find out Ronin's true identity. After learning that Barton is Ronin, the Hood then orders Bullseye to commit crimes dressed in the Ronin costume to ruin Barton's reputation.[11]
In the "Heroes Reborn" miniseries,T'Challa briefly uses the Ronin identity to break into theSquadron Supreme's headquarters and steal files, only to be driven off byNighthawk.[12]
TheUltimate Marvel equivalent of Ronin is analternate personality ofMarc Spector.[13] In order to infiltrate theKingpin's forces, Ronin proves himself by luringSpider-Man into a fight. The two engage in a brutal battle while Ronin and Moon Knight fight a concurrent battle in Spector's mind. Ronin knocks Spider-Man unconscious and apparently "kills" Moon Knight before taking the youth to the Kingpin for interrogation.[13] However, the Kingpin attacks Ronin, revealing knowledge of Ronin's secret identity.[14] Two of the Kingpin's henchmen take Ronin to a river and execute him. However, Ronin survives his near fatal injuries and goes to the police to provide evidence about the Kingpin's attempt to murder him. He is forced to reveal his identity, but the Kingpin is arrested and the media refer to Spector as a hero.[15]
In theUltimate Universe, Ronin is a title used by numerous employees ofRoxxon.[16]
An original incarnation of Ronin appears inMarvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, voiced byHideyuki Hori in the Japanese version andKeith Silverstein in the English dub.[17] This version isNozomu Akatsuki, father of Akira and Hikaru Akatsuki and co-developer of the DISKS (Digital Identity Securement Kit) before becoming Ronin.
Multiple incarnations of Ronin appear in media set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
| Hawkeyes | |
|---|---|
| Affiliations | |
| Supporting characters | |
| Enemies | |
| Publications | |
| In other media | |
| Related articles | |
