Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton,has never had great luck with women. After both Black Widow and Scarlet Witch both denied his advancements Hawkeye had resigned himself to a life as a perpetual bachelor. His gloomy outlook changed when he met Bobbi Morse, aka Mockingbird, a woman with whom Hawkeye would be romantically involved with for many years. But as wonderful as Hawkeye and Mockingbird's relationship would become, their very first meeting was as unexpected enemies with a battle that nearly killed them both.
1983’sHawkeye (by Mark Gruenwald and Danny Bulanadi) was a four-issue mini-series that featured thetitular arrow-shooting hero as he operated solo in New York City. No longer an active member of theAvengers, Hawkeye found himself rife with amazing luck, a rarity for the expert archer. Loaded with a great job, spacious apartment, and a budding romance, Hawkeye finally found himself on the up and up. It was such a shame that his entire life would come crashing down due to the arrival of Mockingbird.
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Hawkeye and Mockingbird Had a Violent First Meeting
Working as a security guard for Cross Technological Enterprises, a competitor of Stark Industries, Hawkeye was enjoying a nice night off when his emergency work beeper suddenly started to ring. Answering the call, Hawkeye found a woman infiltrating Cross Technologies corporate headquarters. Training his bow on her, Hawkeye demanded she identify herself and explain why she was breaking into the building. The woman in question was Mockingbird. Countering Hawkeye’s bow, she engaged him in a quick, yet effective grapple. Learning that she was an ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent turned solo operative investigating the company, Hawkeye turned her over to Cross Technologies armed guards. As fate would have it, Mockingbird was right all along: Cross Technologies was corrupt and incredibly dangerous. Hawkeye and Mockingbird found themselves teamed up against the evil company and the super villains pulling the strings, Bombshell, Oddball, and Crossfire.
With bad luck pulling them down every chance it got, Hawkeye and Mockingbird found themselves caught within Crossfire’s dastardly trap. A sonic frequency designed to make people become feral with rage was pumped into Hawkeye and Mockingbird’s cell, forcing the two heroes to fight each other to the death. Luckily, Crossfire’s plans were dashed with the team of super villains suffering a decisive defeat. Hawkeye’s first thought was to leave Mockingbird without a word, his persistent poor luck with women overpowering his growing feelings for her.
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Hawkeye Owes His Life to Mockingbird
Luckily for Hawkeye, Mockingbird wasn't so easily repelled. She followed Hawkeye and was able to crack his thick outer shell, helping him get back on his feet after his terrible luck with Cross Technologies. If it wasn’t for Mockingbird, there’s no telling where Hawkeye might have ended up. His apartment and belongings were all gone, he was out of a job, and he suffered a terrible hearing injury after fighting Crossfire. Mockingbird helped give him a home, a foundation on which he could rebuild his life, and the emotional support he had so badly needed. Mockingbird took a great risk in bringing Hawkeye so deeply into her life after having only known him for so short a time, but her intuition was correct in the end. Hawkeye and Mockingbird would continue to share a deep and loving relationship with one another over the years as they relocated to California to form the thennewly formed West Coast Avengers. Hawkeye could also thank Mockingbird for steering his life into the right direction as she reassured him that he was capable of leading ofthe brand-new team.
Hawkeye and Mockingbird’s relationship would come to a tragic end with Mockingbird’s “death” inWest Coast Avengers #100 (by Roy Thomas, David Ross, and Tim Dzon.) Years later it would be revealed that the Mockingbird that had died was actually a Skrull clone, but the damage had been done. The romance that had spanned a decade had come to an end, and it was a blow that rocked Hawkeye for years. The real Mockingbird would return many years later allowing for the two Avenger’s to finally reunite. It isn’t often that such stories involve such drastic highs and lows, but life is never easy for a superhero, let alone two of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
