—Clint Barton[source]Guns are impersonal. Knives are brutal. But an arrow... That's elegance. It's a handwritten letter in an age of text messages. A bow and arrow really says "from me to you, with love and kisses."
History
As the super hero Hawkeye, Clint Barton generally carries a 6.2 foot (2 meter) double-recurved, compound, reinforced-fiberglass longbow. Weighing 5 pounds, the bow requires 75 pounds of force to draw its string the length of a 28-inch arrow (in the terminology of archery, this is referred to as a 75-pound bow). Hawkeye owns three such bows, as well as a variety of other types of bows that he seldom uses professionally. Clint normally uses his bow in conjunction with his arsenal of Trick Arrows.[1]
Barton began carrying a distinctive bow since his adolescent days as a carnival hand. He continued to do so when he later battled Iron Man and eventually joined the Avengers. Hawkeye once described his bow as one of the finest imported models. Hawkeye has used different makes and models; and his bows have been destroyed on occasion: once by Hercules[2] and on another occasion by Daredevil[3] After the incident with Daredevil, Hawkeye was noted to have used a "steel" bow.[4] It is probable that the current model is also of sturdy stock. When out of arrows or engaging a foe in close quarters, Barton has shown proficiency at using his bow as a parrying object and/or a pseudo kendo stick.Alternate Reality Versions
| Image | Description | Issue |
|---|---|---|
 |
In an Unknown Reality, Hawk-Gwen's bow doubled as half of her guitar. | Gwen Stacy #1 |
Notes
- When Hawkeye's bow originally appeared, it was a Longbow. Since then, it has been changed to a Recurve bow and then to a Compound bow.
- When his trademark bow is not available, Clint Barton has used other bows such as a carnival bow (seen in Avengers #99) or fashioned other functional bows for use, like in Defenders #8.
- Clint Barton has also altered his bow so that it fit the attire of another of his alter egos: The Golden Archer[5]
See Also
- 1722 appearance(s) of Hawkeye's Bow
- 6 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Hawkeye's Bow
- 191 minor appearance(s) of Hawkeye's Bow
- 8 mention(s) of Hawkeye's Bow
- 1600 image(s) of Hawkeye's Bow