Character profile
Kate Bishop
Katherine Elizabeth Bishop
She took the name without asking. She earned it afterwards.
Biography
Kate Bishop is a Manhattan heiress who taught herself archery, fencing and combat after an assault left her refusing to be a victim again, then walked into a hostage situation with the Young Avengers and outperformed most of them. When Clint Barton was dead, she took the Hawkeye name. When he came back, he let her keep it, which is the highest compliment Clint has ever paid anyone.
What makes Kate work is that she is competent and unbearable in equal measure: rich, sarcastic, better organised than her mentor and completely unwilling to acknowledge that she is out of her depth. Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye run built its comedy on that dynamic, and Kelly Thompson's solo series shipped her to Los Angeles to run a private investigation business, which suited her far better than the Avengers Mansion ever did.
Vital statistics
- Real name
- Katherine Elizabeth Bishop
- Also known as
- Hawkeye, Hawkingbird, Lady Hawkeye
- Species
- Human
- Place of origin
- Manhattan, New York City
- First appearance
- Young Avengers #1 (April 2005)
- Created by
- Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung
- Affiliations
- Young Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Champions, Hawkeye Investigations
- Groups
- Heroes Young Avengers
Power grid
Intelligence4
Strength2
Speed3
Durability2
Energy1
Fighting5
Rated 1–7 on the classic Marvel power-grid scale.
Powers
- Master Archer
Kate is one of the finest archers on Earth, close enough to Clint Barton's level that the difference is arguing rights.
- Trick Arrow Arsenal
She deploys explosive, net, grapple, smoke and putty arrows with unnerving improvisational timing.
- Trained Combatant
Fencing, boxing, jujitsu and staff work make her a genuine threat without a bow in her hands.
- Detective Work
She runs a functioning private investigation practice and is a better investigator than most costumed heroes.
- Team Leadership
She has led the Young Avengers and the West Coast Avengers, usually by refusing to accept that nobody appointed her.
- Acrobatics
Peak-human agility built for rooftop movement and firing on the run.
Abilities
- Enormous personal wealth
- Fluent in several languages
- Sword and staff fighting
- Relentless self-belief
Weaknesses
- No superhuman abilities whatsoever
- Impulsive to the point of recklessness
- Complicated family, including a criminal father
- Chronically short on arrows
Comics history
Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung created Kate in Young Avengers #1 in 2005 as a civilian who refused to be rescued, and by the end of the first arc she had appropriated Hawkeye's identity in front of the actual Avengers. Captain America objected. Clint, once resurrected, personally endorsed it.
Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye from 2012 is her breakout. Splitting the book between Clint's Brooklyn disasters and Kate's Los Angeles adventures turned her from a legacy character into a co-lead, and the run's Eisner sweep made the dynamic definitive.
Kelly Thompson gave Kate her own ongoing in 2016, then a West Coast Avengers team book, and later paired her with America Chavez and Marvel Boy again in various Young Avengers revivals. She also anchored the Hawkeye: Kate Bishop and Hawkeye: Freefall corners of the line.
MCU appearances
| Title | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hawkeye | 2021 | Hailee Steinfeld's debut, adapting the Fraction and Aja dynamic |
On screen
Allies
- Hawkeye
- America Chavez
- Yelena Belova
- Cassie Lang
- Lucky the Pizza Dog
Enemies
- Madame Masque
- Kazi Kazimierczak
- Kingpin
- Eleanor Bishop
Weapons & equipment
- Recurve and compound bows
- Trick arrows
- Rapier
- Bo staff
- Purple tactical gear
- Hawkeye Investigations office
Trivia
- She took the Hawkeye name while Clint Barton was dead, and he let her keep it when he returned.
- Fraction and Aja's Hawkeye won multiple Eisner Awards and made Kate a co-lead of the franchise.
- Lucky the Pizza Dog effectively belongs to Kate as much as to Clint.
- She was the first character to take the Hawkeye identity with the original's blessing.
- Hailee Steinfeld's casting in Hawkeye came after years of fan campaigning.
- Her Los Angeles private detective era is her most popular solo status quo.
Famous quotes
I'm the greatest archer in the world. He's the second greatest.
Nobody gave me the name. I just stopped giving it back.
I have a plan. It's mostly arrows.
Timeline
- 2005
Debuts in Young Avengers #1 and claims the Hawkeye identity.
- 2012
Co-headlines Matt Fraction and David Aja's Eisner-winning Hawkeye.
- 2016
Launches her own Hawkeye ongoing set in Los Angeles.
- 2018
Leads the West Coast Avengers.
- 2021
Hailee Steinfeld debuts the role in Hawkeye on Disney+.
Gallery
Poster art is generated from each character’s signature palette. Drop official art into assets/images/ and set the img field to swap it in.
Related characters
Hawkeye
Clinton Francis Barton
America Chavez
America Chavez
Wiccan
William "Billy" Kaplan
Cassie Lang
Cassandra Eleanor Lang
Yelena Belova
Yelena Belova
Frequently asked
Is Kate Bishop the real Hawkeye?
She is one of two, and Clint Barton has publicly endorsed her claim. Kate took the name while Clint was dead and kept it with his blessing, making her the rare legacy hero who shares a codename with a living predecessor.
Does Kate Bishop have powers?
None. She is a wealthy, obsessively trained human with world-class archery, fencing and hand-to-hand skills. Her entire appeal is that she keeps up with gods and super-soldiers on discipline alone.
Who is better, Kate Bishop or Clint Barton?
Clint has the edge on raw marksmanship and decades of experience. Kate is the better strategist, the better investigator and considerably better organised. The comics enjoy the argument far too much to settle it.