It's not unusual for young Marvel superheroes to follow in the footsteps of those who came before. For example, Miles Morales became a new Spider-Man, Riri Williams took on the mantle of Iron Heart and Kate Bishop became the new Hawkeye. However, it would be a mistake to think that Clint Barton and Kate Bishop are one and the same.
Despite their superhero name and a preferred weapon of choice, there are a lot of ways in which Kate proved she wasn't just a carbon copy of Clint. With her upcoming MCU show, the wider audience will finally get the chance to learn more about Kate Bishop. For now, there are some things only comic book readers know about the brave and intelligent young archer.
10 She Has Multiple Superhero Friends
Even though Kate Bishop is best-known thanks to her connection to Hawkeye, Clint isn't the only superhero she's close to. Kate has multiple friends of a similar age, such as Cassie Lang, Ant-Man's daughter. In the comics, the two young girls met even before they became superheroes and eventually joined the Avengers.
Their friendship is solid in the comics and it could very well play out in the MCU as well. Kate has also befriended another young heroine, America Chavez, also known as Miss America, in the comics.
9 She Led A Superhero Team
Not every superhero has the power and authority to lead a superhero team but that's not the case for Kate Bishop.
In the comics, she's a member of the West Coast Avengers, a team originally led by her mentor Clint Barton. Kate herself then leads a newer version of this team which started in the 2018 series.
8 She Traveled Back In Time
Time travel is nothing that extraordinary in the Marvel comics but it can still take some heroes by surprise. At least Clint Barton was surprised when Kate traveled to the past and said she was Hawkeye as well.
In Clint's perspective, this happened before he and Kate ever met and while he was still young. However, Clint eventually got over his astonishment and he and Kate teamed up to take on several of his villains.
7 She Worked As A Private Investigator
The work as a private investigator is nothing new in Marvel Comics. For example, Jessica Jones is famous for setting up her investigative agency. Not everyone might know that Kate Bishop also took on this type of work, though. She lived in Los Angeles at the time and worked there in the company Hawkeye Investigations.
Even then, though, Kate was never far away from the world of superheroes and met both new heroes as well as her old friends, such as Clint. And speaking of Jessica Jones, she later came to visit Kate and worked with her on a few cases.
6 She Has A Dog
Not so many superheroes have pets in the comics. One of the reasons for this is that they spend a lot of time away from home and wouldn't be able to take care of their pets. However, Kate Bishop is the exception to this rule.
One of her most loyal friends is her dog Lucky. He first appeared in the 2012 Hawkeye series and has been Kate's pet in the comics ever since. So when she went to Los Angeles to work there as a private investigator, Lucky, of course, went with her.
5 She Wasn't Always Hawkeye
Even superheroes can undergo a transformation and it might take them a while to find each other. As a result, Kate Bishop wasn't always known as Hawkeye. In fact, when she was just starting out, she was a big fan of two heroes - Hawkeye and Mockingbird. So when the time came for Kate to build her own superhero identity, she combined what she loved and became Hawkingbird.
She was still using a bow and arrows in combat, though, and didn't change this in the future, unlike her superhero name. She later got the name Hawkeye thanks to Captain America who suggested Kate should be using the name.
4 She Joined Several Others Teams
Some superheroes prefer flying solo but that's not the case for Kate. She seems to thrive working in a team. Other than the West Coast Avengers and the Young Avengers, Kate joined several other superhero teams during her existence in the comics.
To name just a few, she was a member of the Secret Avengers, and, perhaps even more surprisingly, she joined the Deadpool Task Force.
3 The Evolution Of Her Costume
Just like her superhero name, Kate's superhero costume also evolved over time. Originally, she picked up a few different pieces and put them together.
She had Mockingbird's mask and truncheons, Black Widow's belt, Hawkeye's bow and arrows, and even one of Swordman's swords. However, she later got her own Hawkeye costume made in the color purple which is also the color Clint wears in the comics.
2 She Had Multiple Romances
It's unclear whether any of Kate's romances will make it into her show but she's no stranger to dating in the comics as she had multiple love interests in them. For example, she dated none other than Miles Morales aka Spider-Man in the Ultimate Marvel series.
The problem was Kate had no idea her boyfriend was actually Spider-Man. Their relationship didn't last since Miles eventually broke up with Kate. She also married Tom Shepherd aka Quicksilver in an alternate reality of her life. Kate was even pregnant with their twins.
1 She First Appeared Only Recently
Kate Bishop is one of the youngest Marvel superheroes, both age-wise and considering her first comic book appearance. She first appeared in the first issue of the series Young Avengers in 2005.
Alongside other young heroes, such as Iron Lad, Patriot, Hulkling, and Wiccan, Kate joined the team under the superhero name of Hawkeye and began helping them. For example, she was instrumental in defeating the infamous villain Kang the Conqueror.