Marvel’s ‘Hawkeye’: 3 of Clint Barton’s Lesser-Known Trick Arrows
In Marvel’s Hawkeye trailer, which dropped last week, we see Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) firing one of Clint Barton’s (Jeremy Renner) trick arrows. Despite the fact that it explodes the vehicle chasing after them, it’s apparently not the most lethal arrow in Clint’s quiver because a surprised Kate then exclaims, “There are arrows more dangerous than that one?” In the comics, what are some of Clint’s lesser-known arrows that could make an appearance on the show?
Marvel’s ‘Hawkeye’: The sonic arrow
The sonic arrow is an interesting one. As we see in Marvel’s Hawkeye Volume 4, the purpose of this arrow seems to be more of a distraction than the actual damage it causes. It emits a high-pitched sound that draws the opponent’s attention, giving Hawkeye a chance to escape or mount a more effective attack.
In Hawkeye Volume 4, he accidentally shoots one of these arrows off during a car chase. It flies by a car and mostly just distracts a passenger. But what’s dangerous about this one is that it’s unexpected.
Hawkeye’s opponents expect his arrows themselves to be the weapon he uses to cause the most damage. But if the weapon is merely a distraction that allows him to attack in a different way, it could really take them off guard. It may not explode a car, but it’s dangerous in a sneakier way.
The adamantium arrow
While Adamantium has been around in Fox’s X-Men movies for quite some time, it hasn’t shown up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet. But perhaps the concept could be adapted to vibranium.
In Marvel’s Hawkeye comics, Clint Barton’s arsenal contains arrows with adamantium tips. In Ultimates #13, he uses one of these arrows at the Hulk. While it’s not super effective against him, it could do some serious damage against an ordinary human. As any Wolverine fan knows, adamantium is no joke.
Clint Barton’s boomerang arrow
If we’re talking about Hawkeye’s dangerous arrows, this one certainly could rank near the top. But it might end up being dangerous for the archer who shoots it, too. In the comics, Clint uses it against Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #64.
And in the Marvel’s Hawkeye comics from 2012, by Matt Fraction and David Aja, the boomerang arrow makes another memorable appearance. In that series, Kate questions their usefulness, asking Clint why he created them in the first place. And he simply replies, “because boomerangs.”
These arrows actually have the potential to do some damage, though. No one would expect it, so Clint could catch his opponents unawares, taking them out before they realize what’s going on. It’s silly and seemingly not very helpful, but it could end up being more useful than one might expect.
And the existence of the boomerang arrow is an interesting glimpse into Clint’s psyche. For a character who is often pretty serious in the MCU, he has a bit of a lighthearted side that comes out in the comics. Hopefully, we’ll get more of a glimpse of that on the show.
Hawkeye is set to premiere on Disney+ on November 24.
