A former Olympic archer, Clint Barton was freed from death row and became a U.S. intelligence agent over a decade ago. Active around the world, he was present for the liberations of Kosovo and Afghanistan, as well as the fall of the Berlin Wall. He became a close friend and frequent colleague of fellow agent Nick Fury, and the two operatives were key founders of the modern intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D.. Both rose through the ranks until Fury became the agency's director and Barton (code-named Hawkeye) became an elite agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s black ops division, often partnered with ex-KGB espionage legend Natasha Romanov (code-named Black Widow). Despite his dangerous, globe-spanning profession, Barton managed to build a more stable family life than most of his peers, residing for years with his girlfriend Laura (who had recently became his wife), with whom he had three children: Callum, Lewis, and baby Nicole, named after her godfather, Nick Fury. Hawkeye habitually phoned his family before every mission to say goodbye, just in case he never returned; but he always did.
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History
FIRST APPEARANCE: Ultimates #7(September, 2002)