Hawkeye Backstory

The Hawkeye Backstory by Steve Englehart was actually the first time I’ve read about the Marvel comic book series. In fact, it took me almost forty years! I started reading comics when I was ten years old, and for some reason I neglected to pick up a few issues of Hawkeye. I guess I grew up in a place where superheros and toys ruled the culture, not superheroes. But in any case, when I finally picked up the comic book back in ’95, I was surprised to find out there was more to this super hero than I had ever known.

As a child in the ’80s, I had my favorite comic characters, including Batman and Robin. I didn’t know much about the background of Hawkeye, or how he got his start. I had only seen him in the TV show, but I assumed he was a rich playboy who came from a wealthy family. But as I read about his background, I realized that was actually a very normal story for superheroes. Hawkeye, as a child, was deeply concerned about his parents’ divorce, and after seeing his best friend killed during a battle with Magneto, he decided to become a masked avenger.

That was the beginning of the great Hawkeye storyline. Steve Englehart went to work and created a fantastic story about this unknown avenger. You learn a lot about Hawkeye through the short story. There are several hints throughout the comic book and in the episodes that you watch on television. For example, in the very first episode, we see that Hawkeye was an assistant to a professor before he became a hunter. We also learn that he was married before he went into the field of hunting super heroes, and that his wife had passed away.

In one scene, Hawkeye points out to Jean Grey that his father was one of Magneto’s first recruits at the Xavier Institute. If you haven’t guessed, the Professor is Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops. So you’d think there’d be a link right off the bat. There certainly is.

In the third episode, Hawkeye is seen taking over Blackacre, where Professor X had been located. In the previous series, he and Wolverine were assigned to watch over mutantkind after Wolverine’s resurrection, and it looked as if they had a good thing going. However, in this latest episode, they learn that Xorgon, the Human Torch, has gone rogue. He kills Blackacre and starts a war with the X-Men.

So now that you know what Hawkeye’s background is, how would you like to find out more about the man who gave the X-Men their name? It might be worth your while to start checking out some of the classic comics featuring the character. They do tell a nice behind the scenes story. Plus, you can always just read about him in a comic book.