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Hawkeye's Branding is a Comic Book Reference to Clint's Original Costume


Warning! This article contains spoilers for Hawkeye! Read at your own risk!

For two straight episodes, Kate Bishop cannot stop blabbering about the branding issue of Clint Barton and his Hawkeye suit is not that distinct as other heroes. While he tries to defend his outfit of choice, she continues to bug him about it, even sketching his new costume with symbolic meanings but more than that, her vision pays tribute to a comic book reference on the marksman’s original costume.

Hawkeye's Branding is a Comic Book Reference to Clint's Original Costume

Hawkeye's Branding is a Comic Book Reference to Clint's Original Costume
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Credit: Marvel Studios
Hawkeye's Branding is a Comic Book Reference to Clint's Original Costume

In Episode 2 of Hawkeye, a kid points to a hero and when they looked, it was Katniss Everdeen, another archer in a black bodysuit. Kate tells Clint that he has a problem with branding and that what he wears seems generic that it could be anyone else’s suit, that it is not recognizable as that of other heroes in comparison to the other Avengers.

Even after being captured and having to escape from the Tracksuit mafia, Kate is persistent with the branding of Hawkeye, telling Clint that such is a must for a hero like him so he could continue to be an inspiration to others. While Clint seems disinterested, Kate continued to sketch and she drew a costume which is a callback to the original Hawkeye costume in the comics.

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The headpiece even has an “H” for Hawkeye and she further explained that it could give him an identity. Kate drew the costume of Hawkeye in the comics and if you haven’t seen it yet, it is a purple suit with a cover on the eyes and it is just so distinct, far from the ones Clint wears over the years in the MCU which is mostly black.

Still, in Episode 3, it was shown that purple is his color as his special arrows have that same hue with the Play-Doh arrow and smoke arrow both emitting that color. Kate also wears the same color and she was seen wearing a costume that is near her comic book counterpart.

Let’s see if Clint accepts another suit in the series. Hawkeye’s next episode will be out streaming on Disney Plus.

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