Marvel VS. DC: Hawkeye V.S. Green Arrow.

The ultimate question. Marvel, or D.C.? This one question has dogged comic readers everywhere since their first comic, and with this post as a starting point, I hope to answer the question once and for all. This will be the first post in a series of battles of similar Marvel and D.C. heroes, deciding which is better once and for all. The first battle? Marvel's Hawkeye against D.C.'s Green Arrow.

But, before the fight begins, a little background on each character.

Hawkeye (Marvel): Marvel's resident sharpshooter made his first appearance in Tales of Suspense #57 in September of 1964, grabbing the fans attention but not really hitting it big with the general public until being featured in the 2010 movie The Avengers.

Now... The character.
Clinton Francis "Clint" Barton was only 14 years old when he joined a traveling circus, and soon gained the attention of the circus' trick archer, who, noticing the boy's natural talent, taught him how to use a bow and arrow. Clint soon began to perform with the circus under the stage persona "Hawkeye the Marksman". After witnessing the super-team known as "The Avengers" in action, Barton decided to use his abilities for good, adopting his stage persona to fight crime as "Hawkeye"! Using an arsenal of trick arrows, including explosive, net, and boomerang varieties. Hawkeye soon sparked the interest of the top secret spy agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., who recruited him as an agent. Barton continued to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. even after joining the very team that inspired him to become a hero, the Avengers!


Green Arrow (D.C.): D.C.'s own emerald archer made his debut in More Fun Comics #73 in November of 1941, becoming instantly popular for years to come and gaining his own television series, titled Arrow, in 2012.

Again... The character.
Oliver Jonas "Olly" Queen was a billionaire playboy, born into a wealthy family, but while on a cruise in the South Sea, a corrupt business partner pushed him overboard. Queen washed up on a desert island, and fashioned a crude bow and arrow to help him survive. Olly was eventually rescued, and after returning home, donned a Robin Hood style costume, as well as an armory of specialty arrows, including boxing glove, cryogenic,  and grappling hook arrows, to fight evil as the vigilante marksman known as "Green Arrow"!  G.A.'s skills soon earned him a spot in the superhero group known as the Justice League of America, where he would remain a constant member of the roster and help them in many battles.


Now... It's battle time.
Hawkeye and Green Arrow stand on fairly even ground, both are expert archers, and both have fairly similar arsenals of arrows. But, if they were to fight, who would shoot first? My answer? Green Arrow. Oliver Queen's cocky and easy to anger personality make him the obvious choice for the first shot. First arrow? Boxing glove. G.A. wants to humiliate his opponent first, before making any serious attacks. Hawkeye would have an arrow nocked and ready by the time Green Arrow fired, but having to dodge Arrow's attack would throw off his aim so he misses G.A. by a fair margin. Both archers have personal vows against lethal violence, so neither one is aiming to kill. Both fighters also have skills other than archery, mainly martial arts, in which they are also pretty evenly matched. A fight between the two has the potential to go on for hours, with both combatants trading attacks, and trash talking for the whole fight, but at the end of it all, due to extensive training, with the circus, S.H.I.E.L.D., and during his time with the Avengers, Hawkeye stands victorious.

In this first Marvel V.S. D.C. battle, Marvel and Hawkeye are the winner. Some of you may disagree, but that's the way it goes.

                                                                                           -Tony Snark