By far, one of the most exciting things aboutMarvel’s Avengersis the fact that Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have plans to support the game post-launch for quite some time. From new story missions to playable heroes, players can expect to see regular updates to the game starting with the release of Kate Bishop aka Hawkeye and the ‘Taking AIM’ operation in late October, followed by Clint Barton’s Hawkeye sometime in November, andSpider-Man in early 2021 for PlayStation players. Of course, that’s not all that’s on the horizon, just what’s been announced so far.
While the character of Hawkeye is fairly well-known from the movies, it’s safe to say that many players might not be familiar with the first DLC hero coming toMarvel’s Avengers. Sharing the moniker of Hawkeye, Kate Bishop has featured in some pretty major events of the past decade including storylines like Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Secret Wars. Events aside, before Kate Bishop as Hawkeye, as well as the traditional Hawkeye, make their full debut inMarvel’s Avengers, here are some of the best stories to read from the comics.
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Young Avengers (2005-2006) by Allan Heinberg
The very first appearance of Kate Bishop happened in the pages ofYoung Avengers (2005) #1, so it’s not a bad place to start for those looking to get a lengthy and detailed backstory on the character.Young Avengers runs for twelve issues before tying into some pretty major events including Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Siege. Taking place after the events ofHouse of M,Young Avengersfollows a young Nathaniel Richards fleeing from his future timeline where he would becomeKang the Conquerer, and forming a team of heroes that are related to the Avengers including Ant-Man’s daughter, Cassandra Lang.
Hawkeye (2012-2015) by Matt Fraction
Universally considered as one of (if not the) best Hawkeye storylines ever written,Hawkeyeby Matt Fractions and David Aja breathes new life into Clint Barton while making Kate Bishop an exciting and interesting character. The series stars Clint Barton in the titular role, while Fractions' run does a brilliant job at exploring therelationship between Clint Barton and Kate Bishopas they partner up to take on street-level crime in Brooklyn. It’s a lighthearted and fun read with a deep dive into these two characters.
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Hawkeye: Kate Bishop (2016) by Kelly Thompson
Kelly Thompson’s 2016Hawkeye: Kate Bishoprun marks the first and the only time the character has ever gotten to go out on her own in a solo series. Despite being a relatively short run overall,Hawkeye: Kate Bishopexplores the character without being tied to Clint Barton, the Avengers, or global threats, and sees her head out to Los Angeles where she works as a Private Investigator.Hawkeye: Kate Bishopworks as a great extension of the Matt Fraction run and is a must-read for any Kate Bishop fan.
West Coast Avengers (2018-2019) by Kelly Thompson
Finally, the last book for those that want to get as much of a backstory on Kate Bishop as they possibly can is the short-livedWest Coast Avengersseries from 2018. When theHawkeye: Kate Bishopsolo series came to an end, it was immediately proceeded by a twelve-issue run calledWest Coast Avengers(also written by Kelly Thompson) which explored one of the wackiest groups around: Kate Bishop, Hawkeye (Clint Barton), America Chavez, Kid Omega, Gwenpool, and Fuse.West Coast Avengersis a little out thereand it’s not going to be for everyone, but it’s another fun and lighthearted story that also features both Hawkeyes.
When Kate Bishop makes her debut inMarvel’s Avengersin late October, her storyline will follow directly after the events of the game’s main campaign mode. The new operation, which is appropriately calledMarvel’s Avengers: Kate Bishop — Taking AIM?will introduce Kate Bishop (voiced by Ashly Burch) as a brand new fully playable hero with her own unique abilities, a new Shield base location called Substation Zero, a new playable location which looks to take place in the Snowy Tundra, and a new villain for players to face off against.
While very little is known beyond what was revealed in the trailer, the first DLC is being treated as a “double feature” and will tie directly into the November operation,Marvel’s Avengers: Hawkeye — Future Imperfect,starring Clint Barton aka Hawkeye, who is MIA throughout the main campaign and operation Taking AIM. Clint and Kate have a strong friendship and connection in the comics, something that player will explore in theMarvel’s AvengersDLC stories, so any of the mentioned comics will offer a good insight into who both of these characters are before the DLC kicks off next month.
Marvel’s Avengersis out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One
