Hawkeye: Every Hero & Villain Who Used the Ronin Persona in the Comics

While the Avengers have seen their fair share of mysterious mantles, few compare to the guise of Ronin. Since the identity first appeared in Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch’s original New Avengers series, Ronin – a name which denotes a masterless samurai – has been used as a force for good and evil. While most famously used by Hawkeye in the MCU, the Ronin identity has been taken up by several heroes and villains.

Across these various incarnations, a few things have remained constant for the men and women under the mask – they must have an affinity for weaponry, they must have incredible fighting skills, and they must have a reason for keeping their identity under wraps. While Hawkeye held the mantle longest, more than a half dozen others have picked up the mask and lived to tell the tale. 

Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil (Almost)

Before Ronin officially appeared in New Avengers, Marvel teased that they would be adding a new character to the Marvel Universe. Ronin appeared on variant covers for early issues of the series and the seeds were planted for their upcoming appearance. Originally, the plan was for Daredevil to use the role of Ronin whenever he was on the New Avengers. At the time, Matt Murdock had just had his identity revealed to the press in the comics, so picking up a new identity was necessary in order for him to protect the other members of the team. However, the secret identity behind Ronin was leaked to the press before the comic came out, so the creative team changed directions. It worked out for the best, as Daredevil was imprisoned shortly after and wouldn’t have been able to run around with the New Avengers even if he tried.

Maya Lopez, aka Echo

In place of Matt Murdock, fellow vigilante Echo became the first user of the Ronin persona. Maya first appeared as Ronin in New Avengers(Vol 1) #11, after Daredevil recommended her services to Captain America. She helped Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as they fought against the Hand, Hydra, the Yashida Clan, and Silver Samurai while in Japan. Though she did not join the team, she left them on good terms and would eventually become an Avenger later on as Echo, leaving the role of Ronin for somebody else to pick up.

Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye

Clint Barton had a rough go of things in the early ’00s. He was killed during Avengers Disassembled, brought back to life in House of M, erased from reality by the Scarlet Witch, and then brought back again. When he returned, the former Hawkeye was understandably shaken up and wandered the Earth trying to rediscover his purpose in the world. When Captain America was killed in the aftermath of Civil War, Clint returned to the United States to hold Iron Man accountable for his actions. He briefly wore the mantle of Captain America, before deciding that it was inappropriate for him to take over from Steve. Instead, he joined his former teammates, becoming Ronin in New Avengers(Vol 1) #27.

Clint operated as Ronin for years, adapting his crime-fighting style to incorporate more weapons than his standard bow-and-arrow. Clint truly embodied the masterless samurai aspect of the character, as he was trying to live up to the ideal that Steve had left behind. Over time, Clint became the central figure of the New Avengers, leading the team through Secret Invasion and against the forces of Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers during Dark Reign. After Steve returned as Captain America during Siege, Clint felt like he had rediscovered himself and returned to his role as Hawkeye.

Alexei Shostakov, aka Red Guardian

In the immediate aftermath of Clint’s return as Hawkeye, he teamed up with his ex-wife Mockingbird in the newly established World Counter-Terrorism Authority (WCA). Unfortunately, he soon discovered that somebody was trying to kill Mockingbird and many other spies. The pair teamed up with the Black Widow in Widowmaker and faced off against a new incarnation of Ronin – Alexei Shostakov. Alexei was the ex-husband of the Black Widow and had previously operated as the Red Guardian for Russia’s Winter Guard, but had turned his sights on destroying the world’s leading spy organizations in a mad quest for power. He was defeated by the Black Widow and left in critical condition, though he lived on to eventually return to his role as Red Guardian and plague the Avengers again.

Eric Brooks, aka Blade

For years, the role of Ronin remained vacant. However, when the Earth was attacked by Thanos and the Black Order, a new team was brought together. Among them was Spider-Hero, a vaguely familiar masked man who needed to keep his whereabouts a secret from mysterious enemies. Shortly after, the hero got an upgrade courtesy of Monica Rambeau and took on the mantle of Ronin in Mighty Avengers (Vol 2) #4. Eventually, it was revealed that the man behind the mask was Blade, who was caught up in a fight against the Deathwalkers, a group of immortals set on conquering the planet. After the Deathwalkers tracked down Blade, the Mighty Avengers combined their strength to create the ethereal being of the Avenger Prime and vanquished their evil plans.

Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye (Again)

With his Deathwalkers gone, Blade had no purpose for the Ronin attire and the mantle became vacant once more. When it eventually did pop back up in Hawkeye: Freefall, Ronin had gone rogue and was viciously attacking the crime lord known as the Hood and his various associates. The Avengers quickly confronted Hawkeye to see if he knew anything about the new Ronin, but they dropped their line of questions when Hawkeye himself was attacked by the mysterious masked menace.

Little did they know that they were onto something, as it really was Clint underneath the villainous mask. Clint used a time-travel device to appear in multiple places at the same time, and later recruited a Skrull to pretend to be Ronin and fight against him. At one point, Clint even used a Life-Model Decoy (LMD) of himself to elude capture. Eventually, Clint’s activity as Ronin got him in trouble and he lost the costume to…

Bullseye

While Clint was away antagonizing the Hood, Bullseye broke into his home. Bullseye had deduced that Hawkeye was Ronin, killed the Skrull who was impersonating Clint, and stole the Ronin outfit for himself. When he discovered the theft, Clint faced off against Bullseye in a final battle. Ultimately, he was able to defeat Bullseye, but the entire debacle dragged his name through the mud.

Marc Spector, aka Moon Knight

In the Ultimate Universe, Ronin was an alias used by Moon Knight to go undercover as an assassin for the Kingpin. At the time, Kingpin had successfully defeated many of the Ultimate Universe’s heroes, including Iron Fist, Daredevil, Shang-Chi, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man. In order to defeat him, the heroes teamed up and decided that the best way to trip him up would be be to send somebody undercover to get dirt on Kingpin. Unlike the regular 616 incarnations of Ronin, this was an entirely unique personality that Moon Knight was able to manifest in Ultimate Spider-Man#108. However, it was short lived, as Kingpin discovered his deception and attempted to murder Ronin. Ultimately, Moon Knight was able to survive, turned himself into the police, and had the Kingpin arrested for attempted murder.

T’Challa, aka Black Panther

Ronin is set to pop up again soon with a new man behind the mask. As shown in an upcoming variant cover for Black Panther (Vol 7) #25, T’Challa will be picking up the mantle of Ronin in Heroes Reborn. The story is set to feature a timeline in which the Avengers never formed, with the Squadron Supreme of America operating as the world’s premiere superhero team instead. While details are being kept under wraps as to what this means for T’Challa, his use of the Ronin persona implies that all may not be right in Wakanda – after all, this is a dark reality where Hawkeye himself is seen as a villain. Only time will tell what happens, but as is often the case with Ronin, the mystery is half the fun.

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