Black Widow & Hawkeye # 3

 By Mark Rodriguez

Hawkeye is on the run after having killed the Russian Minister. Now both American and Japanese agents are after him as well as bad guys. Black Widow caught up to him but a gunman managed to shoot Hawkeye with poisoned darts. Only Black Widow's symbiote can help him survive... but it doesn't like Hawkeye. Meanwhile we find out that the gunman was working for Damon Dran and he really wants Hawkeye dead.... What will happen next?

 

"Broken Arrow Part 3" opens with a flashback to the Russian Embassy. Hawkeye shoot an explosive arrow that knocks out the security guard. He ziplines onto the building and makes his way inside as he's looking for Natasha. Someone suddenly calls out and asks Hawkeye if he purposely meant to knock out an armed guard while sneaking into the Russian Embassy, since that would be awkward. Hawkeye turns to see Iron Man.

Iron Man jokes that the embassy is commonly confused for a burger joint and they should really put a sign up. Hawkeye draws his bow and tells him to stay out of this. Iron Man says that Black Widow is a Russian operative, and it's not their business. Hawkeye is surprised that Iron Man seems to be ok with Snapdragon kidnapping Black Widow. Iron Man says it's what's best for everyone since they can't allow a Soviet Spy to run around spying on the states. Hawkeye says they'll kill her.

Iron Man says he understands that Hawkeye cares about Black Widow, and better men than him have fallen for her eyes. He says she is incapable of doing anything other than using him, so he suggests they leave before Hawkeye does something he regrets.

 

 

Hawkeye shoots Iron Man with an arrow. Iron Man complains that he just polished the armor as he pulls it out. The arrow explodes.

Black Widow is captured and her kidnapper, Damon Dran, comments on her 'most recent admirer' as he watches Hawkeye on his multiple view-screens. He says there are many that wish for Widow's life to end, but he offers to spare her if she works for him. Black Widow says she'd rather die that work for him and he should be more concerned for his own life, because Hawkeye is coming to end it.

 

In Madripoor in modern day, Hawkeye is coughing everything up, and Widow says he needs to get the toxins out of his system. Clint asks if she means the poison the assassin shot him with or the symbiote that she allowed to enter him. Widow says the symbiote saved his life. Clint asks at what cost.

Hawkeye looks in the mirror and asks if he'll become a monster like she did. Widow says he only came in contact with a small portion of the symbiote, though it did warn that might be some side-effects. Widow said when the symbiote bonded with her, it enhanced her feelings of anger, jealousy and mistrust. It took her a while to control her emotional responses. 

Clint falls over and Natasha catches him. She says he needs water and she'll get some from a market around the corner. As she leaves, Clint looks in the mirror and sees an evil smiling reflection looking back at him as the symbiote starts to talk in his mind. The symbiote says that Hawkeye feels anger and guilt consuming him. The symbiote  says that Natasha is here to help since he's broken and weak. It tells Clint that he needs her, but she doesn't need him. Clint punches the mirror, making it shatter completely as he yells for the symbiote to shut up.

Natasha comes back with water and some tablets for nausea, but she notices that Clint is gone. She calls him an idiot and says she told him not to listen to the symbiote. Natasha assumes her symbiote form and goes looking for him.

We return to the flashback at the Russian Embassy as Hawkeye crashes through the window, making his way inside. Armed gunmen show up and are surprised to see Hawkeye armed with a bow and arrow. 

 

Hawkeye shoots an arrow that webs up some of the men. As he kicks one of the men in the face, he prepares a second shot. This second arrow sticks the rest of the men to the walls in some sort of sticky goo. One of the men tells Damon that the archer has entered the building and has special arrows. Damon says he will take of this and leaves the man to watch over Black Widow.

Black Widow flirts with the man, saying she has an itch on her neck she just can't reach. The gunman says he's not falling for it. Widow shows she had already managed to untie her hands. She quickly ducks under the man's gunfire and grabs a knife from the nearby table. She stabs the man and takes the opportunity to scratch her itchy neck. She remarks that she feels better as she walks out of the room.

Back to Madripoor in present day, Hawkeye is sitting on a rooftop away from everyone.  The symbiote asks if he's scared. Hawkeye admits it and says he's doing the only thing he can do. He says Natasha is always the one making the sacrifices, so now he wants to help her out.

Just then the elevator on the roof opens up as the symbiote warns of danger coming close. The elevator opens and its empty, confusing Hawkeye. He suddenly gets shot on the arm, while he was distracted by the elevator. More gunmen arrive as the symbiote detects danger. Hawkeye asks the symbiote if it can do anything else but state the obvious. 

One of the men sets down a small device that acts like a holographic projector. A hologram of Damon shows up, surprising Hawkeye. Damon says that he heard that Hawkeye wanted to talk, so he's ready to talk before his men finish the job.

 Hawkeye wants to end this and says he will give him what he wants. Damon says his stunt with the Russian Minister won't stop their war. Hawkeye offers him to Damon as long as no one else is involved. Damon asks if he's referring to Natasha Romanoff. He says the archer is a terrible negotiator and asks why he'd ever want him.

Damon says he should be dead due to his poison, but he still stands, though not by his own actions. Hawkeye asks what's that supposed to mean. Damon says he needs the Black Widow but she does not need her. The symbiote in his said says he knows the truth. Hawkeye tries to fight but the gunmen hold him back. Damon says that Hawkeye would be nothing without the Black Widow, and thanks to him, he has another chance to kill her. The symbiote says that Damon knows that Clint is worthless.

My Thoughts-

In this issue we get more of the full flashback of how Hawkeye found Black Widow, and sure enough Snapdragon was working for Damon Dran. I like how the flashback acknowledges Black Widow's debut outfit. Sometimes comics like to go back and retcon character into wearing more modern outfits in flashbacks (looking at you New 52), so it's nice to see the classic look. It seems Hawkeye always wore a variation of his classic look with the H on his forehead and all that, while it didn't take too long for Widow to switch to her black catsuit.

 

This one goes deep into Hawkeye's insecurities, though they are amplified by the symbiote inside him. While Hawkeye takes advantage of the fact that he's always underestimated, even he suffers bouts of feeling worthless at times. Despite usually being on a team with super powered individuals, he always carried his weight and didn't let that bother him. 

As for Damon, so far it seems he really wanted Hawkeye dead as a way to lure Black Widow to go after him. Unless the final flashback next issue shows Hawkeye attempting to kill Damon, it seems he's just a means to end for the villain. With both Damon and the symbiote calling him worthless, we'll see next issue if Clint can prove them wrong. As for the symbiote, sheesh, the last thing Hawkeye needs while gunmen are coming after him is an anti-hype man ringing in his ear.

I do have to add that even though this story isn't about that, it still bugs me that the real Black Widow is dead and we're supposed to forget that this is a clone. It's particularly annoying since this story deals with past events coming back to haunt the heroes in current day. The only problem is, the Black Widow that Hawkeye met them is not the same one he's hanging with now. Someone should tell Damon that evil Captain America already beat him to killing Natasha and he's just chasing a carbon copy.

It's very unlikely Marvel will ever bring back the real Natasha Romanoff through comic book shenanigans, but I would like to see her react to all the adventures her stand-in had in her absence. "I once had a Venom symbiote, what?"