The Archer, Amour, And Espionage

Should I take Hawkeye's casual hookup with the redheaded lady in Hawkeye #3 (I'm guessing she's the "Cherry" mentioned in the future solicits) means his relationship with Jessica Drew is kaput?

I'll be honest, I stay so far away from most Avengers books (largely because of Bendis), I didn't even know Jessica and Clint had become an item until I read a review of Avengers #30 that mentioned they came to the conclusion they each had too much baggage to make it work. I knew there'd been some flirtatious banter, but come on, when he isn't in a relationship, Hawkeye flirts with just about every woman.

It doesn't explain that phone conversation he had with Mockingbird in Avengers Solo where he insisted that no, he hadn't brought "her" with him to an isolated cabin of Bobbi's where he was going to hide the people he was helping. I had no idea who the "her" was at the time, but I guess it was Spider-Woman.

Anyway, I figure if Clint's fooling around with other women, then he probably isn't in a committed relationship at the moment. One thing I like about Hawkeye is that, for all the stupid things he says and does, he is generally faithful to whoever he's in a relationship with*. He'll still say and do stupid things - letting his mouth outrun his brain at the worst moment is another of his character traits - but he's doesn't fool around. Not on Natasha, not on Bobbi (he screwed that one up in other ways), not on Karla Sofen. A month ago, I bought the hardcover that collected, among other things, the Hawkeye mini-series from the '80s where he met Bobbi. Though they wind up together by the end of it, when it starts he's in a relationship with Shelia Danning, one of his bosses, and the reveal that's she been up to no good and playing him for a sap sends him into a massive funk. He's pretty much oblivious to the fact Bobbi's interested in him until very late in the mini-series, well after what he and Shelia had is conclusively dead. Of course, it's also clear Hawkeye does rebound, sometimes faster than others, so it wouldn't be a surprise he meets another woman he likes not long after he and Jess split.

However, there was one other thing I noticed thinking over his past history, and that's his tendency to fall for women versed in the espionage trade. The Black Widow and Mockingbird, obviously, but Jessica Drew has a long history as a double and triple-agent. Shelia wasn't a spy, but she was playing at liking Hawkeye to keep him duped. Dr. Karla Sofen doesn't have an espionage background either, but if you consider that part of that job is understanding what makes a person tick so you can move them around as need be, then Sofen's an expert. The only two I can think of that wouldn't really fit the bill are the Scarlet Witch and the Wasp. The former never went anywhere, because Wanda wasn't interested in Clint that way, and the latter was written by Chuck Austen, which I'm guessing qualifies it for an asterisk**.

All the relationships he's been in that lasted any period of time have been with women who are, not more devious, necessarily. More clever, more worldly perhaps? I'm not sure what it means. 3 of the 5 (Natasha, Karla, Shelia) started out with the lady in question manipulating Hawkeye, but Natasha and Karla both developed genuine feelings for him over time (though Karla was having issues with the Moonstone at the time, so I don't know how we factor that in). Hawkeye's attracted to smart women? They're attracted to his honesty and straightforward approach, his openness with his feelings?

Natasha, for example, is very good at concealing her true feelings when she needs to. It's part of the job. Someone may disgust her, but if they are necessary to complete her mission, she sets that aside and works with them. She's probably already thinking of ways to make sure they go down as well, but she doesn't let it distract her. Hawkeye, on the other hand, pretty much says what he feels. If he's angry, he says so. If he likes you, he says that, too. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he lets it rule him if he's not careful. There's also the arrogance and insecurity that can be played with. Which makes him a prime target for manipulation by someone with that goal in mind. Which can certainly explain how things started with some of these women, but not all, and not why things changed between him and Natasha/Karla.

It's interesting, because it's an inversion of that old Western trope where the kind young schoolteacher manages to tame the rough and tumble cow-puncher/honorable bandit guy***. Hawkeye's the more open, naive person, but his honesty and belief in redemption gradually wins over at least some of the cynicism. They see the good guy beneath the bluster, and decides it's someone they like, rather than someone they can use.

In some ways, it could also portray Hawkeye as the younger person in each relationship. It isn't as though he's had an easy life, but he is in some ways so much less aware of the uglier aspects of how the world runs, that it makes him seem less experienced than the woman he's currently involved with. I don't know the ages of everyone involved to know whether that's true or not. The Black Widow is clearly older, by a lot, and I would imagine if Karla and Bobbi had enough time to gain doctorates and become established in their fields then they're both probably older as well. I'm less sure about Jessica and Shelia, but I wouldn't be surprised, and it's a little different for the guy to be the younger person in the relationship. This being superhero comics, none of them look older than Hawkeye, but it's still another interesting piece. That he's consistently attracted to older, more worldwise women, and most of the time, they end up being attracted to him as well (even if it takes awhile).

* This in contrast to Green Arrow who, for all he frequently declares how much he cares about the Black Canary, sure seems to sleep around a lot. I think it's been more of a problem since Kevin Smith brought him back from the dead, but I'm pretty sure there were flare-ups between Dinah and Ollie over prior to his death as well. Which is fine, that can be a character trait, and it fits with all the contradictions in Ollie's character, that he deeply loves one woman, but can't seem to stop being a cad.

** It's hard to tell if anyone would have followed up on it. Hawkeye died in the very next storyline, and I don't think he and Janet had any chances to interact between the time he returned and her death/disappearance at the end of Secret Invasion. That no one made an attempt, though, probably says a lot about the other writers' view on it.

*** Unless it's just the "make an honest woman of her" thread. Which would be less interesting, and wouldn't really work for Bobbi, certainly, and not really Jessica, either, since they didn't enter into the relationships with Clint with ulterior motives. I prefer the inverted Western trope theory myself, but figured I better at least mention this one.