KATE BISHOP (Katherine Bishop, aka Hawkeye III)
Created By: Allan Heinberg & Jim Cheung
First Appearance: Young Avengers #1 (April 2005)
Role: Rich Brat, Legacy Character
Group Affiliations: The Young Avengers
PL 8 (119)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2
Skills:
Acrobatics 7 (+11)
Athletics 5 (+7)
Deception 3 (+5)
Expertise (Streetwise) 2 (+3)
Insight 2 (+3)
Investigation 3 (+4)
Perception 2 (+3)
Ranged Attack (Bow) +2 (+12)
Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Sword +3, Batons +1- Split), Defensive Roll, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Bow & Arrow), Precise Attack (Ranged/Concealment), Ranged Attack 5
Powers:
"Archer's Bow" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [27]
"Tear Gas Arrow" Affliction 8 (Fort; Dazed & Vision Impaired/Stunned & Disabled/Incapacitated & Unaware) (Extras: Extra Condition, Ranged, Area- 30ft. Burst) (32) -- (45 points)
- AE: "Standard Arrow" Blast 5 (Extras: Multiattack) (15)
- AE: "Titanium Arrow" Blast 5 (Extras: Penetrating 5) (15)
- AE: "Bolo Arrow" Snare 7 (Inaccurate -1) (20)
- AE: "Boomerang Arrow" Blast 5 (Feats: Split 2, Homing, Ricochet 2) (15)
- AE: "Explosive Arrow" Blast 9 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (27)
- AE: "Sonic Arrow" Dazzle Hearing 9 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (27)
- AE: "Flash Arrow" Dazzle Visuals 9 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (27)
- AE: "Gas Arrow" Sleep 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (24)
- AE: "Smoke Arrow" Obscure Visuals 2 (Extras: Attack, Area- 30ft. Burst) (12)
- AE: "Taser Arrow" Affliction 7 (Strength; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged) (Inaccurate -1) (13)
- AE: "Acid Arrow" Blast 5 Linked to Weaken Toughness 7 (Extras: Ranged, Affects Objects) (Inaccurate -1) (30)
- AE: "E.M.P. Arrow" Nullify Technology 5 (Extras: Sustained +2) (20)
- AE: "Cable Arrow" Movement 1 (Swinging) (2)
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Batons +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Sword +10 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Standard & Boomerang Arrows +11 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Dazzle & Gas Arrows +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Tear Gas Arrow +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Taser & Bolo Arrows +9 (+7 Ranged Affliction, DC 17)
Acid Arrow +9 (+5 Ranged Damage & +7 Ranged Weaken, DC 19 & 17)
Initiative +9
Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +2 (+3 D.Roll), Fortitude +5, Will +5
Complications:
Relationship (Clint Barton)- Kate took on Hawkeye's name while he was dead, and he let her keep it when he returned. She finds him exasperating and annoying, and frequently makes fun of him, yet is frustrated when he states matter-of-factly that he only gets along with her because he doesn't want to sleep with her.
Power Loss (Skills & Toughness)- In Hawkeye's most-recent series, Kate is like PL 7 and totally gets One-Punch-KO'd on a daily basis. It's the most Street Level thing ever.
Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 27 / Defenses: 14 (119)
Kate Bishop- Young Avenger:
-Kate Bishop is a neat part of the most-recent Hawkeye series- a smart-assed rich brat, she frequently makes fun of Clint for being short-sighted, foolish and immature, yet has basically taken him on as a weird sort of mentor while she babysits him. She made her debut when The Young Avengers roped her into one of their fights, and of course it turns out she's a great fighter and amazing with a bow. She acts above-it-all and frequently lectures others on their behavior (it's a given that Clint Barton needs this frequently), which makes her by far the most realistic teenage girl character in comics.
-Kate Bishop met the Young Avengers by being rescued by them, demonstrating great skills in that adventure (this was later explained by her being traumatized after an attack in Central Park, and using that to focus on self-defense training). Naturally, she decided to join the team- dressing up as a combo of Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Black Widow & Swordsman, which fit the team's "Sorta Like Avengers Legacies, Kinda" concept. Since "wandering up to superheroes while dressed like a superhero" is one of the time-honored methods of joining a superhero team, sure enough, Kate was an Avenger. Along the way, she befriended Stature and had a classic "Adversarial Coupling" relationship with Patriot, as they frequently tried to one-up and argue with each other and insist they're NOT together, which makes everyone immediately think that they will be. At this point, she was still "Kate Bishop" (which is part of why nobody ever uses her codename in the comics fandom).
-Eventually, the team was told to split up once more, but Kate stood up to Captain America, suggesting that if he'd accepted them and trained them, then the injured Patriot might have been spared that pain. Impressed, Jessica Jones gave him the original Hawkeye's bow & arrows, noting that the only other person to back-talk Cap like THAT was Clint Barton. Kate thus became the new "Hawkeye" (Clint was before this time, because Avengers Disassembled was dumb, and was at this time still thought-dead by most) and acted as an unregistered hero following Civil War. Quickly, however, she & Patriot meet Clint in a Cap disguise, and Kate's words of defiance (that she took on the title to honor the original Hawkeye) shame him into quitting Tony Stark's side and going his own path.
-The "Kate/Patriot" 'ship is immediately sunk in another story drawn by Alan Davis, and Kate meets up with Clint-As-Ronin, who defeats her in an archery contest using a basic, inferior bow, warning her to "always take the shot" (damn- just a decade later and that would be "don't throw away your shot"). Kate is shamed and gives up the "Hawkeye" name, even while Clint advocates for the Young Avengers to the other Secret Avengers, and when he spots her spying on them, he's impressed enough to insist she share his name. Along the way, she & Patriot have a few more teases, as Kate wants him to give her more time, but eventually that whole matter is dropped (as is Patriot, argely).
Kate Bishop in Hawkeye:
-Kate thus becomes a supporting character in Matt Fraction's legendary and respected Comedy Series Hawkeye, acting as a bit of a pain in the ass to Clint, whose concept is now "good hero whose home life is completely F'd up". Poor Clint just can't buy a win at this point (dealing with the hapless Tracksuit Mafia, weirdo villains, and a new girlfriend with a criminal backstory), and Kate is constantly admonishing him and annoying him. However, they pull a line here or there that indicates something more- when Clint suggests they have a good relationship because "I don't want to sleep with you", Kate acts like "well good", her self-narration ("dummy") makes it clear to me that she was interested and is kind of annoyed he doesn't see her that way.
-Kate in the series can be as hapless as Clint is (once being defeated by common grocery store thieves- a big part of Fraction's book was uncostumed heroes getting embarrassed or troubled by basic stuff- Clint got it MUCH worse), and also has to deal with the menacing Madame Masque, who has a bone to pick with her over a stolen identity. She learns that her father was implicated in Masque's criminal empire when, after a blow-up with Clint, she moves to L.A. and fights crime there, and finally rescues Clint in a triumphant moment, helping him defeat a hitman. The best part ever is when she says "You okay, Hawkeye?" and he responds "Yeah, Hawkeye".
-Subsequent books have not really done much with Kate, though elaborated upon her backstory, her criminal father, and her status with Clint- she is blamed when he publicly executes the Hulk, and attempts to be her own person. From what I can tell, she's actually shown up in a few other relationships, particularly Protector (the former Marvel Boy III), as she's one of those single characters who writers just LOVE to pair up with someone else they want to write. But honestly, I'm a big fan of Kate- her being a giant pain in the ass and a strong-willed lecturer is fun, and they never make her out to be "always right" or cheat to make her more likeable- other character are as likely to call her a pain in the ass as they are to be impressed. Based off of her role in Hawkeye, she'd make a great sidekick character in just about any book, but it seems like she hasn't been "a thing" in a while.
Kate's Capabilities:
-Kate is basically Mini-Hawkeye, doing quite well for herself sometimes, but generally being very fragile. She gets KO'd ALL THE TIME in the new Hawkeye book, but then, so does Clint. She has Hawkeye's Bow & Arrow, but I don't think she uses as many of the fancy bits. I left most of them in there, just in case. She helped the team against Kang the Conqueror, and later had her father's company's warehouse used as their base wehn the elder Avengers told them to split up.