After several beta weekends and a full launch, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have unveiled their first post-launch hero for Marvel's Avengers. The first hero will be none other than Kate Bishop, the new Hawkeye and Clint Barton's protégé. Here's everything to know about Kate Bishop before she appears in the game.
Kate Bishop first appeared in the first issue of Young Avengers in 2005. She's the third — and most recent — person to fight under the Hawkeye name. The character is expected to officially join the Marvel Cinematic Universe through the upcoming Disney+ Hawkeye series, and reports claim Hailee Steinfeld is set to portray the MCU version of Kate Bishop. This means fans should get a whole lot more of the character in the future.
Although she has appeared as a younger teen in Ultimate Marvel and Young Avengers, the video game version of Kate Bishop looks to be a bit older. In Marvel's Avengers, Kate Bishop is voiced by Ashly Burch, who also voices Aloy in Horizon: Zero Dawn and the upcoming sequel Horizon: Forbidden West. Now that everyone knows Kate Bishop will be Marvel's Avengers' first post-launch DLC character, the biggest questions are how the character relates to game's plot and what her skillset will look like.
What Kate Bishop's Story And Skills Are In Marvel's Avengers
Thanks to the most recent Avengers War Table from developer Crystal Dynamics, there's quite a few things to know about Kate Bishop's character in Marvel's Avengers. The first post-launch DLC story, which is being called Operation Taking AIM, is set to release in October. This Operation will directly continue from the ending of Marvel's Avengers' main story, dealing with reassembling the Avengers. Although it's a direct continuation, Kate Bishop's Hawkeye will have a new villain to face. Clint Barton's version of Hawkeye is set to appear as a separate Operation in November, but he may appear in Bishop's story as well.
The other big question is regarding Kate Bishop's combat skills. It's been confirmed her skills will be unique from the other Avengers' abilities in the base game. In the comics, Bishop's Hawkeye was a highly-trained martial artist. In addition to her archery skills, she could also wield dual battle staves. An impressive fencer as well, Kate Bishop was more than adept with swords. Based on Marvel's Avengers' use of combat ratings, players could use her signature bow-and-arrow moves for Ranged attacks, while incorporating her martial artist and fencer skills for Melee. This would make her in-game abilities different than Clint Barton's Hawkeye, since Barton's skills in the comics are more acrobatic and don't involve swordplay.
Overall, Kate Bishop will make an exciting first post-launch character for Marvel's Avengers. Her version of Hawkeye promises to have different combat moves from the other Avengers, and will most likely be a little different from Clint Barton's Hawkeye as well. Fans will finally get to play as Kate Bishop's Hawkeye when the Operation Taking AIM DLC drops in October.