As the two archers of DC and Marvel, Green Arrow and Hawkeye have been compared to one another time and again, but Clint is really much closer to Nightwing. Where Oliver and Clint draw the line at their choice of weapon, Nightwing's backstory compares much closer to the Marvel archer. Both in personality and training, as well as upbringing, the two heroes are more alike than many may think.
Both heroes grew up in the circus, which led to many unique experiences for them and shaped their motivations and personalities as they got older. As the best performers, Hawkeye and Nightwing had much to prove when they became fighters. Being trained by the best of the best and their own personal heroes allowed them to turn over a new leaf and use their unique skills to protect the innocent.
Their similarities start with their upbringing among the circus, and while Nightwing's history is a lot more well-known, not many know of Hawkeye's delve into the performance arts. As shown in Hawkeye: Blindspot #1 by Jim McCann, Paco Diaz, Tomeo Morey, and Clayton Cowles, Hawkeye was raised to become the circus's resident archer. Quickly Clint rose up the ranks, training well enough to be named the "World's Best Marksman." He first joined the Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonders before moving on to many more circuses and carnivals. He later uses his experience in the circus to turn his crime-fighting into a kind of performance, similar to Nightwing's acrobatic fighting style. Sometimes Hawkeye even shows off by hitting a mark that is completely unnecessary to his mission but still creates a cool demonstration for his archery skills.
Hawkeye and Nightwing's Upbringings Are Parallels To One Another
Both Nightwing and Hawkeye's circus careers ended with a crime, and the two gained the motivation to fight because of it. The circus was young Clint Barton's home; especially after his parents were gone they practically raised Clint. While the circus provided him comfort, Clint was unfortunate enough to witness a crime. His mentor, Swordsman, was a criminal who stole money and put others at risk. When Clint caught him and turned him in, the original carnival no longer welcomed him. Through his run-ins with the criminal element, Clint Barton set out to become a hero, having seen the horrors of the world. He had to prove he was serious about it in Hawkeye: Blindspot #2 by showing his fellow Avengers that he could use his archery skills for good. In proving himself to the Avengers, he accomplished something that Dick Grayson also had to do in order to gain Batman's trust before he could become Robin.
Both Clint and Dick had their parents taken away from them through violent murders, and once they were orphaned they both became incredibly angry at the world. Once he decided to become a hero, Hawkeye had to learn that criminals and villains needed to be brought to justice in humane ways. The Avengers had to teach Clint to control himself and that he could stop his enemies without killing them, similar to Batman showing Dick he didn't need to kill his parents' murderers. Early in their hero careers their anger issues would get in the way of their abilities sometimes, but ultimately they learned how to control their emotions and set them aside when fighting evil and protecting others.
While they may both operate with bows and arrows, the similarities between Hawkeye and Green Arrow are really only surface-level. The resemblance between Clint and Dick go much deeper. Their backstories are important to their development and shaped how they fight crime as heroes. Marvel has consistently shown that Hawkeye has a lot more in common with Nightwing than he has ever had with DC's Green Arrow.