In Marvel ComicsHawkeye, aka Clint Barton, is known not only for being an expert archer, but for being a heroic, long-standing member of the Avengers. The hero has an alternative identity known as Ronin; a darker version of the character that specializes in lethal tactics. When Hawkeye acquired a Venom symbiote in one of the 2015 Secret Wars tie-ins, it turned him into an even more proficient and deadly version of Ronin.

Clint Barton first took on the mantle of Ronin during the Dark Reign storyline from Andy Diggle, Scott Hanna, and Tom Raney, which sees Norman Osborn wreak havoc on the world after being given complete control of H.A.M.M.E.R. Osborn creates his own team of Avengers, one in which the villain Bullseye takes on the identity of Hawkeye, leading to Clint's new persona as Ronin. He wears a ninja-esque uniform, and in place of his usual bow and arrows, he opts for melee weapons like swords, staves, and nunchaku.

Related: Hawkeye's Weirdest Trick Arrow Is Much Too Goofy For The MCU

Ronin appears as a more humanoid Venom and is referred to as such in Civil War #3 by Charles Soule, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, and Sunny Gho, an alternate telling of the original Civil War event taking place on Doctor Doom's new Battleworld. This twisted version of Ronin has enhanced physical abilities and is able to form weapons out of symbiote matter. The symbiote also increases his lethal intent, as the hero uses the late Elektra's billy club as a projectile to ruthlessly kill King Ock, an amalgamated version of Doc Ock and Kingpin.

Everything that made Ronin who he was in the main Marvel Universe is present in this alternate reality, just in a more ghoulish yet efficient manner. This Clint doesn't have to worry about carrying weapons around; the symbiote takes care of that for him. Furthermore, Clint has relied on trick arrows to make up for his lack of superpowers, something the symbiote now grants him. In short, the strength and versatility of the Venom symbiote coupled with Clint's skills as a tactician and martial artist makes this the ultimate version of Ronin. The only things Clint would feasibly have to worry about is fire and high-pitched frequencies, known weaknesses of symbiotes.

This Venom Ronin would probably have trouble against Spider-Man, but that's because the symbiote and the wall-crawler go way back. Aside from that, this form of Ronin is an absolute terror. Ronin is a darker, more lethal version of Hawkeye, but when he gets combined with the twisted nature of the Venom symbiote, he becomes that much more formidable.

More: She-Hulk and Hawkeye's Son Have The Perfect Power Combo (That Marvel Missed)