Clint Barton aka Hawkeye has no shortage of trick arrows that are perfectly equipped for any given battle situation, though one of them stands above the rest as it can actually take down Venom, one of the toughest antiheroes in the Marvel Universe, like it’s nothing–and Hawkeye invented it completely by accident.
When Hawkeye was introduced in Marvel Comics, he wasn’t the heroic Avenger fans know him as today, but was actually a criminal who used his skills in archery to pull off seemingly impossible heists. However, at his core, Hawkeye was not a bad person and actually became a master archer in the hopes of one day being a superhero. Even though Hawkeye originally used his talents to pursue a life of crime, his time as a criminal was ironically spent in making him a better hero as Hawkeye was able to refine the skills he would later tap into while acting as an Avenger. Not only did Hawkeye master the art of archery, but he also mastered the practice of making trick arrows, some of which were so advanced that it was almost as if he had superpowers himself. Some of his most useful trick arrows include explosive-tip arrows, cable arrows, and net arrows–and those are barely a fraction of what Hawkeye is capable of making as he constantly experiments with newer and more useful arrows to add to his ever-growing collection.
In Avengers #18 by Stan Lee and Don Heck, the Avengers are enjoying some much needed down-time following their previous mission where the heroes battled Mole Man and his deadly minotaur minion. While some are taking the time to relax, Hawkeye stays busy by committing himself to the invention of an all-new kind of trick arrow, one capable of moving a one-ton object with a single shot. After weeks of work, Hawkeye is successful in making his immensely strong arrow, and after readers see it in action, Clint doesn’t shy away from explaining exactly how he pulled it off. By creating an arrow head that vibrated at just the right frequency pitch, Hawkeye was able to use the arrow to lift the one-ton safe with nothing but ultrasonic vibration.
While Hawkeye’s goal was to make an arrow capable of knocking down even the most brutish of enemies–whether that be the Hulk or someone far more sinister yet equally as strong–he accidentally created the perfect Venom-killing weapon. Like all symbiotes, Venom has two main weaknesses: fire and sound. While Venom can be disturbed by close proximity to loud noises such as church bells or incessant ringing–as fans have seen before in the comics–he would be absolutely devastated by ultrasonic vibrations, especially ones that were being emitted from the tip of an arrow that was shot directly at him.
After adding this particular trick arrow to his quiver, Hawkeye could take down Venom no problem, and the fight wouldn’t even be close. All Barton would have to do is shoot the symbiote with the ultrasonic arrow, then as Venom is losing his mind from the high pitch frequency, unload incendiary arrows on the beast and watch as he burns into nothing but scorched earth–that’s how useful this particular arrow could be, and the funny thing is, Hawkeye invented it entirely by accident.
Hawkeye’s perfect Venom-killing weapon not only highlights his ingenuity, but also his effectiveness as a worthy, and incredibly deadly, member of the Avengers.