The Disney+ Hawkeye series is set to place Clint Barton front and center after a decade-long stay in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although he’s been a supporting player as part of the Avengers against the likes of Loki, Ultron, and Thanos, Hawkeye has had genuine moments of humanity and times where he’s displayed his expertise.
It’s the combination of these aspects that make him such a layered character, as Clint comes across as a humane individual who takes up the superhero mantle. The best way to analyze this is by looking into Hawkeye’s coolest and saddest quotes over the series, with these words portraying the characterization of the Avengers’ best marksman.
Badass: "Well, I Played 18, Shot 18. Just Can't Seem To Miss."
Clint has always been an ace when it comes to his skills and a common question about Hawkeye is if he can keep this accuracy all the time. Before the airport battle in Captain America: Civil War, Tony Stark thought Hawkeye had lost his skill, only to realize he’d been baited to an attack by Scarlet Witch.
As it happened, Tony claimed Hawkeye was better off playing golf rather than shooting arrows, to which Clint retaliated he was too good and didn’t miss. This was his way of giving Tony a warning that he had an ace up his sleeve and that no matter what happened, Clint would always retain his deadly accuracy.
Heartbreaking: "It Was Supposed To Be Me. She Sacrificed Her Life For That Stone, She Put Her Life On It."
Having been Black Widow’s best friend for several years, it was a cruel twist of fate that Clint had to watch her die. Among the saddest things about Hawkeye is that he continued to carry the guilt of Natasha’s death, as he was convinced he should’ve been the one to sacrifice himself.
After sharing this with his Avengers teammates, Clint then broke down and admitted he didn’t think the Soul Stone was worth losing Natasha over and he would have much preferred to be the one to go down in her place.
Badass: "I Need A Distraction. And An Eyeball."
Although he was Loki’s minion for half of The Avengers, Hawkeye was still a cool character to follow due to his no holds barred attitude. The plan of gaining Iridium to contain the Tesseract was Hawkeye’s who knew where the element was contained.
Rather than grovel to Loki like a normal mook, Hawkeye retained his sense of command even when mind-controlled and ordered Loki to create a distraction so he could get into the vault. This “evil” Hawkeye also ruthlessly suggested that Loki extract the eye of Heinrich Schafer, as his retina scan was needed to access the warehouse.
Heartbreaking: "Don't Give Me Hope."
The effect of Thanos’ Snap was extreme on Clint’s psyche, who became a cold and brutal vigilante. Although the exact nature of his exploits is unanswered for the Hawkeye series to explain, it’s known that he gave up all hope of seeing his terminated family ever again.
When Natasha found Clint following another violent extermination of criminals, her suggestion that there was a way to reverse the Snap brought tears to Clint’s eyes. This was due to his reluctance to be hurt once again, as Clint didn’t want to go through the pain of believing he could be happy again but realize it was for naught.
Badass: "Depends On How Hard You Hit Me."
While the rest of the Avengers carried themselves with a sense of guilt and regret while fighting one another during the Civil War arc, Hawkeye kept his cool. He tussled with Black Widow at the airport and had the upper hand, prompting her to ask him if they were still friends.
Understanding that this was also Black Widow’s tactic of letting his guard down, Hawkeye quipped that her answer depended on how hard she planned on hitting him. He was already pulling his punches at this point but this quote proved that Hawkeye could easily have turned up his killer instinct if he wanted to.
Heartbreaking: "Natasha, You Know What I've Done. You Know What I've Become."
Flashbacks to his time as Ronin is one of the things fans want to see in Hawkeye, as Clint considered himself to be unredeemable for his violent actions. When Black Widow told him she wanted to sacrifice herself so Clint could see his family, the latter was against the idea partly because he felt he wasn’t the same man anymore.
According to Hawkeye, he’d become something of a monster for killing all those people in the last five years and his plan was to end himself rather than face his family as the person he was now. It showed that just how much he’d grown to hate himself.
Badass: "You Want To Mope. Go To High School. You Want To Make Amends, Then Get Off Your A*s."
Hawkeye’s known for being straightforward and honest, with this one of the ways he was able to get through to Scarlet Witch. When breaking her out of her house arrest in Captain America: Civil War, he got to the point when she started having second thoughts.
He knew she wanted to be free and didn’t indulge in Scarlet Witch’s indecisiveness as it was clear she would leave with him eventually. To this end, Hawkeye put it in simple terms that if she wanted to do what’s right then she had to get over her self-pity and be the hero he knew she was.
Heartbreaking: "You've Got To Watch Your Back With This Guy. There's A Chance He's Going To Break It."
Hawkeye didn’t have any friends until he became part of the Avengers, which is why he was hurt upon learning that Tony knew Thaddeus Ross was holding him at the Raft. He’d only joined the fight for believing in Captain America’s cause and didn’t expect a friend to turn on him.
When he saw Tony visit him at the Raft, a bitter Clint claimed out loud that Tony stabbed him in the back for allowing him to be branded as a criminal. It essentially shattered Clint’s view of their friendship as he realized he was wrong to place his faith in anyone other than himself.
Badass: "What? You Didn't See That Coming?"
Anyone who gets on the wrong side of Hawkeye has to expect some kind of retaliation as he makes sure to get his revenge. He was attacked by Quicksilver at the start of Avengers: Age of Ultron, who quipped that Hawkeye didn’t see it coming. This was when Clint made it his mission to get back at Quicksilver.
He did just that when he ambushed Quicksilver during the creation of Vision, as Hawkeye shot through the glass floor Pietro stood on to incapacitate him. To add insult to injury, Clint threw Quicksilver’s quip back at him, sarcastically asking how he couldn’t see the attack coming.
Heartbreaking: "Do You Know What It's Like To Be Unmade?"
The mind control by Loki took a big toll on Clint’s psyche as it was the first time he felt vulnerable and weak. Once Black Widow had brought him back, a guilt-ridden Clint told her he couldn’t just get over it as Loki had turned him into a killing machine.
Remembering the experience, he asked Black Widow if she could relate to him over what it was like to be stripped of his mind and used against his will. Although she empathized with him, this quote showed that Hawkeye would remain haunted by his time as Loki’s minion and keep it in his conscience.