Since its creation in the Stone Age, the bow and arrow forever revolutionized hunting and warfare. But these two archers have honed their bow skills to a degree of pure artistry.
Green Arrow, the emerald archer of Star City. And Hawkeye, purple-clad trick-shooter of the Avengers.
Season two's thirty-first episode carries on the eternal battle between Marvel and DC, and to the ring this time, both companies' signature archer superheroes answer the call. The hosts will study experience from years of hardship against that from mentors turned foes, a deadly accuracy against unrivaled speed, for as Green Arrow and Hawkeye are alike in many ways, only one has the skills that can carry home victory in a death battle.
To begin, Wiz and Boomstick take a look at one Green Arrow, real name Oliver Queen, the child to billionaire weapons manufacturers Robert and Moira. Though Oliver was groomed to inherit the family business, he would succeed them after tragedy befell the couple; while out on a safari, the pair were attacked and killed by lions. The life Oliver led after the loss of his parents was one rife with hedonism and alcohol abound, but it would catch up to him when he fell off his private yacht in a drunken stupor, washing up on an island in no-man's land, secretly the base of a drug-running operation. Oliver would call upon the archery training Robert taught him to survive on the island, teaching him discipline and survival skills, things that would prove invaluable when Oliver tackled the drug manufacturers and called in the rescue that would bring him back to Star City. With his newfound experience and a desire to protect the innocent, Oliver would craft a new identity for himself, the Green Arrow.
True to his alias, the Green Arrow is clad in a viridescent attire, and also true to his alias, he is a master marksman, with a number of bizarre, fantastical arrows to his name; such arrows range from flashbangs to acidic arrows to boomerang arrows up to and including diamond-tipped arrows. Though he only kills when he has to, Green Arrow has a number of arrows suited for the job, including a nuclear warhead arrow and the infamous boxing glove arrow. Aiding his archery prowess is his expertise in martial arts, taught to him by Natas, martial arts master to both himself and Deathstroke who would ultimately prove a traitor to Oliver.
Green Arrow is one of the DC universe's most prolific combatants; worthy enough to be inducted as a member of the Justice League, and as such, he aided his fellow superheroes against foes with immense power, including fellow heroine Black Canary, with whom he would eventually open a flower shop with. With speed akin to firing almost thirty arrows in under a minute, and accuracy enough to hit a single drop of water, Green Arrow can prove his reputation is founded. And even though he only has limited room in his quiver, meaning he can only hold so many arrows, and that he has minimal armor, hindering his durability, Oliver Queen has come a long way from his origins, from a self-indulgent billionaire to a dedicated hero in his own right.
- Green Arrow: One arrow each?
Merlyn: I accept your challenge; on three. (draws bow) One...
Green Arrow: ... two...
Green Arrow and Merlyn: ... three!
(both fire their arrows; Green Arrow's splits Merlyn's in half before cutting his bow's string, gashing his cheek, and embedding itself in a wall)
From there, Wizard and Boomstick shift topics to Green Arrow's combatant, Hawkeye, born Clint Barton in the midst of Iowa to an abusive father, Harold. A frequent alcoholic, Harold would regularly beat Clint and his brother Barney, before fate would take him and his wife Edith from the kids in a car crash. The ensuing foster home they were sent to fared little better, with an equally-abusive father that tried to run the kids over before salvation for the orphans came in the form of Jacques Duquesne and Buck Chisholm, better known as Swordsman and Trick Shot, members of the Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonders. The pair took the children under their wing and showed special interest in Clint, training him in archery; he would eventually take center stage under the alias of Hawkeye. In just a year, Clint would perfect his craft, but he would be forced to take his craft with him when he learned that Swordsman and Trick Shot were actually supervillains, running away from the circus. He would become inspired to fight injustice like Iron Man upon seeing the Armored Avenger soaring overhead, and, using his circus costume and alias, took up arms as Hawkeye once again.
Akin to his foe, Hawkeye carries an impressive assortment of arrows, such as putty arrows and adamantium arrow, even his own mass-explosive arrow. More unique to him are arrows dependent on Pym Particles, size-shifting technology that Clint uses to fire an arrow that releases several other arrows. But his skill with archery is not the only thing to Clint Barton's name; under training taught by Captain America himself, Hawkeye spent time with the New Avenger under the alias Ronin, a martial artist with ability enough to impress veterans such as Iron Fist. On top of all this, Hawkeye is surprisingly durable, able to recover from an onslaught of gunfire within weeks and falls from several stories, helped by his chainmail armor.
Though seduced into a crime spree by the once-villainess Black Widow, Hawkeye has since atoned for his past, and lent his services to the Avengers, Marvel's premiere superhero team, but beyond them, groups such as the Thunderbolts and the Defenders have also benefited in his presence. And for good reason, with skills like his, Hawkeye can shoot four arrows out of the sky at once, ready and fire an arrow in less than a second, and even launch nine arrows at once, ensuring all of them hit their targets. But Clint still has his fair share of problems; like his adversary, Clint only has limited space in his quiver, so every shot needs to count. And, after a run-in with the villain known as the Clown ended with him being stabbed in both ears, Hawkeye is 80% deaf, reliant on hearing aids made by Tony Stark, which are nonetheless susceptible to damage. Combined with his armor not covering his whole body, this could make Clint Barton a vulnerable target, but his skill in his crafts would attest otherwise.
- Hawkeye: (talking to Wanda Maximoff) Okay, look; the city is flying. We're fighting an army of robots. And I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense— (is interrupted by gunfire before putting an arrow through an ensuing hole) — but I'm going back out there, 'cause it's my job. If you step out that door... you are an Avenger. (rushes out of said door, bow at the ready)
With that, both sides have fulfilled their analysis. One advertisement for Clash of Kings: Last Empire later, and it's time for a death battle!
The rooftops of a city, bathed in the hue of the setting sun, is where Oliver Queen, Green Arrow, arrives after using a grappling hook arrow, inching towards a rooftop door. He can barely react as an amethyst arrow pierces the handle, forcing the emerald archer to lunge for cover. In the distance, he can see Clint Barton, Hawkeye, ready another arrow. Star City's resident hero nocks an arrow of his own, firing it right as the former circus performer lets loose his own arrow. The two projectiles soon cross paths...
FIGHT!
... with such accuracy that they merely glance off one another, continuing their flights undisturbed. Hawkeye goes on the attack, firing arrow after arrow that Green Arrow nimbly evades. Using a lull in the action, Oliver releases a bolt that Clint meets with another, the pair soon launching into a war of arrows, the mood still light enough for the two to swap banter. The heir of Queen Industries begins to take things up a notch, simultaneously firing three arrows at his violet-clad foe, who deftly catches the projectiles and casts them aside. Now, the stage is set for each archer to prepare their trick arrows.
And thus begins Hawkeye's turn, readying an arrow with a capsule at its head. Green Arrow's musings are proven right when the capsule, rife with Pym Particles, detonates, unveiling a horde of arrows aimed at his position. But even this can be met with a solution; Oliver fires an arrow with a small, grenade-shaped orb in front, bursting into a miniaturized tornado that scatters Clint's own. The former performer lets loose a roped arrow, and, with his bow as a zipline, closes in on Green Arrow, but another bolt cuts the trip short; for good measure, Queen fires off another volley amidst the rain of Hawkeye's arrows. The purple-clad archer can find enough time in between evading the shots to send an arrow filled with putty Oliver's way, giving Clint enough time to send out another roped dart; while Green Arrow uses an acidic projectile to melt the putty off his face, Hawkeye uses this time to touch down on the building. Time seems to stop, if only for a brief moment, both archers equipped with a series of multiple arrows on the drawstring.
Through a miracle that can be attributed solely to the skill of both archers, every single one of their arrows meet, littering the air with bolts. Green Arrow attempts to fire, but Hawkeye is far superior on the draw, pelting the billionaire with a series of arrows, some of which hit the mark. The fight loses some of its intensity as the duo belittle each other and Hawkeye nonchalantly catches Green Arrow's more niche fare. But one dodged explosive arrow courtesy of Hawkeye later, and the fight picks up the pace.
The man from Iowa continues to avoid shots fired from his Star City-borne foe, who proceeds to take the fight into close range. The archers trade blows honed from their training with melee masters, with Green Arrow soon laying into Hawkeye, stabbing him with multiple arrows and knocking him against a water tower. The once-pupil to supervillains is disoriented, his hearing aids giving out on him and giving the member of the Justice League a chance to ready his diamond-tipped arrow to finish the fight. But Hawkeye recovers and fires off an arrow of his one, one that gives off a brilliant sheen; the two arrows collide, but the adamantium projectile shears its other in half and darts right into Green Arrow, who, even while cloaked in silhouette, can only accept death as the arrow pierces his head, torrents of blood escaping him as he falls. Assured in his victory, the Avenger-slash-Defender-slash-Thunderbolt boasts about his triumph to his fallen foe.
K.O.!
In front of Green Arrow's corpse, Black Canary begrudgingly accepts Hawkeye's victory, but in turn, Clint can barely enjoy using Oliver's remains as target practice before accidentally shrinking him with a Pym Particle-laden arrow, soon carted off by their makers' ants seconds later. The two archers, Wizard notes, are indeed equals with regards to their ability in archery, the pair very evenly-matched, but when factoring in other considerations, it becomes a different story. Green Arrow is indeed a well-aimed shot with his bow, but Hawkeye, at his best, can evade, if not catch, shots at any time, such as in bed or even blindfolded. Adding their bows to the equation, the hosts use an average bow, with a string needing 80 pounds of force to pull, as a reference point; whereas Green Arrow's bow needs 125 pounds to pull, Hawkeye's bow is double that at an even 250 pounds. Combined with how easily and rapidly Clint can fire arrows, even wearing chain mail, this makes his shots all the more dangerous. Both men know their bows inside and out, but Hawkeye had just a few advantages that made all the difference.
- Boomstick: Looks like Green Arrow got shafted.
Wizard: The winner is Hawkeye!
Green Arrow vs. Hawkeye contains examples of:
- Bond One-Liner: Courtesy of Hawkeye:Ha, eat your heart out, Robin Hood!
- Rain of Arrows: One of the special kinds of arrows Hawkeye carries is one filled with miniaturized arrows that expand to normal size mid-flight. In the battle, Green Arrow counters it with a tornado arrow.
- Trick Arrow: Two of the most well-known users, and both have plenty to spare.
