Everything To Know About Hawkeye’s Kate Bishop & Her Comics Backstory

With Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe well underway, fans have been gifted with series after Disney+ series spotlighting different superheroes, including Loki, WandaVision, and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Marvel also already dropped Easter eggs introducing the Young Avengers, a new generation of heroes in the comic books. One member of this new guard is Kate Bishop, who will be a major part of the upcoming Disney+ Hawkeye series airing on Nov. 24. It follows master archer Clint Barton, played by Jeremy Renner, passing the baton (err, bow) to Kate, played by Hailee Steinfeld.

A TV show isn’t the only project in store for the young archer this November. She will also be getting a new five-part comic book series, Hawkeye: Kate Bishop, written by New York Times best-selling author Marieke Nijkamp (Before I Let Go) and illustrated by Enid Balám (Reptil), with the cover design by Jahnoy Lindsay (She-Hulk, Luke Cage).

“Kate’s always been one of my favorites, and to spend time with her is such a thrill,” Nijkamp tells Bustle. Though she can’t reveal what exact characters readers will come across in the books, Nijkamp promises fans will “find some familiar faces,” including a “very excitable dog,” “someone from Kate’s past,” old “villains with a flair for the dramatic,” as well as newer felons. Here’s everything to know about the new Hawkeye: Kate Bishop comic book series.

Who is Kate Bishop?

A comic favorite, Kate debuted in the Young Avengers #1 comic in 2005. This new ensemble includes the descendants of OG crimefighters, like Scarlet Witch and Vision’s twin offspring, Wiccan and Speed; Isaiah Bradley’s grandson, Patriot; and Ant-Man’s daughter, Cassie Lang, aka Stinger. Also in the group are Kid Loki, Hulkling, and Iron Lad. In 2016, Kate finally got her own solo comic book series with Hawkeye #1.

After suspecting her father, Derek, of being involved in villainy (he is), Kate’s investigation lands the young girl in a kidnap-for-ransom situation. The Avengers save her, and that’s when she first encounters Clint Barton as Hawkeye. At her sister’s wedding years later, she’s held hostage, again, by robbers. The Young Avengers appeared and tried to help, but it was Kate who ended up saving the day, gaining respect and an invite from Cassie to join their group. When Clint is thought to be dead down the line, Kate takes on the Hawkeye mantle and eventually becomes Clint’s protégée when he returns.

Like Clint, she doesn’t have any superpowers — just really, really good aim. She also knows various martial arts and is trained in close combat following a Central Park attack.

The Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Plot

Hawkeye: Kate Bishop picks up with Kate ready to leave her crime-fighting life in Los Angeles. “She’s racked up quite a bit of experience running a very successful and definitely-very-legal-and-licensed private eye business,” Nijkamp shares, adding, “She’s revamped the West Coast Avengers.” Now, Kate, who has been “living her best Hawkeye life,” returns to her hometown of New York when she’s invited to a “weird, murderous fancy resort,” aka Resort Chapiteau, to “solve a mysterious jewel heist.”

Nijkamp promises that you can jump in the series without any Hawkeye — or even Avengers — comic background, saying, “Because Kate’s story is in flux right now, it’s the perfect time to jump on board for the adventure.” They add, “You don’t need to know where she was to enjoy the journey” and that longtime Hawkeye fans would definitely enjoy the series as well.

Kate Bishop In The MCU

Similar to the new comics, the Disney+ show will also take place in Kate’s hometown of New York and, according to Variety, will feature more of a passing-the-torch mentorship between Renner’s Clint and Steinfeld’s Kate.

The nearly two-minute-long trailer is set after Avengers: End Game. It’s a week before Christmas, and Clint fully intends to enjoy his holiday with the family he lost and then regained — until a villain from the past shows up (*cue the saying about the best-laid plans*). On his way to fight, Clint then meets a hooded Kate who all but fangirls when she recognizes the OG Avenger. In the trailer, Kate seems way more comedic than in the graphic novels — she’s clumsy, messes up, and is too wide-eyed about weapons. But she’s still an accurate shot.

Talking to Digital Spy, Steinfeld recalled how it “felt a little daunting” to join such a famous franchise. Thankfully, like his character Clint, Renner was there to help her with the transition. She told the publication, “But it felt like a very sort of smooth entrance into this universe. And I think I owe that to the people around me — and Jeremy.” In another interview, with Variety this time, Steinfeld said, “Kate Bishop is a character that I would have loved to have had growing up — somebody who is completely ambitious, driven and disciplined, and takes it upon herself to do whatever it is she has to do to achieve her goals.”

While the comic arc will be completely separate from the Disney+ series, Nijkamp calls it “surreal” to see images from the show. “They’re obviously different interpretations of the same character, but isn’t it cool that they can exist at the same time and all tie into her story?”

“I love Kate,” Nijkamp gushes, adding, “I love her snark. I love the way she jumps first and asks questions later, but somehow still always finds a way out.” She adds, “What a time to be a Best Hawkeye fan!” And what a time to start.