Barney Barton

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Barney Barton.jpg
Barney Barton as Trickshot in Hawkeye: Blindspot #2 (March 2011). Art by Paco Diaz.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Avengers vol.1 #64 (May 1969)
Created by Roy Thomas
Gene Colan
In-story information
Alter ego Charles Bernard "Barney" Barton
Team affiliations Dark Avengers
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Notable aliases Hawkeye
Abilities Highly skilled archer
Uses a variety of trick arrows
Proficient marksman
Skilled hand to hand combatant
Exceptional athlete

Barney Barton is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Avengers vol.1 #64 (May. 1969) and was created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan. Barney is the older brother of Clint Barton, the superhero known as Hawkeye. In Hawkeye: Blindspot #1 (2011), written by Jim McCann and illustrated by Paco Diaz, Barney Barton was re-introduced as a costumed supervillain called Trickshot after usurping the codename from Buck Chisholm, the original Trick Shot.

Publication history[edit]

Barney Barton was introduced as Hawkeye's brother in Avengers vol. 1 #64 (May 1969). The character would go on to appear in Hawkeye related storylines and titles in Avengers vol. 1 #65 (June 1969), Avengers vol. 1 #228 - 229 (Feb. - March 1983), Hawkeye vol. 1 #1 (Sept. 1983), Solo Avengers #2 (Jan. 1988) and Hawkeye vol. 3 #1 - 6 (Dec. 2003 - May 2004).

The limited series Hawkeye: Blindspot #1 - 4 (April - July 2011) saw Barney Barton return as a costumed supervillain known as Trickshot. He later went on to join Norman Osborn's new Dark Avengers in New Avengers vol. 2 #18 - 22 (Jan. - April 2012) and Avengers vol. 4 #24 (May 2012).

Trickshot began appearing as a regular character in the Dark Avengers series, beginning with Dark Avengers #175.

Fictional character history[edit]

Barney Barton was born in Waverly, Iowa. He lost both his parents at a young age when his father, an abusive alcoholic, lost control of his car and collided with a tree. Barney and his younger brother Clint were sent to an orphanage. They stayed there for six years before running away to join the Carson Carnival of Travelling Wonder as roustabouts.[1] The Swordsman, a member of the carnival with a popular swordplay act, selected Clint to be his new assistant. Feeling overlooked, Barney became jealous and bitter. Later, when Clint was severely injured at the hands of the Swordsman for discovering his embezzlement scheme, Barney condemned his brother for not remaining loyal to his mentor.[2] Barney, having had enough of the carnival, decided to enlist in the army. He suggested that Clint should join him and make a fresh start. Clint declined his offer. Barney told his brother that the offer still stood, and he would wait for him if he changed his mind. The next morning, Barney stood at the bus depot, waiting and hoping his brother would change his mind. When Clint didn't show, a sorrowful Barney got on the bus and left his old life behind. As the bus was departing, Clint arrived, having changed his mind. However, he was too late.[3]

Barney later became an FBI agent. His first assignment was to work undercover as a bodyguard for a criminal called Marko.[4] Unbeknown to him, Clint and his new mentor Trick Shot attempted to rob the criminal's mansion. Barney was shot with an arrow by Clint. When Clint learned what he had done, he refused to leave his brother's side and turned against Trick Shot. Trick Shot wounded Clint with an arrow and left.[5]

His next undercover assignment was to pose as a racketeer. He was approached by Egghead, who offered Barney a place on his villainous space-station in exchange for funds. When Barney declined the offer, Egghead (actually a robot sent by the real Egghead) attacked him. With his bodyguards slain, Barney went to the Avengers (whose ranks included his brother Clint, then using the Goliath identity) to help stop the supervillain. Barney and the Avengers battled Egghead and his robot soldiers inside the villain's space-station. During the battle, Barney sacrificed his life to destroy Egghead's deadly ray-projector.[6] After the funeral, Clint received a letter from FBI agent Allan Scofield revealing Barney's double life. The letter also revealed that Barney was aware of Clint's double life.[4]

Unbeknownst to Hawkeye and the Avengers, Barney's body was stolen by Egghead. Egghead discovered that Barney was still displaying faint vital signs and placed him in a healing chamber.[7] Later, Egghead was inadvertently killed by Hawkeye in a battle with the Avengers, leaving Barney suspended and forgotten in the healing chamber.[8] He was later discovered by Baron Zemo. Zemo, who held a personal grudge against Hawkeye, manipulated Barney to turn against his brother.[7] Barney and his new "benefactor" enlisted Hawkeye's former mentor Trick Shot (whose cancer had returned) to train him to be as proficient with a bow and arrow as his brother. Once the training was completed, Trick Shot was badly beaten and his cancer was allowed to fester. Barney then delivered a dying Trick Shot to Avengers Tower as a message to Hawkeye.[2] Later, while investigating his former mentor's death, Hawkeye was ambushed by his brother.[9] Declaring himself as the new Trick Shot (altering it to Trickshot), Barney subdued Hawkeye and delivered him to Baron Zemo.[7] Zemo had the brothers duel to the death. Hawkeye (despite going blind from a previous injury with the third Ronin) managed to best Trickshot in battle. Before teleporting away, Zemo transferred Trickshot's criminal funds over to the "victor" Hawkeye, then taunted the hero for turning his brother against him. In custody, Trickshot agreed to a bone marrow transplant to save his brother's sight, but only so he could battle Hawkeye again in the future.[10]

Norman Osborn later fakes Trickshot's death in his hospital bed as Norman invites Trickshot to join his second incarnation of the Dark Avengers.[11] Despite the new team's initial success, he was finally defeated in a fight with Mockingbird when he underestimated her capabilities as Mockingbird having recently been enhanced by the Super-Soldier Serum/Infinity Formula hybrid.[12] After being arrested, Trickshot and the rest of the villains (save for Superia and Gorgon) are offered reduced sentences in exchange for signing on with the Thunderbolts program.[13] Barney remains with the team until the Dark Avengers escape their handlers and disband.[14]

Sometime after dissolution of the group, a homeless and disheveled Barney goes to live with Clint, with whom he apparently reconciled, at his new apartment.[15]

Powers and abilities[edit]

Barney Barton is a highly trained former FBI agent and is a proficient marksman, exceptional athlete and skilled hand-to-hand combatant with incredible reflexes. He was later trained by Buck Chisholm, the same man who trained Hawkeye, to become a highly skilled archer displaying uncanny accuracy. As Trickshot, Barney uses a variety of razor sharp arrows, including trick arrows such as explosive arrows and bola arrows.

In other media[edit]



  1. ^ Avengers #65 (June 1969)
  2. ^ a b Hawkeye: Blindspot #1 (Apr. 2011)
  3. ^ Hawkeye vol. 3, #4 (Mar. 2004)
  4. ^ a b Hawkeye vol. 3, #6 (May 2004)
  5. ^ Hawkeye vol. 3, #5 (Apr. 2004)
  6. ^ Avengers #64 (May 1969)
  7. ^ a b c Hawkeye: Blindspot #3 (June 2011)
  8. ^ Avengers #228-229 (Feb. - Mar. 1983)
  9. ^ Hawkeye: Blindspot #2 (May 2011)
  10. ^ Hawkeye: Blindspot #4 (July 2011)
  11. ^ New Avengers Vol. 2 #18 (Nov. 2011)
  12. ^ New Avengers vol. 2 #23
  13. ^ Dark Avengers (vol. 2) #175
  14. ^ Dark Avengers (vol. 2) #190
  15. ^ Hawkeye (vol. 4) #12

External links[edit]