Kate Bishop probably wouldn’t have been Clint Barton‘s first choice for a protégé. Born to wealth and privilege, she had a decidedly different upbringing than the working-class Hawkeye. Despite their differences, however, Kate proved to have the skills to honor Barton’s legacy, and he gladly accepted her as a junior partner after his resurrection. However, Kate also had an attitude to match Clint’s – a fact that is showcased in The Avengers #15.
Written by Jed MacKay, with art by Carlos Fabian Villa, the Blood Hunt tie-in finds Kate on an ad hoc Avengers assembled by Steve Rogers. The team faces an army of Nazi vampires with a Helicarrier organized by Rogers’ old enemy, Baron Blood. As Captain America battled his hated foe, the rest of the team, including Hawkeye, focused on freeing the civilians kidnapped by the vampires as rations.
Unfortunately, evacuating all the hostages was easier said than done. There turned out to be far more people imprisoned in the Hellicarier brig than its escape pods could carry. Additionally, most of the captives were dispirited and too terrified to contemplate escape.
Kate Bishop gives an inspiring speech in Avengers #15
Thankfully, when the other assembled Avengers proved unsure of what to say, Kate Bishop stepped up to rouse the rabble. With an improvised speech worthy of Captain America, Hawkeye talked up her teammates. She also assured the hostages they were safe with such heroes around and that the situation was not as hopeless as it seemed.
This scene showcases why Kate Bishop is a worthy successor to Clint Barton. It is not because she is a great archer, although she is also that. It is because when the chips are down, she is ready to fight anyone and anything. She may be an ordinary human with a stick and some smaller sticks, but (as Kate pointed out to one naysayer) there are few things vampires fear more than a pointy stick properly aimed.
The Avengers #15 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
