Breaking Down Hawkeye's Comic Book Accurate Costume

Fans have been waiting since "Hawkeye" first hit Disney+ to catch a glimpse of the hero's new costume and the show finally delivered! While plenty of other Marvel heroes have been seen wearing uniforms heavily influenced by the comics since the launch of the MCU, Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye has primarily worn tactical gear that bears little resemblance to any of his comic counterpart's costumes — with the exception of when he suited up as Ronin. It would seem all Kate Bishop's talk of his "branding issue" had a significant impact on Clint Barton, who got a slick redesign this episode thanks to the LARPers.

Marvel has had a lot of fun sneaking in Easter eggs for their heroes' original looks, such as the Halloween costumes in "WandaVision" and the uniform Cap wore for his USO tour in "Captain America: The First Avenger." Hawkeye's costume has evolved quite a bit over the years, and an earlier episode of the Disney+ series called back to what is perhaps his most iconic outfit. In the third installment of "Hawkeye," Kate sketches a costume idea for Clint that looks quite similar to his signature outfit, featuring a pointy mask with a "H" on top — and obviously, it would be purple. 

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Marvel didn't stop at this nod to Hawkeye's trademark look though, giving him a pretty comics accurate costume in that epic "Hawkeye" season finale. So, let's take a closer look at Clint's new outfit.

Hawkeye has had plenty of costume changes throughout the decades, but artist Patrick Zircher drew the hero in a more stripped-down outfit when he joined "Secret Avengers" in 2012. That uniform seemed to draw inspiration from the hero's less elaborate looks in Marvel's Ultimate Comics line. However, like much of "Hawkeye," Clint's new uniform largely takes its cues from Matt Fraction and David Aja's seminal run on the title, which also began in 2012. This comic not only redefined the lesser-known Avenger for a new generation, but also gave him a different style. Aja took this simplified approach a step further, giving Hawkeye a t-shirt emblazoned with his symbol and black pants to wear to work, and it was absolutely perfect. Of course, Clint also had a utility belt, as well as his bow and arrows.

Hawkeye's new outfit is similar to a long-sleeved version of what he wears in Aja's artwork. It's definitely a bit more of a costume, which is appropriate, since it was made by LARPer Missy, who clearly loves making them. Clint even praised "the elasticity of this fabric," which makes me wonder what it's actually made out of. The purple sleeves are a nice touch too, fitting with the overall aesthetic of a show that borrowed heavily from Aja and Matt Hollingsworth (who was responsible for the comic's incredible colors). Clint still has black pants and overall, the costume remains pretty subtle, much like the one his comic counterpart has worn. This will make him recognizable, but it doesn't draw too much attention, so Clint can still operate in the shadows when he needs to.

All six episodes of "Hawkeye" are now streaming on Disney+.