Trick Shot

Almost nothing has been revealed about the early life of the man who would become known as Trick Shot. His professional career began when he joined a traveling circus as an archer. While with the circus, Trick Shot came to know Clint Barton, the boy who would later become the costumed Avenger called Hawkeye.

Clint had been training with another circus performer called the Swordsman in the art of throwing knives. The Swordsman quickly noticed that Clint's skill with the bow surpassed his talent for throwing knives, and he felt that Clint would be more valuable if trained as an archer. Thus, Clint began training under Trick Shot's tutelage.

Over the next few months, Clint began to show considerable prowess as an archer, while the Swordsman developed a gambling problem that quickly landed him deeply in debt. In an attempt to get the money to pay his debts, the Swordsman robbed the carnival owner and knocked him unconscious. Clint happened upon the Swordsman as he was counting the money and realized what his former mentor had done. The Swordsman attacked Clint and injured him severely; he was about to kill Clint when Trick Shot intervened. After driving the Swordsman away, Trick Shot took Clint home in order to heal him and continue his training.

After several more months of intensive training, Trick Shot decided that Clint Barton was ready to become his partner in an extortion racket. For their first exploit, Trick Shot took Clint to the home of a criminal called Marko, who happened to be the man who loaned money to the Swordsman. Trick Shot killed Marko while trying to get money from him.

As the two archers fled the scene, Clint killed his brother, Barney Barton, who had been working as one of Marko's bodyguards. Dismayed by what he had done, Clint turned on Trick Shot, and the two men fired at one another. Clint was impaled against a tree, where Trick Shot left him after swearing to one day return and kill him.

What Trick Shot did for the next few years is unknown. However, it is assumed he hired out as a mercenary and assassin for well-paying clients. As time progressed, Trick Shot was presented with the grim news from his doctor that he was dying of cancer, and that he had only a short time to live. Determined to die a noble death, Trick Shot sought out Clint Barton, who was by now the famous hero called Hawkeye, so he could force Hawkeye to fight and kill him in a duel. Trick Shot trapped Hawkeye on an island in Greece, where they fought. Hawkeye would not kill his former trainer, however. The two archers made peace, and went their separate ways.

Not long ago, Trick Shot was told by his doctor that his cancer had gone into remission. Forsaking his criminal ways, Trick Shot decided to turn over a new leaf. As his first good act, Trick Shot came to the aid of Hawkeye, who had recently had a ransom put on his shooting arm by Crossfire. Trick Shot knew that Crossfire had hired numerous criminals to hunt down Hawkeye, and he arrived just in time to save the Avenger from the deadly projectiles of a group of juggling villains called the Death-Throws.

Trick Shot bandaged Hawkeye's wounds and told him about the ransom placed on his shooting arm. However, Hawkeye was still suspicious of his former trainer; he slipped away into the city sewers while Trick Shot was not looking. Unfortunately, Crossfire had previously seen to it that a homing device was placed on Hawkeye. Alone in the sewers, the injured Avenger was tracked and surrounded by the Brothers Grimm, the Death-Throws, Bullet Biker, Bobcat, Mad-Dog, Razorfist, and Crossfire.

Meanwhile, Trick Shot met Mockingbird, Hawkeye's wife, and joined her in the search for her husband. Luckily, Mockingbird was able to use her espionage training to patch into the same frequency used by Crossfire's homing device. Thus she and Trick Shot arrived on the scene just as Hawkeye was about to be attacked by a horde of costumed villains.

Though the fight was fierce, the heroes defeated all of the villains, but not before Trick Shot was gravely injured. As he was loaded into an ambulance after the battle, Trick Shot revealed his desire to turn over a new leaf to Hawkeye.

Years later, after the death of Mockingbird, Hawkeye journeyed to the Canadian Rockies to grieve. There, he ran afoul of the Secret Empire, which had recruited Trickshot and fellow assassin Javelynn to guard a secret facility.

Television History
Trick Shot appears in the Avengers Assemble episode "Crime and Circuses", voiced by Travis Willingham.