clint "actual trainwreck" barton (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cognitived) wrote2016-05-07 10:07 am
cognitived) wrote2016-05-07 10:07 am
Entry tags:
station 72 app;
PLAYER INFO
Name: Alyssa
Contact: screeches @ plurk
Are you over 18?: yes
CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Clint Barton
Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Canon Point: Post-Captain America: Civil War
Appearance:
Scruffy middle-aged spyassassin moonlighting as a farmer meets sleeveless fashion.
Alternatively:
Age: 45
Setting:
The world of Marvel Cinematic Universe -- or Earth-199999 if you’re one of those who believe in multiverses -- is not so different from our own. Both universes share the same geography, the same political situations for the most part, and the same pop culture. For instance, Tony Stark calls Clint “Legolas” at one point mid-battle, and there are references to Galaga, The Wizard of Oz, and several other movie tie-ins. Of course there are probably other specific pop culture that MCU has that our world doesn’t, most notably things referring to Captain America, but in general these have not been mentioned during the films and are not likely to do so.
So for the most part, we can assume that the universe progressed on a largely parallel pattern to ours up until the 1940s, when Steve Rogers was dosed with the Super Serum and became the very first superhero. Due to Captain America, it becomes apparent that the technology in MCU is more advanced than our own. Even in the 1940s, there is weaponry that seems to merge magic and science, guns fueled by a cosmic cube that evaporates anybody it hits into blue dust, not to mention the serum that turned Steve Rogers from a 90 pound weakling into a supersoldier. This is furthered in other movies with Bruce Banner attempting to replicate the serum and becoming the Hulk, with Tony Stark being capable of surviving shrapnel in his heart with help of an electromagnet placed in his chest and the technical marvel that s the Iron Man suit. There are other examples: The Winter Soldier’s arm and sheer existence, Sam Wilson’s EXO-7 FALCON jetpack, the phase 2 weapons, the helicarriers, ect.
In essence, MCU is a world that has tasted the unusual and impossible, even if it has not necessarily grown used to it. In response to this, on the heels of Roger’s “death” in the 1940s, an counter-terrorism and intelligence agency named the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division was born. S.H.I.E.L.D. handles the supernatural cases, the things that are kept hidden away and secret from the mass population. In short terms, they’re the Men In Black of MCU. They continued in this role for years, largely unchecked until the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in which is became apparent that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by HYDRA, a fictional Nazi organization that had been Captain America’s enemy, from nearly the beginning of it’s conception.
But this is a discovery a few years old. Following Thor's crash landing in the middle of a New Mexico desert, and the triggered a chain of events leading up to the alien invasion of Manhattan, S.H.I.E.L.D. realized the guy with crazy hair talking about aliens on history channel wasn’t wrong. It also realized that humanity on a whole was wildly unprepared for the destruction and war these alien beings could bring with them. Following this, Nick Fury and the World Council came up with a few plans, one of which was the Avengers Initiative -- a so called boy-band made up of people with uncommon abilities -- and the other being Phase 2, weapons created utilizing the infinite power of the Tesseract. Phase 2, wouldn't last. But the Avengers would stay a team -- if somewhat fond of doing things solo -- for four years.
The events of Age of Ultron, and the destruction of Sokovia, would lead to the Sokovian Accords and split this team down the middle. But in essence, MCU is a world built up on the backs of legends, with superheroes stepping up to stand up for those who can’t in the face of incredible danger. It is not a world viewed through rose colored glasses: people are tortured, people die, people have their senses of identity rifled through and tossed out, only to be be replaced with something else. That said, the superhero aspects of this world did not really affect Clint up until his brain is hijacked by a Norse god and he’s used as a weapon against his own people. Years after the fact, Clint, has fully accepted that he is a hero instead of the ex-carnie turned assassin that prefers to use a bow and arrow to the typical gun. There’s still nothing super about him, but he rather prefers it that way.
History: here!
Personality:
"Agent Barton was sent to kill me, he made a different call."
-- Natasha, to Loki.
In simple terms, Clint is a man of immense talent, who wields a truly awful sense of humor, and has a stubborn streak a mile wide. He is a good man, and a good soldier, but these things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, despite his position as a 'good guy', Clint can't really be described as morally upright. As a spy, and an assassin, he lives in a grey area. Clint knows that the world is a cruel place, and he's spent far too long living in and working with this knowledge.
But he's also someone who believes in second chances, and fighting inevitability.
Clint might not be the most morally upright person, but he has his own code, and he follows it very seriously. Clint might not be a stranger to killing someone, but he won't take the shot if it goes against his code. While we don't know the exact details behind his recruiting of Natasha -- who was a freelance agent he was sent in to kill -- it is clear that Clint saw something in her, and he thought she deserved a chance to be better.
Whether SHIELD was that better chance in the end can be debated, but the baseline is this: Clint went against his mission in order to bring a young, traumatized assassin in out of the cold.
Despite the fact that he's a loyal soldier, Clint is clearly not above changing his mission if he feels like he's got a better path. This flexibility, and belief, is a core part of Clint's motivation.
"Call it, Phil; I'm starting to root for this guy."
-- Clint, to Phil.
Despite Clint's obvious skill and his determination, he's also clearly not one to shy away from questioning authority. His recruitment of Natasha was potentially his first time going completely against orders, it was not his last. In Thor, Clint sasses Agent Coulson on whether or not to take the shot. Though Agent Coulson bears his joking with ease, it's clear that not only does Clint treat his job with a sort of ribald humor, he is capable of reading people with ease.
Further, it shows that, with Coulson at least, Clint has cultivated a sense of respect in both his marksman ability and his tactical mind. Clint might be utterly comfortable with questioning authority and forging his own path, but he's also listened to instead of dismissed. Clearly there is more to him than simply another Agent.
This notion is re-enforced early in The Avengers, when Clint is left to overlook the precarious research on the Tesseract. While Selvig is clearly dismissive of Clint -- ""The Hawk? In his nest, as usual." -- this is not the case with Fury, or even Loki. Fury listens to Clint's observations carefully, and with good reason, as Clint is the first and only person to realize that if the Tesseract is a doorway then it can open from both sides. Loki, on the other hand, immediately picks up on Clint's skill, and mind controls him with his scepter. This action leaves long lasting scars, something that even four years later, Clint has not really overcome.
However, it's apparent that, given credence by his title Hawkeye, Clint is extremely observant. He picks up on facts nobody else does or has -- the Tesseract, Natasha’s subtly unusual behavior, the Chitauri weaknesses, ect. -- and he works with it, easily changing his plans and his reactions to fit these new parameters. But while Clint is known for his sight and his aim, there is nothing augmented or superhuman about either. In fact, he must work hard to keep his skills with a bow sharp and easily wielded.
He is also notoriously underestimated despite this.
"What did it show you, Agent Barton?"
"My next target."
"Tell me what you need."
"I need a distraction. And an eyeball."
--Clint & Loki.
Clint takes great pride in his skills. Not only in his marksmanship, or in his hand-to-hand, but in everything he does. He's a master assassin just as Natasha is, even if he wasn't shaped into it like she was, and it takes a lot of work to become that good.
But Clint is also rather smart, and he's a very adept strategist. While under Loki's control, he comes up with and leads two successful missions; getting Selvig the iridium he needed to stabilize the Tesseract, and leading a party to invade and take down the helicarrier base S.H.I.E.L.D. was staying in. During the Battle in Manhattan, he is the first to find the weakness of the Alien aircraft and the easiest way to take them out without direct contact. He personally also takes out plenty of Chitauri with his arrows before he runs out and is forced to evacuate.
His eyesight, and quick thinking, is often utilized as a means of scouting. Clint often offers a bird's eye view, picking apart battlefield and enemies alike, helping to guide the team to victory.
"Have you ever had someone pick your brain and play? Pull you out, stuff something else in. Do you know what it's like to be unmade?"
-- Clint, to Natasha.
However, while Clint's eyesight and skills helped SHIELD and later the Avengers, he was also pitted against them against his will. While under Loki's control, it appears as if nothing about his personality was really changed. Instead, his loyalty was swapped to leave him completely devoted to Loki.
This violation has left deep scars. But Clint is a guy who never quite deals with his issues, he pushes it down and forges forward, letting things build and fester.
It is important, however, to note that nearly as soon as Clint sweated out the fever he was asking about the damage he’d caused, and the amount of people he’d killed while he was under. It’s obvious Clint dealt with some heavy duty guilt due to his actions, even if they were not under his own volition, and though he doesn’t seem to start coming back to himself until halfway through the battle of Manhattan, it’s apparent that the after effects will take a long while to wear off completely. This is repeated by Natasha -- “We don't have that long, it's gonna take time.” -- and further still by Erik Selvig in Thor: The Dark World who seems to have gone rather mad due to Loki's control. Admittedly, Clint was under for a shorter time frame than Selvig and his job and the help offered by Natasha seems to have given him a better chance of coming out without being just as unhinged as Selvig was.
In Age of Ultron, Clint faces this fear once more in the form of Wanda Maximoff, but he blocks it. Clearly, Clint has been able to work through this trauma in some manner. Whether it was healthy, and do what degree, is unknown. But Clint is very clearly much the same person as he was before Loki.
"I've done the whole mind control thing. Not a fan."
-- Clint, to Wanda.
Once he comes out from under the control it’s easy to see that, overall, Clint is just a regular guy.
Humor is one of his coping mechanisms, and is a really core trait of his. It’s only when he lets some of wry humor slip in -- “Well, if I put an arrow in Loki’s eye socket, I’d sleep better I suppose.” “Now you sound like you.” -- that Natasha truly relaxes around him, and this is something that carries on.
During the aforementioned part in Thor, Clint takes the time to make a few wisecracks at the expense of agents facing Thor, even when he’s got an arrow pointed at him, ready to take the god down. This humor is seemingly at odds when compared to Clint’s skill and efficiency when it comes to his job, and that is something he seemingly enjoys. This shines through later on, during the fight against the Chitauri, when he manages to pull off a few showy moves despite the gravity of the situation he’s found himself in.
In fact, Clint cracks jokes in nearly every situation he finds himself in. Whether it be stuck in the woods of Sokovia, fighting an army of robots, or facing down friends on the opposite side of a battle. Humor is a massive part of Clint's character, and he relies on it.
"The futurist is here, gentlemen! He sees all. He knows what’s best for you, whether you like it or not. You gotta watch your back with this guy. There’s a chance he’s gonna break it."
-- Clint, to Tony.
Despite the mask Clint likes to present, he's not solely the funny guy. He's smart, he's compassionate, and he's probably more stubborn than a herd of Elephants.
And while he tends to be a mellow, go-with-the-flow sort of guy, there is a very real temper beneath his skin. He doesn't let it show often, and as mentioned before, Clint often hides behind humor. But given that Clint is frequently blunt to a fault, it shouldn't be a surprise that his anger is sharp, and cold. With Clint's skill of perception, and his innate knowledge of people, this means he goes right for the throat. Tony found this out the hard way in Captain America: Civil War, but perhaps the most important fact is this is the first sign of Clint's anger that we've seen in three full movies. The look on Tony's face also adds credence to the fact that, in four years of working together, he hasn't really seen Clint angry. Whether that be to this extent, or in general.
Speaking of in general, Clint is one to hide how he feels. Not to say he's stoic all the time, because he isn't. But Clint doesn't trust people, and to reveal a part of himself like that leaves him vulnerable. His anger, his guilt, his helplessness -- Clint locks it down and throws away the key. Natasha seems to be the only one to pull answers out of him, and it can be assumed that Laura can as well.
Speaking of Laura, it is important to note that Clint's life is split between family and work. However, while Clint seems to be a good father, and a loving husband, the nature of his job and the secret family nobody knew about makes this a bit difficult. Laura is, essentially, a single mother. Clint, then, plays the role of "fun parent" whom visits out of the blue and is gone likely far too often. While its clear that Clint goes above and beyond to keep his family safe and secure, he also harbors guilt for being away so often and for not being the father he'd like to be.
In Age of Ultron and Civil War, Clint makes a plethora of jokes and references to retiring. The death of Pietro Maximoff, and the utter mayhem of Sokovia, clearly has a heavy influence on Clint's desire to become a stable figure within his family. Early on in Civil War, Natasha reveals that he's still 'retired', and as such doesn't want to weigh in on the Sokova Accords.
But Clint puts a lot of emphasis on trust, and even if he doesn't always consider himself a hero, he will always help a friend. It's no surprise that he shows up with Steve calls, as Steve showed him trust and offered a second chance on their first meeting. Clint doesn't forget his debts, and even if Steve didn't consider it one, Clint does.
Clint is also not really one to fully retire. He needs to help, whether it be fixing up the dining room or fighting former friends. Clint has spent most of his life fighting, and, I think, he simply doesn't know how to fully unwind and be just your average person.
Canon Abilities/Skills:
ON STATION 72
Symbiote Specialization: Iota.
Symbiote Ability: Shadow Manipulation.
Inventory:
SAMPLES
Samples:
one + two.
Rescue Write-up:
It starts simply, quickly.
One moment they're in Wakanda, humid and hot, a change from the Raft's cold sterility that Clint relishes. The next, the calm shatters with a glass wall. It hits hard, sudden, and it's only years of training that saves Clint from going down. Glass splinters draw blood, thin, delicate little cuts that drip blood into his eyes.
They fight, because they must.
They're not superheros now, not really, but the life never really leaves. It lingers, carved into bones, stamped in the dark of minds. But there's no way -- he knows it, deeply, intrinsically. These people, these beings, they flicker and snarl and surge forward despite each loss. The Team fights together like a well oiled machine, even if they're cut in half, but there's no way they can fight these unending, fatigue-less numbers.
Maybe that's why he hears him. Unintelligible at first, a whisper, a roar, the crush of empty space in the hollow of his ears. Clint flinches, panicked for a moment that it's Loki, cold and blue and forever written into the very shape of him. He looses an arrow and feels his throat click with a scream he smothers. It soothes, gains substance and form and -- Agent Barton -- he ignores it until he can't.
His bow weighs a ton, arms straining, trembling, drawing tight and tense. Clint doesn't miss, he never does, but the arrows in his quiver are dwindling. He looses another, sets it alight with an explosion that gives them a few crucial seconds.
Scott's gone, and Clint doesn't think about it. Can't. Agent-- T'challa, maskless, fights with the fervor Clint's familiar with, a desperate man with far too much weighing on his shoulders. Come-- Wanda, one hand a blur of red, is desperately trying to push herself up off her knees. Come to me-- Steve goes skidding, hands empty without his shield. He takes too long to get up; Clint aches. Let us help-- Sam's firing, but he's still, a being made of marble. Something strangely familiar. You can still save them.
Something snaps, time rushing by, the whispered words hurting the ruined shells of his ears. He ignores it, tries to, desperately, reaches back for an arrow and feels something slice through his armor. It's only instinct that keeps the arrow from slipping, training that has him twisting to jab up through the thin skin under a man's jaw.
He stumbles. You're running out of time--. One hand presses to his stomach, the sick scent of spilled intestines lingering, and Clint knows. This is it, this is the end, overwhelming and disappointing after the world shattering fight they'd suffered mere weeks ago. But Clint was never one to surrender, he swings his bow with one arm, blood spilling over his fingers.
They're dying.
Cruel, less of a whisper under all that truth. It hurts his ears, hurts his head, shrieking, aching, a terrible ringing that cuts through him like the toll of a bell. It's more than words, its images, impressions, the knowledge of what is coming for them. Clint shudders, holds himself together with desperate hands. Wanda falls, fingers sparking, and he doesn't need a reminder. They're dying, all of them, but Clint's no stranger to sacrifice plays. Maybe he's hallucinating, maybe he's signing a deal worse than death.
Maybe this is the biggest mistake he'll ever make.
"Fuck," he bites, bloody teeth bared, "Yes, alright, just--"
Just let them live.
Name: Alyssa
Contact: screeches @ plurk
Are you over 18?: yes
CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Clint Barton
Canon: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Canon Point: Post-Captain America: Civil War
Appearance:
Scruffy middle-aged spyassassin moonlighting as a farmer meets sleeveless fashion.
Alternatively:
Age: 45
Setting:
The world of Marvel Cinematic Universe -- or Earth-199999 if you’re one of those who believe in multiverses -- is not so different from our own. Both universes share the same geography, the same political situations for the most part, and the same pop culture. For instance, Tony Stark calls Clint “Legolas” at one point mid-battle, and there are references to Galaga, The Wizard of Oz, and several other movie tie-ins. Of course there are probably other specific pop culture that MCU has that our world doesn’t, most notably things referring to Captain America, but in general these have not been mentioned during the films and are not likely to do so.
So for the most part, we can assume that the universe progressed on a largely parallel pattern to ours up until the 1940s, when Steve Rogers was dosed with the Super Serum and became the very first superhero. Due to Captain America, it becomes apparent that the technology in MCU is more advanced than our own. Even in the 1940s, there is weaponry that seems to merge magic and science, guns fueled by a cosmic cube that evaporates anybody it hits into blue dust, not to mention the serum that turned Steve Rogers from a 90 pound weakling into a supersoldier. This is furthered in other movies with Bruce Banner attempting to replicate the serum and becoming the Hulk, with Tony Stark being capable of surviving shrapnel in his heart with help of an electromagnet placed in his chest and the technical marvel that s the Iron Man suit. There are other examples: The Winter Soldier’s arm and sheer existence, Sam Wilson’s EXO-7 FALCON jetpack, the phase 2 weapons, the helicarriers, ect.
In essence, MCU is a world that has tasted the unusual and impossible, even if it has not necessarily grown used to it. In response to this, on the heels of Roger’s “death” in the 1940s, an counter-terrorism and intelligence agency named the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division was born. S.H.I.E.L.D. handles the supernatural cases, the things that are kept hidden away and secret from the mass population. In short terms, they’re the Men In Black of MCU. They continued in this role for years, largely unchecked until the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in which is became apparent that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by HYDRA, a fictional Nazi organization that had been Captain America’s enemy, from nearly the beginning of it’s conception.
But this is a discovery a few years old. Following Thor's crash landing in the middle of a New Mexico desert, and the triggered a chain of events leading up to the alien invasion of Manhattan, S.H.I.E.L.D. realized the guy with crazy hair talking about aliens on history channel wasn’t wrong. It also realized that humanity on a whole was wildly unprepared for the destruction and war these alien beings could bring with them. Following this, Nick Fury and the World Council came up with a few plans, one of which was the Avengers Initiative -- a so called boy-band made up of people with uncommon abilities -- and the other being Phase 2, weapons created utilizing the infinite power of the Tesseract. Phase 2, wouldn't last. But the Avengers would stay a team -- if somewhat fond of doing things solo -- for four years.
The events of Age of Ultron, and the destruction of Sokovia, would lead to the Sokovian Accords and split this team down the middle. But in essence, MCU is a world built up on the backs of legends, with superheroes stepping up to stand up for those who can’t in the face of incredible danger. It is not a world viewed through rose colored glasses: people are tortured, people die, people have their senses of identity rifled through and tossed out, only to be be replaced with something else. That said, the superhero aspects of this world did not really affect Clint up until his brain is hijacked by a Norse god and he’s used as a weapon against his own people. Years after the fact, Clint, has fully accepted that he is a hero instead of the ex-carnie turned assassin that prefers to use a bow and arrow to the typical gun. There’s still nothing super about him, but he rather prefers it that way.
History: here!
Personality:
-- Natasha, to Loki.
In simple terms, Clint is a man of immense talent, who wields a truly awful sense of humor, and has a stubborn streak a mile wide. He is a good man, and a good soldier, but these things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, despite his position as a 'good guy', Clint can't really be described as morally upright. As a spy, and an assassin, he lives in a grey area. Clint knows that the world is a cruel place, and he's spent far too long living in and working with this knowledge.
But he's also someone who believes in second chances, and fighting inevitability.
Clint might not be the most morally upright person, but he has his own code, and he follows it very seriously. Clint might not be a stranger to killing someone, but he won't take the shot if it goes against his code. While we don't know the exact details behind his recruiting of Natasha -- who was a freelance agent he was sent in to kill -- it is clear that Clint saw something in her, and he thought she deserved a chance to be better.
Whether SHIELD was that better chance in the end can be debated, but the baseline is this: Clint went against his mission in order to bring a young, traumatized assassin in out of the cold.
Despite the fact that he's a loyal soldier, Clint is clearly not above changing his mission if he feels like he's got a better path. This flexibility, and belief, is a core part of Clint's motivation.
-- Clint, to Phil.
Despite Clint's obvious skill and his determination, he's also clearly not one to shy away from questioning authority. His recruitment of Natasha was potentially his first time going completely against orders, it was not his last. In Thor, Clint sasses Agent Coulson on whether or not to take the shot. Though Agent Coulson bears his joking with ease, it's clear that not only does Clint treat his job with a sort of ribald humor, he is capable of reading people with ease.
Further, it shows that, with Coulson at least, Clint has cultivated a sense of respect in both his marksman ability and his tactical mind. Clint might be utterly comfortable with questioning authority and forging his own path, but he's also listened to instead of dismissed. Clearly there is more to him than simply another Agent.
This notion is re-enforced early in The Avengers, when Clint is left to overlook the precarious research on the Tesseract. While Selvig is clearly dismissive of Clint -- ""The Hawk? In his nest, as usual." -- this is not the case with Fury, or even Loki. Fury listens to Clint's observations carefully, and with good reason, as Clint is the first and only person to realize that if the Tesseract is a doorway then it can open from both sides. Loki, on the other hand, immediately picks up on Clint's skill, and mind controls him with his scepter. This action leaves long lasting scars, something that even four years later, Clint has not really overcome.
However, it's apparent that, given credence by his title Hawkeye, Clint is extremely observant. He picks up on facts nobody else does or has -- the Tesseract, Natasha’s subtly unusual behavior, the Chitauri weaknesses, ect. -- and he works with it, easily changing his plans and his reactions to fit these new parameters. But while Clint is known for his sight and his aim, there is nothing augmented or superhuman about either. In fact, he must work hard to keep his skills with a bow sharp and easily wielded.
He is also notoriously underestimated despite this.
"My next target."
"Tell me what you need."
"I need a distraction. And an eyeball."
--Clint & Loki.
Clint takes great pride in his skills. Not only in his marksmanship, or in his hand-to-hand, but in everything he does. He's a master assassin just as Natasha is, even if he wasn't shaped into it like she was, and it takes a lot of work to become that good.
But Clint is also rather smart, and he's a very adept strategist. While under Loki's control, he comes up with and leads two successful missions; getting Selvig the iridium he needed to stabilize the Tesseract, and leading a party to invade and take down the helicarrier base S.H.I.E.L.D. was staying in. During the Battle in Manhattan, he is the first to find the weakness of the Alien aircraft and the easiest way to take them out without direct contact. He personally also takes out plenty of Chitauri with his arrows before he runs out and is forced to evacuate.
His eyesight, and quick thinking, is often utilized as a means of scouting. Clint often offers a bird's eye view, picking apart battlefield and enemies alike, helping to guide the team to victory.
-- Clint, to Natasha.
However, while Clint's eyesight and skills helped SHIELD and later the Avengers, he was also pitted against them against his will. While under Loki's control, it appears as if nothing about his personality was really changed. Instead, his loyalty was swapped to leave him completely devoted to Loki.
This violation has left deep scars. But Clint is a guy who never quite deals with his issues, he pushes it down and forges forward, letting things build and fester.
It is important, however, to note that nearly as soon as Clint sweated out the fever he was asking about the damage he’d caused, and the amount of people he’d killed while he was under. It’s obvious Clint dealt with some heavy duty guilt due to his actions, even if they were not under his own volition, and though he doesn’t seem to start coming back to himself until halfway through the battle of Manhattan, it’s apparent that the after effects will take a long while to wear off completely. This is repeated by Natasha -- “We don't have that long, it's gonna take time.” -- and further still by Erik Selvig in Thor: The Dark World who seems to have gone rather mad due to Loki's control. Admittedly, Clint was under for a shorter time frame than Selvig and his job and the help offered by Natasha seems to have given him a better chance of coming out without being just as unhinged as Selvig was.
In Age of Ultron, Clint faces this fear once more in the form of Wanda Maximoff, but he blocks it. Clearly, Clint has been able to work through this trauma in some manner. Whether it was healthy, and do what degree, is unknown. But Clint is very clearly much the same person as he was before Loki.
-- Clint, to Wanda.
Once he comes out from under the control it’s easy to see that, overall, Clint is just a regular guy.
Humor is one of his coping mechanisms, and is a really core trait of his. It’s only when he lets some of wry humor slip in -- “Well, if I put an arrow in Loki’s eye socket, I’d sleep better I suppose.” “Now you sound like you.” -- that Natasha truly relaxes around him, and this is something that carries on.
During the aforementioned part in Thor, Clint takes the time to make a few wisecracks at the expense of agents facing Thor, even when he’s got an arrow pointed at him, ready to take the god down. This humor is seemingly at odds when compared to Clint’s skill and efficiency when it comes to his job, and that is something he seemingly enjoys. This shines through later on, during the fight against the Chitauri, when he manages to pull off a few showy moves despite the gravity of the situation he’s found himself in.
In fact, Clint cracks jokes in nearly every situation he finds himself in. Whether it be stuck in the woods of Sokovia, fighting an army of robots, or facing down friends on the opposite side of a battle. Humor is a massive part of Clint's character, and he relies on it.
-- Clint, to Tony.
Despite the mask Clint likes to present, he's not solely the funny guy. He's smart, he's compassionate, and he's probably more stubborn than a herd of Elephants.
And while he tends to be a mellow, go-with-the-flow sort of guy, there is a very real temper beneath his skin. He doesn't let it show often, and as mentioned before, Clint often hides behind humor. But given that Clint is frequently blunt to a fault, it shouldn't be a surprise that his anger is sharp, and cold. With Clint's skill of perception, and his innate knowledge of people, this means he goes right for the throat. Tony found this out the hard way in Captain America: Civil War, but perhaps the most important fact is this is the first sign of Clint's anger that we've seen in three full movies. The look on Tony's face also adds credence to the fact that, in four years of working together, he hasn't really seen Clint angry. Whether that be to this extent, or in general.
Speaking of in general, Clint is one to hide how he feels. Not to say he's stoic all the time, because he isn't. But Clint doesn't trust people, and to reveal a part of himself like that leaves him vulnerable. His anger, his guilt, his helplessness -- Clint locks it down and throws away the key. Natasha seems to be the only one to pull answers out of him, and it can be assumed that Laura can as well.
Speaking of Laura, it is important to note that Clint's life is split between family and work. However, while Clint seems to be a good father, and a loving husband, the nature of his job and the secret family nobody knew about makes this a bit difficult. Laura is, essentially, a single mother. Clint, then, plays the role of "fun parent" whom visits out of the blue and is gone likely far too often. While its clear that Clint goes above and beyond to keep his family safe and secure, he also harbors guilt for being away so often and for not being the father he'd like to be.
In Age of Ultron and Civil War, Clint makes a plethora of jokes and references to retiring. The death of Pietro Maximoff, and the utter mayhem of Sokovia, clearly has a heavy influence on Clint's desire to become a stable figure within his family. Early on in Civil War, Natasha reveals that he's still 'retired', and as such doesn't want to weigh in on the Sokova Accords.
But Clint puts a lot of emphasis on trust, and even if he doesn't always consider himself a hero, he will always help a friend. It's no surprise that he shows up with Steve calls, as Steve showed him trust and offered a second chance on their first meeting. Clint doesn't forget his debts, and even if Steve didn't consider it one, Clint does.
Clint is also not really one to fully retire. He needs to help, whether it be fixing up the dining room or fighting former friends. Clint has spent most of his life fighting, and, I think, he simply doesn't know how to fully unwind and be just your average person.
Canon Abilities/Skills:
Clint is, officially, without powers. However, as a spyassassin he has plenty of tricks. These include:
➸ being the "greatest living marksman on the planet"; adept with firearms
➸ mastery of archery; adept at regular, longbow, crossbow, and compound bows.
➸ mastery of thrown weaponry; adept at throwing blades, balls, bolas, boomerangs, ect.
➸ expert acrobat; is at peak human strength, stamina, and endurance.
➸ proficient in hand to hand
➸ proficient strategist; able to create and lead operations
➸ top notch at pep-talks
ON STATION 72
Symbiote Specialization: Iota.
Symbiote Ability: Shadow Manipulation.
rank i.
(+) Capable of cloaking self within shadows and being undetected.
(-) Can remain hidden for a limited amount of time ( 1-2 hours ), shadows and/or darkness must already be present. Can not cloak others as well, doing so is exhausting, and will near immediately break cover; using this power creates a strange sense of disassociation.
rank ii.
(+) Can stay cloaked for longer, as well as create small shadows. Able to bring another person into the shadows.
(-) Created shadows are weaker, chance of being discovered is higher. Cloaking more than one person cuts time limit in half (30 minutes - 1 hour). Continuous or repeated use is physically exhausting, overuse will cause hypothermia-like symptoms; sense of disassociation is deeper, and harder to shake.
rank iii.
(+) Can stay cloaked for a longer duration, near impossible to discern. Can bring one or two people into the shadows with ease. Can create and utilize shadows.
(-) Cloaking more than one person still lasts a shorter time frame than by oneself ( 2-3 hours ). Use is less exhausting, but continuous or repeated use has a higher draw back. Overuse still causes exhaustion and hypothermia-like symptoms; sense of disassociation is immense, yet innate. Harder to shake, can linger for hours, if not days.
Inventory:
➸ one ( 1 ) uniform ( see character appearance. )
➸ two ( 2 ) specially designed hearing aids
➸ one ( 1 ) collapsible recurve bow
➸ one ( 1 ) specialized quiver, half-filled with arrows
➸ one ( 1 ) combat knife
➸ one ( 1 ) photo of his family
SAMPLES
Samples:
one + two.
Rescue Write-up:
It starts simply, quickly.
One moment they're in Wakanda, humid and hot, a change from the Raft's cold sterility that Clint relishes. The next, the calm shatters with a glass wall. It hits hard, sudden, and it's only years of training that saves Clint from going down. Glass splinters draw blood, thin, delicate little cuts that drip blood into his eyes.
They fight, because they must.
They're not superheros now, not really, but the life never really leaves. It lingers, carved into bones, stamped in the dark of minds. But there's no way -- he knows it, deeply, intrinsically. These people, these beings, they flicker and snarl and surge forward despite each loss. The Team fights together like a well oiled machine, even if they're cut in half, but there's no way they can fight these unending, fatigue-less numbers.
Maybe that's why he hears him. Unintelligible at first, a whisper, a roar, the crush of empty space in the hollow of his ears. Clint flinches, panicked for a moment that it's Loki, cold and blue and forever written into the very shape of him. He looses an arrow and feels his throat click with a scream he smothers. It soothes, gains substance and form and -- Agent Barton -- he ignores it until he can't.
His bow weighs a ton, arms straining, trembling, drawing tight and tense. Clint doesn't miss, he never does, but the arrows in his quiver are dwindling. He looses another, sets it alight with an explosion that gives them a few crucial seconds.
Scott's gone, and Clint doesn't think about it. Can't. Agent-- T'challa, maskless, fights with the fervor Clint's familiar with, a desperate man with far too much weighing on his shoulders. Come-- Wanda, one hand a blur of red, is desperately trying to push herself up off her knees. Come to me-- Steve goes skidding, hands empty without his shield. He takes too long to get up; Clint aches. Let us help-- Sam's firing, but he's still, a being made of marble. Something strangely familiar. You can still save them.
Something snaps, time rushing by, the whispered words hurting the ruined shells of his ears. He ignores it, tries to, desperately, reaches back for an arrow and feels something slice through his armor. It's only instinct that keeps the arrow from slipping, training that has him twisting to jab up through the thin skin under a man's jaw.
He stumbles. You're running out of time--. One hand presses to his stomach, the sick scent of spilled intestines lingering, and Clint knows. This is it, this is the end, overwhelming and disappointing after the world shattering fight they'd suffered mere weeks ago. But Clint was never one to surrender, he swings his bow with one arm, blood spilling over his fingers.
They're dying.
Cruel, less of a whisper under all that truth. It hurts his ears, hurts his head, shrieking, aching, a terrible ringing that cuts through him like the toll of a bell. It's more than words, its images, impressions, the knowledge of what is coming for them. Clint shudders, holds himself together with desperate hands. Wanda falls, fingers sparking, and he doesn't need a reminder. They're dying, all of them, but Clint's no stranger to sacrifice plays. Maybe he's hallucinating, maybe he's signing a deal worse than death.
Maybe this is the biggest mistake he'll ever make.
"Fuck," he bites, bloody teeth bared, "Yes, alright, just--"
Just let them live.