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Quote1 Only one way this is gonna end, baby brother. It's in my blood, an' now yours. One'a us is gonna hafta kill the other. An' I ain't gonna stop until it happens. Quote2
Trickshot[src]

History

Charles Barton (Earth-616) and Clinton Barton (Earth-616) from Hawkeye Blind Spot Vol 1 1 001

Charles in his childhood (left; Charles & right; his younger brother, Clint)

Early Life[]

Charles Bernard Barton (nicknamed Barney) was born on August 4th to Harold and Edith Barton. He grew up working in his father's butcher shop in Waverly, Iowa with his younger brother Clint. Their father was abusive, especially when he drank and continually beat the young boys.[2] Barney taught Clint how to fight and helped him to improve his aim.[3] Harold's drinking eventually cost him his life along with his wife when both died in a car accident, leaving the two boys orphans. The boys were placed in numerous foster homes, and when Clint turned 13, the boys ran away from one of them.[4] The boys eventually came across a carnival.[5]

The two boys took up odd jobs at the Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonder as roustabouts, and both became impressed with one of the star performers, Jacques DuQuesne also known as the Swordsman. The Swordsman asked the boys if they wished to help in his act and while Barney declined, Clint jumped at the chance. After many successful shows, the Swordsman asked fellow performer Trickshot to train Clint in archery. At this point Barney accused Clint of being used by the Swordsman.[6][7]

Sometime later Barney was interested in obtaining his G.E.D. after getting a decent score on his SATs. Clint was only obsessed with the show and improving his archery skills. When Barney tried to persuade Clint to take an interest in his education, he was angered, the brothers argued, and Barney reminded him that he had his own life to lead.

Barney became jealous and bitter for being overlooked by his idol. 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.

Barney became fed up with life at the carnival and decided to get a fresh start by joining the Army. He asked Clint to join him and again he declined. Barney told him the offer was still there and waited with hope at the bus depot. Barney got on the bus, saddened by the absence of his brother. Clint eventually turned up only to see the bus leave without him.[8]

Charles Barton (Earth-616) from Hawkeye Blind Spot Vol 1 4 001

After a successful career in the army, Barney joined the FBI. His first assignment as an agent was to go undercover as a bodyguard for a criminal called Marko. Coincidentally his brother Clint and Trickshot attempted to rob Marko's mansion. During the robbery Barney was shot with an arrow by his brother and when Clint learned what he had done, he was devastated. Clint refused to leave his brother's side and turned against Trickshot. Trickshot was angered by the betrayal, wounding Clint with an arrow and leaving.[9]

His next undercover assignment was to pose as a racketeer. He was approached by Egghead, who asked Barton to help finance his space station. Barton declined and called Egghead a nutcase; Egghead retaliated by sending a robot to kill him. Barton survived and sought out his brother Hawkeye, who was a member of the Avengers, informing him of Egghead's plans and accompanying the team to the space station. When Egghead used a paralysis ray on the Avengers, Barton sacrificed his life to destroy the ray-projector. 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.[10][11]

Charles Barton (Earth-616) from Hawkeye Blind Spot Vol 1 4 002

Blindspot[]

It was later revealed that Barney's body was taken by Egghead, who discovered there were faint vital signs and placed him in one of his accelerated healing chambers. When Egghead was eventually killed by Hawkeye in a final battle with the Avengers, the chamber was left lost and forgotten.[12]

Baron Zemo discovered the chamber, and holding a personal grudge against Hawkeye, he manipulated Barney to turn brother against brother. Baron Zemo then enlisted Hawkeye's own mentor Trickshot, who was once again suffering from cancer. Zemo recruited him to train Barney to be as proficient with a bow and arrow as his brother.[2] When the training was complete, Trickshot was badly beaten and his cancer continued to spread. Barney then took the dying Trickshot to Avengers Tower as a message to Hawkeye.

Sometime later while investigating his former mentor's death, Hawkeye was attacked by his brother, declaring himself the new Trickshot. Barney defeated his brother and took him to Baron Zemo. Zemo had the brothers duel to the death, but Hawkeye managed to best Trickshot in battle. Before teleporting away, Zemo transferred Trickshot's funds over to the winner, Hawkeye, then taunts the hero for turning his brother against him.[13]

Later in custody, Trickshot agreed to provide a bone marrow sample for transplant to save his brother's sight, but only so he could fight his brother again in the future.[14]

Dark Avengers[]

After Osborn escaped the Raft, he decide to create a new H.A.M.M.E.R. organization and recruit an new team of Dark Avengers. They first traveled to the Savage Land to recruit Skaar, the son of Hulk. Then they recruited Ai Apaec, a South-American Spider God, albeit with four added arms. Superia was then sent to recruit Tomi Shishido to the team to be their Wolverine. They also resurrected the Thor's cyborg clone Ragnarok. Superia also joined the team taken up the mantle of Ms Marvel, and June Covington aka Toxic Doxie as Osborne's new Scarlet Witch. The final recruit was Barney as the new Hawkeye.[15]

Charles Barton (Earth-616) from Dark Avengers Vol 1 175 001

Trickshot as a member of the Dark Avengers

In Miami, Florida the New Avengers into a fight with the new Dark Avengers.[16] Iron Fist decided to see what would happen if he "iron-fisted" a Hulk: result, Skaar flew across the battlefield and crashed into Ai Apaec. The Dark Avengers displayed none of the New Avengers' teamwork, but the point was made moot when Superia brought their ship crashing down, scattering the fighters and wounding Mockingbird and some of the civilians. An enormous tidal wave suddenly appeared, separating the two teams. The Dark Avengers began to lose nerve, but the wave just as suddenly vanished to reveal that the New Avengers had fled.[17]

The Dark Avengers clashed with the New Avengers again in New York with the reveal of their new member Ragnarok. After the clone's defeat and before returning to New York, however, the team dropped off a parting gift; the battered wreck of Ragnarok.[18] The New Avengers arrived home to be greeted by a SWAT team, who informed them that Avengers Mansion has been seized by the government and that all of them were under arrest. The Dark Avengers, watching the live broadcast of the attack on the Avengers Mansion, found this fantastic entertainment.[19]

Skaar was revealed to be on the side of the Avengers and effortlessly dispatched the Dark Avengers and destroyed their ship before intimidating an AIM guard to lead him to the imprisoned Steve Rogers. The Dark Avengers were just starting to recover when the New Avengers arrived, summoned by Skaar. The second battle went just as badly for them: the only fight which looked close was between Spider-Man and Ai Apaec, now reverted into his original form. The spider god eventually went down thanks to a sudden appearance by Cap's shield. Now freed, Captain America exchanged salutes with Victoria Hand and introduced Skaar. He tells them the Dark Avengers are going to prison, and that they need to confront Osborn next.[20]

Charles Barton (Earth-616) New Avengers Vol 2 18

Luke Cage[]

After the Thunderbolts went missing in the timestream, the Dark Avengers were recruited as a replacement team. They were implanted with nanites in order to prevent them from going rogue, and placed under the leadership of Luke Cage. The Dark Avengers were to be sent to Sharzhad on a mission. Luke initially refuses to lead the new team but changes his mind at the last minute when he arrives with Skaar; the Dark Avengers former team mate who will be joining the team together with Cage.[21]

The Dark Avengers embarked on a mission to Sharzhad, a new country between Egypt and Libya created by Dagan Shah. The mission was to retrieve Erik Wender, whom Shah planed to use as a conduit to allow him access to his great powers around the globe as opposed to just his home country. Toxie Doxie used her new powers to track Wender to the northeast but they were ambushed by a giant sand version of Shah.[22]

After a fight with Shah and his monsters, the Dark Avengers disposed of them and resumed their search for Wender. Toxie Doxie used her new abilities to sense where Wender was, using a sample of his blood. She asked Ragnarok to take her up higher. Trickshot and Apaec exchanged a look and then quickly latched onto Ragnarok and left.[23]

Dark Avengers tracked down and captured Wender. Luke Cage and Skaar; as well as Dagan Shar drew closer however. Trickshot told Ragnarok to send a lightning bolt towards Skaar and Cage. The bolt drew the attention of Shah who proceeded to attack them instead. Skaar impaled Shah during the battle and appeared to have killed him but Shah simply pulled out the sword. Cage tried to convince Shah that they were there for the Dark Avengers and not Shah but Shah didn't believe him. As Skaar was charging him, Shah reached out with his mind and used his abilities to turn Skaar back into his human form.[24]

Dagan Shah was distracted by a sudden explosion at his palace and he quickly left the battle. Meanwhile, the Dark Avengers were battling through Shah's defenses. Wender sensed their target below and Ragnarok broke through to the underground cave that was the source of Shah's power. They found a sub-space pocket containing a little universe built by the Rigellians who left it behind thousands of years ago after an attempt to colonize the Earth. The crystal formations in the pocket were what give Shah his power. On Toxie's direction, Wender begun to channel all of the energy.[25]

Magus stormed into his castle to found the Dark Avengers siphoning away the source of his power. He tried to absorb it in order to power himself up, but found that Ragnarok was converting it and making it unstable. Ragnarok proceeded to knock him out and he was webbed up by Apaec.[26]

The Thunderbolts confronted the Dark Avengers, assuming they had been betrayed by Cage, Toxic Doxie attempted to attack, but Satana incapacitated her. Trickshot was knocked out by Boomerang's 'rangs while Troll destroyed Ragnarok's hammer, enabling Hyde and Juggernaut to take him down. Cage easily pounded Dark Spider-Man, noting he didn't have a Spider-Sense. Though they stopped the Dark Avengers, they couldn't free Erik Wender from the energy pipeline, Skaar's sword and stabbed Wender with it, saving the world and erasing the dystopic future.[27]

The Thunderbolts brought in the Dark Avengers. Toxic Doxie attempted an escape by controlling Songbird, only for the Dark Avengers to be subdued by their nanites, their control resting with Kell, the only surviving F.A.C.T. member. The Quinjet arrived to take Kell and the Dark Avengers home. On the Quinjet, Doxie mind controlled Skaar into smashing the controls, causing the plane to fall. Moonstone flew to intercept, while at the same time, Man-Thing opened a portal, causing both the Quinjet and Moonstone to vanish. Man-Thing explained that he set the portal for the Raft and took his teammates there, but strangely the Quinjet was missing. Walker's Quinjet crashed, from the wreckage, a wounded Kell exited and spotted Iron Man. As she asked for help, he killed her.[28]

Dark Earth[]

The Dark Avengers and Warden Walker ended up in parallel world and had been captured by an alternate version of the Avengers who tried to find out who they were as they didn't have counterparts in their universe. Pym disabled the Dark Avengers' control nanites and replaced them with their own control devices. As he got to work, Toxic Doxie begun to regain consciousness. The alternate Pym was also trying to figure out how to restore a microscopic Wasp to normal size. He protected against her against a protozoan. Despite her pleas to be put out of her misery, he refused, believing he could restore her. Then suddenly, his motor functions were controlled by Doxie, who forced him to free her before reworking his control implant to force him to serve her. She asked about this universe's Iron Man's operation. Pym explained that Iron Man sought out capable recruits to integrate into his armors. They never took them off, for the suits fed them and removed wastes. Upon hearing that the lab had a multitude of scientific endeavors, Doxie became intrigued.[29]

Trickshot woke up in Stark's lab to see U.S. Agent restored, Ragnarok still unconscious, and Ai Apaec in miniature form. June Covington brought them up to speed about the new world and they watched the battle on a screen in the lab.[30]

Charles Barton (Earth-616) from Dark Avengers Vol 1 184

Iron Man returned to his tower to find that Hank Pym had been experimenting on Ragnarok, removing his control implant. He also noticed that the other Dark Avengers were missing. When Pym mentioned having regrown U.S. Agent's limbs and shrunk Ai Apaec, Iron Man lashed out at him and realized that Pym's control implant had been reworked by June. The Dark Avengers made their way through Hell's Kitchen and ended up fighting this universe's version of Spider-Man.[31]

The Dark Avengers had been captured by Spider-Man's gang, who demanded to know what they did to Hawkeye. Covington, communicating with Ai Apaic, explained that he had been poisoned on his left side and told them to suck out the venom. Colleen Wing quickly moved into action. Shang-Chi demanded to know why Covington was dressed as the Scarlet Witch. Misty Knight assumed that since they were heading for Strangetown, they must have been working for Doctor Strange. U.S.Agent insisted that they were going to stop Strange, who had restarted the turf wars, and save the whole city. Daredevil punched Trickshot, stating that there are no heroes anymore, just superhumans who fight each other constantly. Convington mentally suggested luring in their captors and gas them but U.S.Agent denied her, reasoning that her toxin would be blown away in the wind. Instead, he noted aloud that Hell's Kitchen had been kept independent of the other superhuman factions. Misty explained that Spider-Man had changed. His webbing didn't stick to his allies, Grimm's monsters couldn't stand the smell of it and it screw up the Iron Men armors. Suddenly, the Dark Avengers were freed from the webbing, as Spider-Man didn't consider them enemies and agreed to accompany them to Strangetown, along with a select few of his gang. The Dark Avengers and Spider-Man gang arrived in Strangetown, where they were attacked by the All-Seeing Eye and the Soulsnake.[32]

The Dark Avengers battled Dr. Strange, when Misty Knight called for Captain America's Shield, Dr. Strange conjured up a deadly spell, only for it to deflect off the shield and kill Clea. Enraged, Strange readied an even more powerful spell, but Ai Apaec hit him with all the poison he had, killing the Sorcerer Supreme.[33]

Skaar, meanwhile, learned from Reed Richards and a captured A.I.M. agent that A.I.M. was behind the Dark Earth, having twisted reality. Moonstone and Skaar were freed, and the united Dark Avengers went after A.I.M.. They escaped the pocket dimension as it collapsed, returning to New York of Earth-616.[34]

Barney apparently left the team and started living from alms in the streets. He even let the "Tracksuit Mafia" beat him up for money, for his resemblance to Clint, enemy of said criminals. He finally encountered his brother, with whom he reconciled.[3] Barney helped his brother during the tracksuit mafia's raid on Clint's building,[35] but in the end, he took back all of the money Baron Zemo had stolen from him and given to Clint, and went on a vacation with Simone and her children.[36]

Attributes

Power Grid[40]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Master: Single Form of Combat:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/None:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Abilities

  • Master Archer: Barney , much like his brother has trained himself to become a master archer specializing in the use of regular bows, longbows, compound bows, and crossbows with near-perfect accuracy. He is capable of firing multiple arrows at a single target in a few seconds, hitting multiple targets in a few quick strokes, and directly hit small targets in the greatest of distances.
  • Master Marksman: He possesses very keen eyesight and accuracy. He was trained in the Army and later the by the FBI in firearms. In his adult life he was trained by Trick Shot with throwing blades, balls, bolas, and boomerangs. He now has near-perfect precision with any aimed or thrown weapon. He can hurl objects with extreme speed and accuracy, both in direct aim and complicated rebounds/interactions.
  • Expert Acrobat: Barney possesses exceptional human strength, endurance, and stamina. He is athletic, with very good reflexes and agility.
  • Martial Artist: Barney is an excellent martial artist, having been trained in various forms by the US Army and the FBI.
  • Skilled Tactician: Barney is a skilled tactician due to his training in the FBI and US Army.
  • Skilled Pickpocket: Barney is a naturally gifted pickpocket and honed his skills while an employee of the Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonder.[37]
  • Weapons Proficiency: Barney Barton incredible reflexes and hand-eye coordination allow him to easily master most weapons. He also received training in swordsmanship during his youth from the original Swordsman along with his brother.

Weaknesses

  • During an attack by The Clown, Barney was left handicapped, unable to walk.[38]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

  • Specially padded armor.

Weapons

Trivia

  • Despite his name being Charles, he is never referred to as such. It is unknown why he chose an abbreviation of his middle-name over his first.

See Also

Links and References

References

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