Tales of Suspense#57

Tales of Suspense #57

Sep 1964 · Marvel

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★ 1st appearance — Hawkeye

About this Issue

Tales of Suspense #57 introduces Clint Barton — Hawkeye — to the Marvel Universe, giving the Silver Age its defining non-powered archer and one of the most durable Avengers in the publisher's history. What makes the debut particularly rich is its moral complexity: Barton arrives not as a hero but as an inadvertent villain, manipulated by the Soviet spy Black Widow into attacking Iron Man after a police misunderstanding derails his sincere attempt at costumed heroism — a guilt-by-circumstance origin that set the template for Marvel's 'flawed human trying to do right' archetype. The issue also marks a notable production milestone: it is the first Iron Man cover of the era drawn entirely by Don Heck rather than Jack Kirby or Steve Ditko, making Hawkeye arguably the first major Marvel character of the period whose visual conception owes nothing to either of those two dominant figures. Hawkeye's trajectory from this antagonist debut to Avengers membership in The Avengers #16 (May 1965), and then to a decades-long run as one of Marvel's most human heroes — capped by Jeremy Renner's MCU portrayal across six films and a Disney+ series — traces directly back to the 18-page story printed here.

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History

The lead story, 'Hawkeye, the Marksman!', was written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Don Heck, who also drew the cover; Larry Lieber contributed the backup 'Tales of the Watcher' feature. According to collector commentary corroborated by multiple sources, Don Heck conceived the character with a Robin Hood-type outlaw-hero duality in mind, while the name 'Hawkeye' and Barton's frontier buckskin circus costume appear to nod to the James Fenimore Cooper marksman of the same name from the Leatherstocking Tales novels. The issue shipped with a September 1964 cover date during the stretch (issues #53–58) when the series ran under the expanded logo 'Tales of Suspense featuring The Power of Iron Man,' just one issue before Captain America joined as a co-feature beginning with #59 — meaning this is the final solo Iron Man issue before the title became a split book. Writer Kurt Busiek later suggested that Hawkeye's elevation from a throwaway antagonist to a permanent Avenger was itself unplanned, with Stan Lee reportedly recognizing the character's potential only after seeing Heck's original art boards.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance and origin of Hawkeye (Clint Barton), created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck; cover date September 1964, on sale June 9, 1964.
The lead story is titled 'Hawkeye, the Marksman!' — 18 pages; Barton is not given a civilian name in this issue.
Hawkeye debuts as a villain, manipulated by the Black Widow (who had herself debuted five issues earlier in Tales of Suspense #52) into attacking Iron Man at Stark Industries.
The issue is the first Iron Man cover not drawn by Jack Kirby or Steve Ditko — Don Heck handled both interior art and the cover, making Hawkeye the first major Marvel character of the era not visually shaped by either of those two artists.
A secondary backup story, 'The Watcher's Power!', written by Stan Lee and plotted/drawn by Larry Lieber, also appears; it was later reprinted in Marvel's Greatest Comics #23 (October 1969).
Hawkeye appeared as a villain two more times in Tales of Suspense #60 and #64 before joining the Avengers — alongside Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch — in The Avengers #16 (May 1965), as part of the roster overhaul Stan Lee used to resolve continuity burdens from heroes starring in their own concurrent series.
Marvel published a full facsimile edition of the issue in 2022, reprinting it in its original form including period advertisements.
The issue has been collected in multiple trade paperbacks, most notably the Hawkeye Epic Collection: The Avenging Archer Vol. 1 (2022) and various Avengers and Iron Man retrospective collections; the character has since been portrayed by Jeremy Renner in the MCU across Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and the Hawkeye Disney+ series (2021).