Marvel's Civil War II began with the death of two major superheroes, and yet, another life has been claimed in the event's latest issue. While the circumstances and motivations surrounding the death will certainly be elaborated upon in future issues, a number of fans feel the superhero responsible for pulling the trigger (so to speak) acted way out of character.
Maybe, maybe not. Comic books are messy affairs, with characters having decades of history penned by dozens of writers who each have a different take on any given hero. Yet, regardless of how one feels about the turn of events in Civil War II, what happened in issue #3 certainly makes one character's actions in a comic from 2000 infinitely more amusing.
Spoilers for Civil War II #3 below!
First, a quick recap: in Civil War II #3, various superheroes confront Bruce Banner, acting on a vision from the Inhuman Ulysses that shows the Hulk killing multiple Avengers. Though Bruce has been Hulk-free for a year, the mistrust of his friends and teammates cause him to, understandably, get a little upset. As Bruce yells at Captain Marvel and Iron Man, a special arrow fired by Hawkeye pierces Bruce's heart, killing the scientist.
This shocks the other superheroes in attendance, but Hawkeye says Bruce made him promise that, if the Hulk was ever about to appear again, Hawkeye would end Bruce's life. Hawkeye swears up and down he saw a hint of green in Bruce's eyes, which led to him firing the specially-made anti-Hulk arrow.
Got it? That bring us to Fabian Nicieza, Mark Bagley and Scott Hanna's Thunderbolts #34, which released in 2000. Though more than a decade apart, the scenario in Thunderbolts #34 and Civil War II #3 isn't all that different ... that is, if you ignore the end result.
In Thunderbolts #34, Hawkeye agrees to help the Thunderbolts take down the Hulk in an effort to help promote the team's image in the eyes of the public. The Thunderbolts give it their all, but they prove to be no match for the Hulk, who knocks out most of the team, except for Hawkeye. Then, drained of energy, the Hulk transforms back into Bruce Banner.
It's right around that time that a man named Clay Brickford arrives. He blames Bruce for exposing his children to radiation and for generally ruining people's lives as the Hulk. He has a gun and wants to kill Bruce for his actions as the Hulk. Bruce doesn't deny he's caused irreparable damage as his monstrous alter ego, and seems ready to die at Brickford's hand.
Hawkeye is then presented with a choice: allow Bruce to be gunned down by Brickford or shoot an arrow into Bruce in an effort to save him. Hawkeye chooses to shoot Bruce in the arm with a well-placed arrow, which causes Bruce to spin out of the way of Brickford's gunshot. He refuses to let Bruce accept his fate.
It's more than a little ironic, then, that, years later, Hawkeye would end Bruce's life with an arrow in a similar stand-off situation. The idea that Bruce is willing to die for his crimes as the Hulk isn't a new one, as Thunderbolts #34 shows. That's not what is surprising about Civil War II. What's surprising is not that Bruce invented a contingency plan for the Hulk, but that he convinced Hawkeye, a character who has a fairly adamant "no kill" policy and who once saved Bruce's life, to be the one to do it.
