20 Lesser-Known Female Superheroes

Kate Bishop (Image via Marvel)

17. Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)

As Hawkeye, Kate Bishop kind of forcibly joined the Young Avengers (along with the previously mentioned America Chavez). She’s also the third person to take on the Hawkeye name, and the first woman to do so.

Kate Bishop is a highly skilled archer, as the Hawkeye title essentially requires. Besides a bow and arrow, Bishop has also used her skills in martial arts, fencing, boxing, and other combat styles to defeat enemies. Black Panther has also given her some trick arrows, which is both useful and something to really boast about. I mean, how often do you get to buddy up with Black Panther?

She’s also preternaturally calm in intense situations, as seen in her first encounter with the Young Avengers team. After essentially rescuing said Young Avenger, Kate invites herself to join them. She soon becomes one of the most central members of the team, providing practice space and new uniforms for each of them.

She especially fun as a character in the latest Hawkeye series. Though she and fellow Hawkeye Clint Barton focus on more mundane crimes, it’s still worth reading. For one, the series allows Kate’s laconic, blunt nature to come to the fore. At one point, she strikes out and becomes a superhero/private detective and manages to take down an entire criminal organization.