An assassin is sent after one of the Avengers in a preview of Marvel's new Black Widow & Hawkeye series. The two characters have traveled a long path during their time in the Marvel Universe, beginning as villains and working their way to celebrated members of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. This year marks the duo's 60th anniversary, calling for a team-up series that will continue their storied legacies while also adding to their mythos in new and exciting ways. It's an exciting time to be a fan of Black Widow and Hawkeye, with Natasha Romanoff the new host for a Venom symbiote, and Clint Barton falling back to his old mischievous ways.
ComicBook.com has an exclusive preview of Black Widow & Hawkeye #1 by Stephanie Phillips, Paolo Villanelli, Mattia Iacono, and VC's Joe Sabino. It kicks off with Black Widow confronting an assassin on the snowy alps of Siberia. It seems this assassin was hired to kill Hawkeye, and he claims to have succeeded. Black Widow comes equipped with her new symbiote, and she threatens to use her spiders to pry the information she needs out of the assassin's head. The assassin stands his ground, forcing Black Widow to let her spiders feast. Once inside the assassin's mind, Black Widow discovers Hawkeye tussled with the fellow in Madripoor, resulting in an explosion.
Rewind time back 24 hours ago in Madripoor, and we find Hawkeye being chased by the assassin. Hawkeye's inner banter has him believing the assassin wants to flay him and turn his skin into a winter coat, which the bad guy quickly confirms by stating he wants to collect Clint's hide as a trophy.
What is Black Widow & Hawkeye about?
"THE EYES OF A HAWK AND THE VENOM OF A WIDOW! Even when Black Widow and Hawkeye had no one to trust, they still had each other – even though their paths sometimes diverged," the description of Black Widow & Hawkeye reads. "So when Clint Barton is accused of a rogue assassination attempt that puts the U.S. and Madripoor at odds, a symbiote-equipped Natasha Romanoff thinks nothing of coming to his aid. But as echoes of their past ripple into the present, it will take all their faith in each other – and the lessons learned along the way – to protect their futures.
"I love getting the chance to dig deep with Natasha Romanov and Clint Barton to tell a fast-paced spy story that celebrates their 60th anniversary," Phillips shared. "Nothing is as it seems, and I'm having a ton of fun writing these characters. Not to mention they both look great for 60."
The exclusive preview of Black Widow & Hawkeye #1 can be found below. The issue goes on sale Wednesday, March 13th.