Editor's note: The following contains spoilers through Episode 3 of Hawkeye.Just in time for the holiday season, we have Marvel's festive limited series Hawkeye. Created for the small screen by Jonathan Igla, this series tells the origin story of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), a 22-year old who was a child during the events that took place in The Avengers and has since become a talented archer like her hero, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Though all Clint Barton wants to do is relax with his family for Christmas and forget about his archer alter-ego, things inevitably go awry once the Tracksuit Mafia — whom Hawkeye fought from his past as Ronin — comes back to haunt him.
Clint reluctantly takes Kate under his (hawk) wing, and the two foster a father-daughter-like relationship as they try to take down the baddies. While the blatant adversaries of Hawkeye thus far seem to be the bro-y mafia and the tendrils leading to and from them, Kate senses a serious threat in Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton), her mother Eleanor’s (Vera Farmiga) new fiancé. For Kate, dealing with her self-centered and dismissive mother was complicated enough. It’s clear that Jack and Kate don’t like each other; Jack envisions a happily ever after with Eleanor, while in Kate’s future, Jack is nowhere to be found. At a charity auction with her mother, Kate discovers an underground black market auction containing objects from the Battle of New York, and notices Jack and his uncle Armand (Simon Callow) are in attendance (see? Not a great dude). Later, Armand is found dead, and Kate is pretty certain that Jack had something to do with it. Good luck trying to convince Eleanor about that.
Since it looks like Jack Duquesne is here to stay, we should probably get to know him a bit. Who is this mysterious mustachioed man in the comics and what was his relationship to Hawkeye?
Hawkeye seems to be making some significant changes to Jack Duquesne as they bring him from the page to the screen. First things first, his name isn’t Jack. In the comics, his name is Jacques Duquesne, and he becomes the villain known as the Swordsman. Created by Stan Lee, Don Heck, and Dick Ayers, the Swordsman first appeared in The Avengers #19 in 1965 as a major headache for Captain America, Hawkeye, and the other Avengers when he busts into the Avengers headquarters (classic villain move). His plans are thwarted once Hawkeye recognizes him as a key figure from his past.
But if it wasn’t for the Swordsman, there quite possibly wouldn’t be a Hawkeye. Like Clint, Jacques had a directionless childhood. Born into a wealthy family of European descent, Jacques grew up in the fictional nation Siancong which at the time was under French rule. He joined a rebellion cause as the swashbuckling Swordsman with the hope of freeing the Siancongnese from French oppression (so far so good…). Jacques is forced to confront his identity, however, when he finds out that the rebellion leader Wong-Chu killed his father. Understandably, Jacques questions his allegiance to someone who murdered his father, and steps away from rebellion to find a purpose elsewhere. And that place happens to be the circus.
Jacques joins the Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonders, a place that embraces his bold personality and allows him to showcase his impressive sword fighting and knife skills. During his time with the carnival, he meets a young orphan named Clint Barton who is also searching for a sense of purpose. Jacques saw potential in Clint and became his mentor, training him to become the brilliant archer, knife, and sword wielder that would later help the Avengers. Unfortunately, Clint’s heroic image of Jacques shatters when he catches him stealing from the carnival (and there it is). Jacques developed a gambling and alcohol addiction, and Clint felt obligated to turn him in. The mentor and mentee battle it out, but Jacques manages to escape with his costume and weapons, only to return down the road as a villain.
And that brings us back to The Avengers #19, when the Swordsman made a grand entrance attacking Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Oddly enough, Jacques was hoping to join the Avengers because he believed that being publicly known as an Avenger would help him get away with his criminal activity. He even claimed that his little ambush was a mere test (sure bro, okay). After a quick background search in a fancy Avengers computer, Captain America discovers that this Swordsman fellow had been involved in criminal activity from all over the world. By the end of the issue, Jacques ties Captain America up and threatens to kill him unless he makes him the leader of the Avengers (dude, you, like, just got here). His chances at becoming an Avenger just got really slim. And yet…
The Swordsman ends up being summoned by the Mandarin, who details his plans to turn him into an Avenger, give his sword some nifty powers, and then kill Iron Man. But how on Earth could the Avengers possibly accept this guy into their group after he threatened to kill Captain America? Mandarin’s easy solution was to project himself to the Avengers as Iron Man, and explain to everyone that the Swordsman, despite his ludicrous behavior, indeed can be trusted. Because Iron Man is, well, Iron Man, the Avengers believe him. Hawkeye, though, isn’t so sure. Upon hearing the Swordsman was officially an Avenger, he makes the smart-alec quip, “Next thing y’know we’ll be swearin’ in Dr. Doom!”
Though he agreed to blow up the Avengers from within, the Swordsman has second thoughts. He decides to go against the Mandarin and remove the bomb and save the Avengers. The last thing Captain America sees, however, is the Swordsman carrying a bomb, which isn’t a great look. The bomb explodes, and the Swordsman is assumed dead by the Avengers. But, he made it out alive, and in a tricky situation: he was now hated by the Avengers and the Mandarin.
Jacques’ affiliations changes make it increasingly difficult to trust him. He appears to regret his initial harming of the Avengers, but will quickly jump aboard other people’s schemes to harm them. Over the years, he’s teamed up with Power Man and a brainwashed Black Widow to seek revenge on the Avengers, fell in love with Mantis and then joined the Avengers with her, and even fought Kang the Conqueror, who was on the quest for the Celestial Madonna (Mantis’ new identity). Kang didn’t bother capturing the Swordsman, as he believed it would be a waste of time. The Swordsman ended up sacrificing himself to prove his worth and to save Mantis and the Avengers (but of course, he would be back).
Though he rides the line between hero and villain in the comic books, it seems like Jack will be a clear-cut villain in the Hawkeye series. It’ll also be interesting to see if we learn about his carnival roots, and if he ever crossed paths with Clint when they were young (they appear to be similar ages, so it’s less likely that he was Clint’s mentor). And what will Yelena (Florence Pugh) think of Jack? We’ll have to wait and see, bro.
Don’t quiver, new episodes of Hawkeye air Wednesdays on Disney+.