Kagura Hitomi had been contemplating how to upgrade Hawkeye for quite some time.
To be blunt, Clint Barton had no superpowers.
He was just... kind of weak. (Ahem, let's scratch that.)
But in all seriousness, reaching the rank of Level 7 SHIELD agent alongside Natasha Romanoff—despite being an ordinary human—was an impressive feat.
The fact that he even earned a place in the Avengers spoke volumes about his strong will and formidable combat abilities.
Among SHIELD's top agents, Barton and Natasha were undeniably among the best.
However...
He was still kind of weak. (Okay, really need to stop saying that.)
If we were to rank the original six Avengers by strength, Thor would undoubtedly take the top spot.
But if we were to determine the weakest link? It would be a close battle between Natasha and Hawkeye.
Everyone knew Natasha Romanoff's true skills lay in espionage, interrogation, and infiltration rather than direct combat.
That left Clint in a rather awkward position.
Unlike Tony Stark, he didn't have an advanced suit of armor.
Unlike Captain America or the Hulk, he couldn't physically match Asgardian gods in battle.
His only standout feature?
A high-tech bow capable of shooting an array of trick arrows.
Yet, despite all this, Clint Barton managed to hold his own in battle.
He gave the impression that he wasn't the most useless person on the battlefield—somehow making even Captain America seem less valuable at times.
That alone proved he was skilled.
So Kagura figured that if Hawkeye had the right gear, his combat effectiveness would skyrocket.
Hmm... maybe she should build him an Iron Man suit?
...No, bad idea. There could only be one Iron Man in the Marvel Universe!
And a War Machine.
And... well, okay, a Rescue Armor too.
After studying designs inspired by Iron Man, Batman and even the Crysis nanosuit?
Kagura custom-made a new battle suit for Hawkeye—one that would allow him to face any challenge ahead.
If Tony Stark could become a powerhouse through technology, then with Rhodes Industries backing him, Clint Barton would soon surpass even Captain America in strength.
.........................................
– Rhodes Industries – New York Equipment R&D Center
Kagura and Barton entered the high-security facility labeled "H2012."
"What is this place?" Barton asked, his eyes scanning the futuristic lab filled with floating holograms and cutting-edge weapons unlike anything he'd seen before.
His curiosity was evident.
"This is where Rhodes Industries develops custom equipment for Griffin Security." Kagura spun playfully before grinning.
"Oh, and yeah, Griffin is actually a subsidiary of Rhodes Industries."
"So this 'Bruce Wayne' guy is just another rich guy playing superhero?" Barton smirked.
"More or less," Kagura admitted with a smile.
"But having more people who want to protect the world isn't a bad thing, right?"
Barton sighed. "One Tony Stark is already a headache for SHIELD. Now there's another one?"
He had heard plenty about SHIELD's struggles dealing with Stark.
In his eyes, rich guys who could be living easy lives but chose to complicate things were hard to understand.
"Kagura, won't Nick Fury eventually catch on to what Griffin is up to?"
"Oh, probably," she replied casually.
"But that's fine."
"Rhodes Industries can just classify it as an equipment support program for SHIELD. And as for Griffin itself… Fury was bound to find out about it eventually."
She grinned mischievously. "Besides, Griffin doesn't conflict with the Avengers Initiative."
"I just don't feel like explaining everything to Fury."
"He asks way too many questions! I'd rather let him figure it out on his own."
"He's a smart guy—he'll piece it together. I believe in him!"
In truth, keeping an organization secret wasn't about hiding it completely—it was about drowning the truth in a sea of misinformation.
Let Fury chase red herrings for a while.
"Alright, let's check out your new gear, Mr. Barton."
Kagura activated the holographic interface, running an ID verification.
The metallic chamber labeled "H2012" slid open, revealing a brand-new battle suit.
It was primarily matte black with sleek gold accents—subtle yet striking.
It had the feel of a tech-enhanced Batman suit, or perhaps a more menacing Arkham Knight outfit.
Oh, and it had a cape. Because every archer deserved a cape and a hood!
This wasn't just for aesthetics—the cape and hood could project a holographic cloaking field, allowing for near-invisibility.
The full-body suit was made of lightweight carbon fiber, inheriting technology from Kagura's prototype combat suit.
It offered exceptional protection against small arms fire while remaining flexible.
A network of micro-energy capacitors embedded within the fabric provided an exoskeletal enhancement, boosting Barton's strength, speed, and endurance—allowing him to perform acrobatic feats far beyond normal human limits.
Additionally, reinforced titanium-gold alloy armor plates covered key areas like the chest, abdomen, thighs, and elbows, offering further protection.
As for weapons?
Hawkeye was an archer, so naturally, his primary weapon was still a bow.
His old bow was already futuristic, so Kagura focused on refining its design.
She briefly considered making it shoot dragons... but maybe that was an idea for another day.
Instead, she drew inspiration from Crysis' compound bow, upgrading it with advanced targeting systems and modular arrow configurations.
This new bow featured an integrated holographic targeting HUD that displayed enemy stats, wind direction, and optimal shot angles.
And if he ever ran out of arrows? The bow could transform into a sleek longsword, similar to the trick weapons from Bloodborne.
Because every good archer should have a backup melee weapon.
To top it off, the suit included two titanium alloy folding knives—so if Hawkeye ever got tired of sniping enemies from afar, he could go full berserker mode in close combat.
A floating holographic screen displayed the suit's specifications in detail.
Barton stared at his new gear in shock. "What the..."
"Hey! Watch your language!" Kagura scolded playfully.
"Ahem... I mean, I'm just a little overwhelmed," Barton corrected himself.
"I think joining Griffin might be the best decision I've ever made."
Kagura beamed. "I'm glad you like it. As a guardian of human civilization, having overwhelming combat power is a necessity."
Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed through the sky.
The ground trembled as if struck by a massive shockwave.
"Was that... an earthquake?" Barton tensed, scanning the area. "I didn't think New York was on a fault line."
"No…" Kagura's expression darkened as she rushed outside.
Above them, the sky was splitting apart.
A massive black void expanded rapidly, swallowing the once-clear blue sky over New York City.
The nightmarish sight of alien warships emerging from the darkness sent a chill down her spine.
Enormous armored leviathans roamed the cosmic sea, descending upon Earth like celestial predators.
Swarms of smaller attack vessels poured through the rift like a plague of locusts.
The Chitauri had arrived.
"Oh, come on!" Kagura gritted her teeth, clenching her fists in frustration.
"How incompetent did Thor and the others have to be to mess up a simple 'return-the-thing' mission this badly?!"