In contrast to his 616 version, Marvel's Ultimate Hawkeye literally sees in black and white. This tidbit was learned in a flashback during issue #2 of Ultimate Hawkeye. The four-issue mini-series was written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Rafa Sandoval.
This version of Hawkeye was created by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. He first appeared in Ultimates #7 as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., similar to how the character would eventually be depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also similar to that version, this Clint Barton has a wife named Laura along with three children whom he calls before every mission to say goodbye in case he doesn’t survive. Though Ultimate Hawkeye seems to be unique from his counterparts in the 616 and MCU in that he might actually have superpowers. Clint became an Olympic gold medalist without any training. He was able to compete just by showing up to a qualifier event, picking up a bow, and beating everyone in attendance.
At some point, Hawkeye was on death row for murder. Seeing his potential, Nick Fury had him questioned. During this interrogation, it’s revealed that Clint’s eyes don’t work the same way as a normal person’s. The agent questioning him points out that, “a normal person has around a hundred and fifty million rod cells in their eyes.” Clint has close to four hundred million. He also has increased muscles around the eye that allow him to change focal length. What the agent might not know is that Clint has fewer cones in his eyes than most people, causing him to literally see the world in black and white.
The reason for this, Clint points out, is to keep his sight in high contrast. He’s able to pinpoint what’s real and what’s not, highlighting details in the world that normal people might miss. Clint goes on to demonstrate this ability by using the agent’s pen to break a weak point in the one-way glass beside them, revealing Nick Fury watching behind it. Fury was so impressed with the move he wanted to sign Clint up for S.H.I.E.L.D. on the spot.
In an ironic twist, this version of Hawkeye with super sight is a stark contrast to the MCU version, who has an actual hearing handicap. There are other versions of Hawkeye with powers, though. In the possible future 2099 timeline, the Avengers have a Hawkeye who is quite literally part hawk with claws and wings. It’s worth noting, however, this Hawkeye’s name is Max and a completely different person than Clint Barton.
