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On the Death of Mockingbird

I was clearing out old files today and I found this letter that I sent on 1st October 1993 to the Avengers West Coast letters page after #100 of that title (the issue where Mockingbird died):

"In this issue:" the cover blurb screamed, "the DEATH of an AVENGER!" "Oh," I thought, rather cynically, "they're finally going to kill off Mockingbird."

It's not hard to guess why you did it. Bobbi Morse Barton had a history which had become badly convoluted. From as far back as her fateful encounter with Night Rider, through her separation with Hawkeye and brief period as leader of the "Breakaway Avengers", in her betrayal of the Vision to what was effectively his death, during her convenient absence training the equally absent "Great Lakes Avengers", through her slow return to Clint, even in her brief and improbable attraction to US Agent, this has been an ill-used and badly defined character.

In terms of team balance, Mockingbird had no skills or powers not possessed by Tigra or Cap or the Black Widow. Her only unique combat methods, her ability to psyche out an opponent with her taunts and her covert espionage training were forgotten several writers ago. Her only recent roles have been as a romantic cypher for Hawkeye or as a hostage.

But killing her off - that was the easy way out. That was the sort of cheap trick I expect of lesser creative teams, folks who weren't up to the challenge of making this character worth keeping alive. Mockingbird dies saving a fellow Avenger and taking a lethal power blast meant for her husband. Surviving long enough to proclaim her love! That's the kind of cliche heroic death I gave my characters when I was drawing my own comics at the age of ten!

Didn't Barney Barton do this exact plot back in the sixties, saving brother Hawkeye from Egghead? Wasn't that a Roy Thomas issue as well?

Well it's done, and done badly. Now you have to pay the penance: make it count for something. Make it more than a cheap gimmick for a comic book with #100 on the cover. DON'T use it as an excuse to write Hawkeye out: "I'm going off to be by myself for a while, guys... I need to find myself..." That's an old one as well. Instead, use it to drive a new series of plots. How does Wanda feel with a death this early into her command? What changes in operating procedure do the team adopt. How does Clint come to terms with it, redefining himself as a hero? (Hint: not by narrating flashback adventures by Bobbi's graveside.)

The death of Mockingbird was one of the least effective, most pointless deaths I have ever seen in a death-laden genre. Sort it out!

Well, that was how I felt in 1993 and that's pretty much how I feel now. The ill-planned events of that issue sent Hawkeye into a six-year decline from which he is only now recovering. It opened questions about Avengers operating procedures which COULD have been used to explain the rather abrupt disbanding of the West Coast team a mere two issues later - but weren't. And the villain actually GOT AWAY with killing an Avenger with no comeback then or since! Does anyone believe that if Mephisto or anyone had killed say Cap for example that the team would have just said "Oh well" and got on with the funeral? They'd have moved heaven and earth to do something about it.

I'm not arguing for Bobbi's resurrection. I'm against superhero resurrections on principle. However, I would like to see some resolution to this gaping wound of a plotline. During "the Crossing" (or is that "the Mix-Up"?) Hawkeye could hardly stay in the same room as Tony Stark because of some ill-explained blame he placed on Iron Man for not being in the team at the time of Mockingbird's death. One Onslaught later and they're old pals again. Wanda appeared to react to the death by getting a new costume and becoming a generic "strong woman in leadership role" for the improbable Force Works.

The reason this is all relevant now is the recent appearance of Mocky in the Dead Avengers storyline and her "Tell Clint-" line. I want to see Hawkeye's reaction to hearing about that. I want the Avengers to check what exactly happened to Bobbi in the Marvel afterlife. Does Mephisto have her soul? Is the supernatural Night Rider still after her? I especially want to see Hawkeye vs Mephisto. Sure, Hawkeye's a guy with trick arrows and Mephisto is a supreme entity of supernatural evil, but Clint has never backed down from a challenge. He's thwarted the Grandmaster before for example. Clint might have to literally go through hell to take Mephisto down, but it would also be a hell of a resolution to the Mockingbird tragedy.

Vox pop: Could the Avengers take Mephisto. If so, how?

Hawkeye vs Mephisto - odds?