Ultimate Hawkeye #1 Review

By Matthew PetersonSeptember 30, 20253 Mins Read

Hawkeye goes undercover to undermine The Maker’s allies at the source. But there’s another player on the field. Your Major Spoilers review of Ultimate Hawkeye #1 from Marvel Comics awaits!

ULTIMATE HAWKEYE #1

Writer: Deniz Camp/B. Earl and Taboo
Artist: Juan Frigeri/Michael Sta. Maria
Colorist: Federico Blee/Alex Sinclair
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Editor: Wil Moss
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: September 24, 2025

Previously in Ultimate Hawkeye: When the evil Reed Richards, known as The Maker, escaped into the multiverse, he turned Earth-6160 into his own pet project, eliminating the superheroes that would have made it another world of Marvels. Now, new heroes have arisen to ruin his “utopia,” including The Ultimates, who have sent Hawkeye out on a solo mission that could change everything.

THE HAMMER OR THE RULER?

Ultimate Hawkeye #1 opens with a very paranoid Ulysses Klaue, hiding behind his security systems after the assassinations of four of the five most prolific arms dealers in the world. Guess who’s the fifth? As he paces and worries, Klaue imagines he can hear something coming for him… but the arrow that kills him moves at supersonic speeds from MILES away. After completing his mission, Hawkeye radios back to Iron Lad to tell him that Hawkeye is going off the grid for a bit, using a token that they got from one of the murdered arms dealers (Abe “The Beetle” Jenkins’ Earth-6160 alt, in case anyone’s keeping tabs) to sneak into a strange Eyes Wide Shut sort of affair hosted by Roxxon Oil. That’s where it all goes wrong for them, leading Hawkeye into a series of deathtraps and a confrontation with the mysterious Ronin!

A FAMILIAR FACE UNDER RONIN’S MASK

First and foremost, I want to make it clear that the issue was an enjoyable read for me, despite some very grimdark, edge-lordy bits that were uncomfortable. Hawkeye is responsible for several murders in these pages, including a character that Marvel fans might be upset about, but the overall effect of the story and art is a positive one. Though things move a little fast for my tastes, it’s still 40 pages of solo action for a new super, illuminating their character in ways that mere dialogue cannot. While I don’t care for the full-page splash of innocent people being tortured in spiked cages or the overall body count, seeing Charli Ramsey in action makes for a better-than-average reading experience. I especially like the details in their costume, combining superhero design with Native American motifs and decoration.

BOTTOM LINE: ENJOYABLE, IF A BIT MUCH

There’s a lot of bloodshed and some very dark subject matter (the villain is called The Terminatrix, after all), but Ultimate Hawkeye #1 shakes down to be a better-than-average read with strong art and a story that is engaging enough to glide past the gore and the high price tag, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. If you’ve only heard about Charli/Hawkeye from the whining of the usual suspects about “forced diversity,” it’s well worth your time to see what the character is really all about.

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