Place of Birth: Boston, Massachusetts
Aliases: Clay Harder
First Appearance: Two-Gun Kid #60 (1962)
Becomes an Avenger: Avengers #147 (1976)
Best Moment: Helping the Avengers defeat Kang in Avengers #143 (1976)
Worst Moment: Losing his faith after realizing medicine from the future could have been used to save his ailing wife and child in Two-Gun Kid: Sunset Riders #1 (1995)
Background: The Two-Gun Kid originally appeared in his own title as Clay Harder, a cowboy from the 1800s. Harder was later ret-conned as a pulp comic hero who inspires Matt Hawk aka Matt Liebowicz to take up the mantle and take justice into his on hands.
Hawk went on to foil many crooks and swindlers in the Old West before the Avengers travelled to his time in an effort to defeat Kang. After assisting in the battle, Hawk agreed to join the heroes on their trip to modern times. After many adventures with the team, Hawk and new friend Hawkeye travelled the country.
Eventually Hawk grew weary of his travels and decided to return home. He later married and settled down, but his wife and child passed away during childbirth, leaving him depressed. Hawk would go on to take up the mantle once again and form The Sunset Riders, who cleaned up much of the west before disbanding (The Two-Gun Kid: Sunset Riders #1-2, 1995).
After some time, the hero returned to the modern day once again, this time with the help of She-Hulk (She-Hulk Vol. 2 #3, 2006). After trying his hand at bounty hunting, Hawk decides to join the Fifty State Initiative, becoming the leader of the Arizona-based Desert Stars (Avengers: The Initiative #16, 2008).
Analysis: The Two-Gun Kid is a very unique hero. His cowboy look and fighting style, couple with his time travelling driven stories give him a unique place in the history of the team and the Marvel universe. He is also considered one of the greatest gunfighters in the Marvel universe.
Though he didn’t stay with the team for any great length of time, he managed to befriend his fellow teammates, leaving an impact on each of them. She-Hulk was given a choice to bring back one of her past comrades and chose Hawk, speaking words of what he meant to those he fought alongside.
Willie’s Avenger Rating: 6 out of 10