Marvel’s Villains Have A Twisted Version of Hawkeye’s Ronin Persona
It’s not only Marvel’s superheroes that need their identities concealed but their villains as well, who employ the wicked Crimson Cowl identity.
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While the Ronin persona may have protected the identity of Clint Barton/Hawkeye among other superheroes in Marvel Comics, there is another which safeguards the status of supervillains. This classic identity, known as the Crimson Cowl, has proved an asset to a plethora of iconic Marvel villains to not only fool the heroes but so to not arouse suspicion of their goals of world conquest.
The Crimson Cowl persona has gradually become a scapegoat for supervillains in the Marvel Universe. However, there is a heroic equivalent to the Crimson Cowl mantle. The first to carry the Ronin mantle, known in Japan as a wandering samurai lacking a lord or master, was New Avengers member Maya Lopez a.k.a. Echo. Originally a persona intended for Matt Murdock/Daredevil, writer Brian Michael Bendis (Secret Invasion, House of M) established the deaf Native American Echo as Ronin, at the start of his original run of New Avengers with artist David Finch (Ultimatum, Moon Knight) in 2005.
Since its introduction in Bendis’ New Avengers, the Ronin persona has since been used by multiple heroes and select villains. Following Captain America’s death at the tail end of the first superhuman Civil War, Hawkeye would become tied with the mantle for years, with his tenure as the Ronin alter ego even translating to the big screen with the film Avengers Endgame. Similar to their villains’ Crimson Cowl motif, the identity of Ronin has been used in moderation when the situation absolutely entails. Even the vampire hunter Eric Brooks/Blade and Russia’s own super-soldier as well as the former husband of Natalia Romanova/Black Widow, Alexi Shostakov a.k.a. Red Guardian had their time as Ronin.
The Crimson Cowl identity was initially used in 1968’s Avengers #54, utilized by the supervillain group the Masters of Evil. Concealed in an elongated crimson cloak, the newfound leader of the Masters of Evil remained a mystery through much of the issue. With several villains such as Klaw, Radioactive Man, and Whirlwind by his side, the Crimson Cowl would stage an attack on the Avengers home turf of Avengers Mansion. Toward the end of the issue, the mastermind behind the Crimson Cowl identity was revealed to be none other than the butler of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Edwin Jarvis. To make matters even more contrived, the follow-up issue Avengers #55 would reveal that Jarvis was only an innocent scapegoat for Hank Pym’s own corrupt A.I. Ultron, who had rebelled against his creator, in classic 1960s comic fashion.
Following Ultron’s turn as the Crimson Cowl, the Cowl would remain dormant until Kurt Busiek (Marvels, Untold Tales of Spider-Man) and Mark Bagley’s (Ultimate Spider-Man, The New Warriors) run of The Thunderbolts in the late 1990s. Justine Hammer, daughter of unscrupulous Hammer Industries CEO Justin Hammer, organized a modern Masters of Evil team to perform covert missions and provide security for evil organizations, becoming their newest Crimson Cowl. In order to keep the authorities off the scent of her true identity, Hammer dressed former NYPD officer Dallas Riordan in the role of the Cowl. Though lacking superpowers, Justine’s experience as the descendant of a genius criminal and master inventor made her a formidable threat for rival villains and heroes.
In addition to keeping readers guessing, the Crimson Cowl persona acts as an extra layer of concealment to protect their identities from the public. Even before readers caught a glimpse of Ultron in his quintessential form, the villain was known as Marvel’s original Crimson Cowl. As superhero secret identities have become less of an occurrence in comic books today, both the Crimson Cowl and Hawkeye’s Ronin identities have started to fade into slight obscurity.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/marvel-hawkeye-villain-ronin-crimson-cowl-disguise/