Born Clinton Francis "Clint" Barton was the son of Harold Barton and Edith Barton. He grew up working in his father's Butchers shop in Waverly, Iowa with his older brother, Barney. Barney taught Clint how to fight and helped him to improve his aim as Clint was continually bullied and harassed for being a bit of a loner. Both Harold and Edith were killed by a drunk driver in a car crash on their way home from a date night. After their parent's death, Clint and Barney were sent to numerous foster homes; while running away from one of them, they encountered and joined a travelling circus where the pair worked as roustabouts. While a member of the circus, Clint was trained by the original Swordsman and by Trick Shot. Clint later found the Swordsman embezzling money from the carnival. Before he could turn his mentor over to the authorities, Clint was beaten and left for dead, allowing the Swordsman to escape town. Clint's relationship with his brother Barney and Trick Shot soon deteriorated as well.
Clint adapted his archery skills to become a star carnival attraction, a master archer called "Hawkeye", otherwise known as “The World’s Greatest Marksman”. He spent some time as a member of Tiboldt's Circus. Before getting caught up in a bar fight and was given the option to serve his country with the Marines Corps or go to jail.