Hercules has a strange bragging right over Hawkeye. Not because he is the more polished archer—he is not—but because he once proved he could hit a target with a bow and arrow built from junk. That is a very different claim from being the best marksman in Marvel Comics, and it is exactly the kind of claim that makes Thor’s post-credits rival from Thor: Love and Thunder such a fun wild card. Hawkeye is the gold standard for trick arrows, impossible shots, and decades of practice. Hercules is the guy who can turn a steel pipe and some cable into a weapon and still make the shot look easy. In one narrow, practical sense, that makes him better.
The MCU connection is simple enough. In Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor goes to a gathering of gods led by Zeus, hoping to recruit powerful allies against Gorr the God Butcher. The plan falls apart. Thor blasts Zeus, fights his way out, and leaves with two screaming goats instead of an army. The post-credits scene then reveals that Zeus survived—or at least that he is furious—and he tells his son, Hercules, to go after Thor. That tease positioned Hercules as a future rival for the God of Thunder. Whether the MCU has paid off that tease by 2026 or not, the comic-book comparison does not need a release date to be interesting.
The key comic is Avengers #41 by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. The Avengers are dealing with Diablo and his android Dragon Man, but before the main fight, they run through training exercises with Hercules. Hercules is not a regular Avenger in the traditional sense. He sees ordinary hero work as somewhat beneath him, yet he trains with the team—mostly to remind everyone that he is a god-tier powerhouse. During one session, Hawkeye is practicing archery. Hercules decides to show him up. He does not ask for a proper bow. He does not ask for balanced arrows. He grabs metal pipes and some cable, builds a makeshift bow and arrow on the spot, and fires at the target. Then he hits it.
On paper, that sounds like a stunt. One perfect shot does not make someone a better archer than Hawkeye, and the comparison is careful about that distinction. Hawkeye’s bow is designed for archery. His arrows are crafted to fly straight and true. He has trained for years, and his accuracy is the stuff of legend. In a formal archery contest, Hawkeye would win hands down. He should win. That is his whole skill set.
But field conditions are messier than a contest. In the field, equipment breaks. Bows snap. Arrows run out. A hero may have to improvise with whatever is lying around. That is where Hercules’ feat matters. He did not just hit a target. He hit a target with the worst possible bow and arrow anyone could imagine. He strung cord through a steel pipe and used another pipe as an arrow. Every known rule of archery was broken, and the result was still a bullseye.
| Archer | Weapon | Conditions | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkeye | Custom bow and perfectly balanced arrows | Controlled practice | Elite accuracy |
| Hercules | Metal pipes and cable | Improvised scrap | Bullseye |
That table tells the story. Hawkeye wins the precision game. Hercules wins the improvisation game. The comparison is not about who has the better form or the longer training record. It is about who can make a weapon out of garbage and still land the shot. In a survival situation, that matters. A makeshift bow and arrow could mean the difference between life and death, and Hercules proved he could build one and use it effectively.
There is also a character note here. Hercules is arrogant, competitive, and eager to prove his superiority. That is exactly why he would turn a simple training session into a challenge. He does not need a reason to show off. He needs an audience. Hawkeye, for his part, is the perfect foil: a master archer who relies on skill and preparation, suddenly faced with a demigod who ignores both and succeeds anyway. It is a small comic-book moment, but it says a lot about both characters.
For the MCU, this does not mean Hercules should challenge Hawkeye to an archery duel. The post-credits scene set him up as Thor’s rival, not Clint Barton’s. Still, the comic precedent is useful. It shows that Hercules is not just a pile of muscles. He is resourceful, petty, and weirdly capable. If the MCU ever brings him back into the fold, that combination could make him a memorable antagonist or ally. And if Hawkeye happens to be nearby? Well, fans now know who to bet on when the bow is made of scrap metal.