Hawkeye: Who Is Jack Duquesne, aka Swordsman?

Image Source: Getty / Amy Sussman / WireImage

The first four episodes of Disney+‘s new Marvel series, Hawkeye, have aired, and they already have fans asking questions. The show is chock-full of new Marvel characters who have yet to reveal their real identities. While the focus is on Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and the backstory of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), the story wouldn’t be complete without supporting characters.

Jack Duquesne has become an important part of this series, and fans have a suspicion that he could turn out to be one of Hawkeye’s most popular villains. So what does this mean for Kate, who turns out to be his soon-to-be step-daughter? Here’s what we know about the character.

Who Is Jack Duquesne in the Comics?

Duquesne was first introduced in the comics in 1965 in The Avengers Vol. 1 #19 as an enemy of Hawkeye and the Avengers. He starts out as a performer at various circuses and carnivals, where he demonstrates his talent with swords, knives, and other bladed weapons, which is how he becomes known as Swordsman. He meets a young Clint Barton during one carnival and trains him in blades and archery.

After a serious gambling problem leaves him in debt, he commits various crimes worldwide (causing him to become persona non grata in several countries). Believing he’ll be able to pull off bigger crimes if he teams up with the Avengers, Swordsman seeks out the Avengers to become part of their team. However, they shut him down, which leads Swordsman into a battle with Captain America and the Avengers before he mysteriously vanishes. Turns out, he’s been transported to the Mandarin’s ship, where the supervillain updates Swordsman’s sword and makes a deal to destroy the Avengers. The Mandarin sends a fake message from Iron Man asking the Avengers to accept Swordsman, and while they think it might be a trap, they accept him on a trial basis.

Swordsman actually enjoys fighting alongside the Avengers, even developing a crush on Scarlett Witch. So when Mandarin asks him to plant a bomb to destroy the Avengers, fearing Scarlet Witch will be injured, he can’t follow through with the plan and ends up dismantling the bomb. However, it appears to the Avengers like he planted the bomb, so they kick him off the team, and he soon falls back into a miserable life of crime, his heart no longer in it as he’d grown to love fighting alongside the Avengers.

Years later, Swordsman rejoins the Avengers, and he serves the group well, but he later dies jumping in front of a gun ray to save his love, Mantis.

What Is Jack Duquesne’s Role on Hawkeye?

Image Source: Disney+

Hawkeye’s Swordsman is a reimagined version of the character from the comics.

When Kate returns home from college, she finds the home she shares with her mom filled with swords. Later, she discovers at a charity auction that her mother and Jack are engaged after only a short time together. She’s not thrilled about the news because Jack is friends with shady individuals and is dealing with financial issues, and she doesn’t think his smarmy attitude is a good fit for her mom. He loves attending black-market auctions, where fellow corrupt people bid on stolen superhero items.

As the show is more based around Kate, Clint and Jack’s relationship is reimagined. It’s made clear in episode four that the pair do not know each other, so Jack was never Clint’s mentor. (That particular aspect of the comic-book storyline probably never would have worked, considering Renner and Tony Dalton — who plays Jack — are too close in age.) And while Jack’s storyline heavily implies he’s the story’s villain, considering the Swordsman’s comic-book history, the true nature of his character and role may end up surprising viewers.

What Are the Swordsman’s Powers and Abilities?

Besides being a master of weapons, Swordsman is just an average, middle-aged man. In the comics, Swordsman is usually seen carrying and throwing knives and the Makluan Sword, which allows him to press a button that projects various energy beams: concussive force, a large flame, a ray that explodes, a stream of gas, or an electrical gas that leaves anyone on the other side of it unconscious.

Who Plays Jack Duquesne on Hawkeye?

Image Source: Getty / Victor Chavez

Tony Dalton portrays Jack Duquesne on the series. Dalton is a Mexican American actor, screenwriter, and producer. He’s acted in Mexican movies, shows, and stage plays for most of his career but became widely known after his role as Lalo Salamanca on Better Call Saul, which he has starred on since season four.

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