| “ | When I was a kid, I did everything I could to get super-powers. I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to be Captain America. Sometimes I fall short. | „ |
| ~ Mockingbird. |
| “ | Avengers Assemble! As in get your a**es up and let's go! | „ |
| ~ Mockingbird to the Avengers. |
| “ | I spent three years of my life with your kind. Imprisoned. Beaten. On the run. You can never trick me again. No matter whose face you have. I'll kill you every time. | „ |
| ~ Mockingbird. |
Doctor Barbara "Bobbi" Morse, also known as Mockingbird is a fictional superheroine from Marvel comics and its universe. She was a special S.H.I.E.L.D. black-ops agent, a member of the Avengers' splinter teams, and was the partner of Hawkeye.
She was created by Neal Adams, and Len Wein, and first appeared in Astonishing Tales #6 in June of 1971.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Barbara Morse is the daughter of Susan Morse, and is the sister to Ben "Benny" Morse, and was raised in San Diego, California. Bobbi excelled in high school, and later attended Georgia Institute of Technology, earning a PhD in biology.
Agent 19[]
Dr. Morse joined Dr. Calvin on Project: Gladiator, which was backed by S.H.I.E.L.D. who wanted to recreate the Super Soldier Serum that created Captain America. The team working on the project also consisted of Dr. Ted Sallis and Dr. Paul Allen. During her time working on the project, she was trained by trained to be a spy, and was given the codename Agent 19, and was ordered to start a relationship with Dr. Allen.
It was revealed that Dr. Allen and Ellen Brandt were working for Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.), and sabotaged the project, transforming Sallis into the Man-Thing. She traveled to the Savage Land with Dr. Allen in search of Ka-Zar, but their plane crashed. Agent 19 was saved by the British of New Britannia, and Dr. Allen was saved by Ka-Zar. Bobbi traveled to New York and helped defeat Victorius with Ka-Zar, as Dr. Allen was destroyed by Man-Thing in Florida. She later visited the Savage Land again to help Ka-Zar on his adventures, but returned to the United States.
Morse was later recruited by a U.S. Senator to investigate S.H.I.E.L.D., who had corruption in the Latin American branch. She left the agency and became an costumed operative named Huntress, but returned back to S.H.I.E.L.D. after the threat was defeated.
Mockingbird[]
Bobbi's penchant for taunting her opponents in battle earned her the code name "Mockingbird", and was sent on a mission by Nick Fury to stop Carl Delandan with Spider-Man. During the mission, a misunderstanding caused some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents shooting at her, sending her into a coma. Afterward, she decided to fake her civilian identity death to keep her family safe. Also, she was one of the many heroes recruited in the Contest of Champions.
Meeting Hawkeye[]
Mockingbird was a freelance agent when she met Clint Barton, who was chief of security for Cross Technologies Enterprises. Later, she was kidnapped by Crossfire, who wanted to use hypnotic ultrasounds to force superheroes to kill each other. Morse and Barton defeated Crossfire, but Hawkeye suffered from hearing damage due ultrasound technology. Having fallen in love, the two heroes eloped a few days later.
The two returned to join the Avengers as a couple, and Vision appointed Hawkeye to head a new branch of the team based on the West Coast. Bobbi was chosen to be one of his teammates, along with Iron Man, Wonder Man and Tigra, and served as the motivating force behind the team. The team moved to the New Avengers compound, and battled villains such as Graviton, Blank, Goliath, Doctor Demonicus, Quasimodo, Maelstrom, Dire Wraiths, and Vision when he went rogue.
Later on, the villain Kang the Conqueror scatter the heroes across time, and encountered an Old West vigilante gang consisting of the Phantom rider, Two-Gun Kid and Rawhide Kid. The group joined with them to fight a large criminal outfit head by Iron Mask. The Phantom Rider came to believe that Mockingbird was a goddess, and believed that they should mate since he was a spirit. The Rider kidnapped Morse as the team attempted to return the present.
Taken to Egypt, Bobbi was given an Indian love potion and forget about her old life, and fell in love with the Phantom Rider. When Two-Gun and Rawhide attempted to recover Mockingbird, she fought them with the rider, and they escaped. As time passed, Bobbi began to fall out of the influence of the potion, and broke free when Two-Gun showed up in a makeshift Hawkeye outfit.
Revenge[]
Bobbi implies that the Phantom Rider raped her, having sex with her while under the influence, and rode off to kill him. Though the two knew of the good he had done, Two-Gun held Rawhide back from following her. Mockingbird confronted the rider on a mountain peak, and during their fight, he fell from the cliff. Bobbi broke the Avengers' code of no killing, allowing the Phantom Rider to fall to his death.
Hawkeye returned to bring Mockingbird back to the present with the rest of the West Coast Avengers, and the Phantom Rider (real name Lincoln Slade) was buried in a cave tomb. Lincoln's spirit continued to torment Bobbi, and possessed his great-great grandson, Hamilton, and began to haunt Bobbi in revenge. After the first attack, Bobbi tracked down Hamilton, and nearly killed him before being stopped by Moon Knight.
Later, Lincoln told Clint a version of the events of his death, and Hawkeye argued with Mockingbird before they both separated. Bobbi left the West Coast Avengers along with Moon Knight and Tigra. Despite this, they briefly formed a splinter group, stopping the High Evolutionary with Bill Foster, and battled the Night Shift.
The splinter group found Hamilton, who had no memory of his actions while possessed by his great-great grandfather. Bobbi decided to help Hamilton, realizing that he is too a victim of Lincoln, and sought Hellstorm to help her exorcise him. The group saw two spirits rise from Hamilton, Lincoln and Carter Slade, the latter being the original Phantom Rider who had been taken over by Lincoln.
Carter fought off Lincoln, attempting to gain dominance of Hamilton's body, but Hamilton willed Carter's spirit into his body, knowing that he was a good man, and transformed into the Phantom Rider. Afterward, Bobbi parted ways with her former teammates, and remained an Avenger, but only in reserve capacity.
The strain from the separation between Bobbi and Clint grew, as she was part of a plot with several world governments to abduct and dismantle Vision for his attempt to take over the world. She initially believed the plot was only a "contingency plan", but learned that there were multiple steps, such as a false Ultron, Scarlet Witch being incapacitated, and others being at risk. Mockingbird tried to stop the plot and was imprisoned for a time, only escaping to warn the Avengers after it was too late to save Vision.
Saved by Hulk[]
Mockingbird accompanies Hawkeye, and Black Widow during their mission to capture the Hulk, acting as the pilot for their prison transport. After the helicraft is damaged by falling debris, the Hulk saves Barbara's life by catching the transport before it can crash into the ground. This action ultimately leads Hawkeye to believe that the Hulk isn't the monster that he appears to be.
After Hawkeye left S.H.I.E.L.D. and joined the Avengers, Mockingbird replaced him in the black ops team.
Miscellaneous Information[]
Height: 175 cm (5'9")
Weight: 62 kg (135 lb)
Build: Athletic / Muscular
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Place of Birth: San Diego, California, USA
Love-Interests[]
- Hawkeye (Clint Barton)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
- Lance Hunter
Portrayals[]
Television[]
- In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, she was voiced by Elizabeth Daily, who also voiced Buttercup in The Powerfuff Girls, Tommy Pickles in The Rugrats series, and Rudy Tabootie in ChalkZone.
- In Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., she was portrayed by Adrianne Palicki, who also played Lady Jaye in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Kelly Grayson in The Orville.
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
Images[]
_from_Marvel_Avengers_Alliance_0002.png "Barbara Morse (Earth-12131) from Marvel Avengers Alliance 0002.png (956 KB)")
_from_LEGO_Marvel%27s_Avengers_0001.jpg "Barbara Morse (Earth-13122) from LEGO Marvel's Avengers 0001.jpg (35 KB)")
Trivia[]
- She is a level 6 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
