Though it might surprise casual comic fans, many of Marvel's Avengers are actually parents. Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wolverine, Luke Cage, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, and Wasp all have biological children in the main 616 Marvel Comics universe. Even Captain America, who has no biological children, has an adopted son in the comics.
This is why it's so surprising that one classic Avenger, Hawkeye, still has no children in the main Marvel continuity. Unfortunately, signs aren't looking good for Clint Barton's chances of having kids in the future.
Why Hawkeye's Lack of Canon Children in Marvel Comics is So Surprising
As the mainline Marvel Comics continuity has stretched on for decades, heroes receiving 'surprise' children that were never seen before has become quite common.
Wolverine is the king of deadbeat dads, as his long lifespan and periods of unexplored time have given writers and artists plenty of blank spaces to fill in with children.
Even heroes with canon love interests like the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym, fell victim to this, as it was revealed that he had a daughter, Nadia, with his first wife before he met Janet Van Dyne.
This method of giving superheroes children is quite popular, as it can shake up a character's dynamic without making readers watch heroes actually have to raise their children.
This, coupled with Hawkeye's perpetual bachelor status, it's surprising that 616's Clint Barton hasn't been given any secret children. This is especially surprising because the character does have children in multiple alternate futures.
Marvel Comics Has Multiple Avenues To Give Hawkeye Children
There are a handful of alternate Hakweyes that do, in fact, have children.
Hawkeye and Mockingbird have a son, Francis Barton, who takes up the mantle in 2008's Next Avengers animated film and continuity.
Clint would then go on to have a kid with Black Widow in Captain Marvel: The End and with She-Hulk in What If...?.
Most famously, Hawkeye would be established as a family man in the MCU. Given this and Marvel Comics' infamous focus on MCU synergy, it's surprising that his MCU children haven't made appearances in the 616 universe.
Why Marvel Comics Has Never Given Hawkeye Children in the Mainline Continuity
While Hawkeye does have children in alternate continuities, that doesn't mean it would make sense for the character to have them in the main 616 universe.
616's Clint Barton is pretty much an entirely different character from his MCU counterpart, as the comics character quite famously has a messy romantic life.
Additionally, outside of a few rare instances, Hawkeye rarely gets the spotlight in Marvel Comics. This means that there is probably much less of a need to shake up his status quo like there has been for characters like Wolverine.
For now, Hawkeye's successor in the Avengers is Kate Bishop, and fortunately for fans, that's probably the way it will stay for some time.