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It's pretty obvious that the characters of Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are playing the characters Hawkeye and Black Widow, respectively. Outside of the movies, fans routinely refer to them as such, and even Marvel talks about a "Black Widow movie".

But, within the films themselves, has anyone ever referred to any of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that have comic book nicknames using those aliases? This would include people like:

  • Clint Barton — Hawkeye
  • Natasha Romanoff — Black Widow
  • Bobbi Morse — Mockingbird
  • Phil Coulson — Cheese

Similarly, has the nickname "Black Widow Program" or "Red Room" ever been used to refer to the training program that gave Natasha Romanoff her alias in the first place (e.g. when it showed up in Agent Carter)?

NOTE: I know that, at the beginning of The Avengers, Barton is referred to as "the Hawk", but I believe this was intended not as a code name, but as a simple moniker, referring to his habit of perching in the rafters. I'm looking for cases where he was identified by name as "Hawkeye".

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  • I believe Agent Romanov is referred to as the 'Black Widow' a few times, usually as a past moniker. I can't think of exactly when it occurs, though.
    – Jeff
    Mar 13, 2015 at 14:44
  • I think it is worth adding that Bobbi Morse is a regular on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but has never been called "Mockingbird".
    – KSmarts
    Mar 13, 2015 at 15:41
  • Actually, as I scanned through the list of SHIELD agents, I noticed that almost none of them having code names... given that Romanov's was given to her by the Russians as part of the Black Widow program, it turns out that Barton and Morse are really the exceptions here.
    – KutuluMike
    Mar 13, 2015 at 16:06
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    “even Marvel talks about a "Black Widow movie"” — I wish they’d stop talking and damn well do it. Ms. Johansson coulda made that instead of Lucy!
    – Paul D. Waite
    Mar 13, 2015 at 16:57
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    Does this answer your question? Which MCU characters have not been referred to by their superhero name?
    – ThePopMachine
    Dec 24, 2021 at 4:57

5 Answers 5

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Some of the comic book codenames have made their way into the MCU; others have been talked about by Marvel execs or similar (so are MCU canon) but haven’t been explicitly mentioned on screen.

“Black Widow” and “Hawkeye” the Avengers

A screencap from the MCU Wiki article from Hawkeye shows a screen that lists both of their comic book codenames:

enter image description here

This screen is seen in The Avengers.

Both of these names are also said aloud during the film. As Natasha is piloting the Chitauri craft, she distinctly says “Hawkeye” as she’s being pursued by Loki. (Beginning of this clip on YouTube.) And as Omegacron’s answer notes, Natasha is referred to as Black Widow in her opening interrogation.

The “Black Widow” program

An interview with the showrunners of Agent Carter (minor spoilers) seems to confirm that Marvel have the name in mind for the MCU:

As some suspected might be the case, especially given the specific fighting style she used, [this character] is indeed a product of the Black Widow Program – or at least the program that will become Black Widow. Yes, before Natasha Romanoff would prove how formidable she was in the present day of the Marvel films, other women received the same training from Russia.

The “Red Room” was not mentioned in the first season of Agent Carter (which features the only other named Red Room agent, aside from Natasha). However, it is mentioned in Age of Ultron, when Natasha asks somebody “You know what my final test was in the Red Room?”.

“Mockingbird” the SHIELD Agent

I’ve been through the scripts for every episode of Agents of SHIELD that Bobbi Morse has been in; thus far, there has been no mention of her codename. But again, mentioned on Marvel’s website.

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    oooh. nice catch. also disproves my theory that only Natasha got a code-name because SHIELD didn't give it to her?
    – KutuluMike
    Mar 13, 2015 at 17:22
  • @MichaelEdenfield Hmm. I suppose so, although all this proves is that SHIELD acknowledges their codenames. It doesn’t tell us where they got them.
    – alexwlchan
    Mar 13, 2015 at 17:27
  • Good catch! If the MCU follows the comic, then "The Black Widow" would have been Natasha's codename from her pre-SHIELD assassin days. The program that produced her was called "The Red Room" in the comics, and the codename was unique to Natasha and her successors.
    – Omegacron
    Mar 13, 2015 at 18:12
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    And we got our first official mention of the Red Room in Ultron. Yay!
    – KutuluMike
    May 5, 2015 at 14:19
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    @alexwlchan: Pretty sure Hawkeye was referred to as such by his wife in Ultron.
    – ThePopMachine
    May 5, 2015 at 15:02
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In the beginning of The Avengers, the Russian general being interrogated by Romanov explicitly refers to her as "the famous Black Widow".

Russian: Tchalakov is just a bagman, a front. Your outdated information betrays you. So... it turns out the famous Black Widow is just another pretty face.

Natasha: You really think I'm pretty?

Other than the "Hawk" reference you mentioned in your question, Barton is never referred to by a codename.

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    I'm not sure how authoritative this script it, but throughout it they're referred to as "Hawkeye" and "Black Widow": imsdb.com/scripts/Avengers,-The-%282012%29.html
    – user8719
    Mar 13, 2015 at 16:08
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    @DarthSatan it's pretty obvious that, behind the scenes, that's who they are. Even in public that's what the Marvel execs call them. That's not the same as having someone say it on-screen.
    – KutuluMike
    Mar 13, 2015 at 16:10
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    @DarthSatan But are the names ever actually spoken in the script? Interestingly, the Star Wars scripts describe 3PO and R2 as "robots", but everyone calls them "droids" on screen.
    – phantom42
    Mar 13, 2015 at 16:11
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    @DarthSatan What's interesting is that in the Thor script he's ONLY referred to as Clint Barton/Barton.
    – user31178
    Mar 13, 2015 at 16:37
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    @CreationEdge - yep, I checked that too.
    – user8719
    Mar 13, 2015 at 16:48
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Natasha calls Hawkeye by that name. It's in The Avengers when she's flying on a Chitauri jetski, just before Hawkeye shoots down Loki with an arrow. You can easily miss it.
The conversation goes like this:

Black Widow: Hawkeye!
Hawkeye: Nat, what are you doing?
Black Widow: Uh... a little help!
Hawkeye: I've got him.

Natasha is called Black Widow by the Russian (in Russian) during the interrogation scene.

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Black Widow is referred to as "Black Widow" by the HYDRA team during the climactic fight of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I don't have access to the movie right now to pinpoint the spot, but I'm pretty sure it's Rumlow who warns others on his radio that she's in the building, and refers to her that way.

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Hawk guy is teased about his Hawkeye code name

By his wife at his secret shield provided family farmhouse in Age of Ultron.

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