Black Widow and Hawkeye (2024 series) #2

In Madripoor a week ago, a dapper Clint Barton crashes a private card game involving a Marcus Koller, head of K.R.V Tech. He introduces himself as Harry Barnes who has a business proposition for Koller; the rich man is feeling generous so he invites “Harry” to play a hand and if he wins, Koller will listen to his pitch. The grateful Harry then spills a drink on Koller and is ejected from the room—but not before planting a tracking device on the businessman….

Now Black Widow wants Hawkeye to tell her the truth about the Russian Minister’s death and that he doesn’t need her help against the multitude of assassins chasing him. Natasha’s symbiote tries to possess Clint to learn the truth but Nat will not permit this. And then Clint is hit in the neck by a poisoned dart. Natasha assumes her symbiote form and goes after the masked gunman on the roof across the way. She is hit by a poisoned dart but Sliver neutralizes it but not before telling Nat that the poison will kill Clint. She ties up the hitman and returns to Clint, pleading with Sliver to enter Clint and neutralize the poison. Sliver asks her to concentrate on Clint so her mind flashes back…

…to Coney Island where Hawkeye tried to defeat Snapdragon so Black Widow could escape. Snapdragon overpowers Natasha and prepares to carry her off but Clint shoots the bad lady with an arrow but it lands clumsily; she mocks Clint’s so-called prowess and takes the captive Natasha onto a waiting helicopter. And then Clint reveals he had planted a tracking device on Snapdragon…

…as Natasha pleads with the symbiote to save Clint….

Meanwhile, the assassin reports back to his boss, describing how he shot Clint Barton with the poisoned dart but unable to confirm he is definitely dead. When the Boss learns that Black Widow was on the scene and that she likely planted a tracer on the hitman, he hurls the hapless killer out of the window and stands revealed as Damon Dran….