Black Widow and Hawkeye (2024 series) #4

Madripoor, now: Hawkeye is a prisoner of Damon Dran, bait in a trap for Black Widow, the symbiote’s voice in his head berating him for his failures. Damon Dran enters to agree with the symbiote that he is worthless; Hawkeye, though chained up, twists the chain around the villain’s neck, leaving him to be rescued by his men. Dran orders them to keep their guns on the prisoner at all times….

Russian Embassy, then: Hawkeye comes face-to-face with Damon Dran who quickly overpowers him.  Then Black Widow arrives hitting Dran with a lash, letting Hawkeye recover his bow and fire an exploding arrow at Dran. And then Iron Man enters with a bang, accusing them both of treason….

Madripoor, now: Black Widow arrives, her symbiote spiders taking down the guards one by one. He frees Clint who decides to show her something he should have done earlier. He invites her to use the symbiote and she does: Marcus Koller, head of a munitions firm (seen in issue #2), whom Clint followed to find Koller was partnering with Damon Dran to sign the USA and Russia to arms contracts, with the big kicker that they would incite war between the two superpowers by making it look like the US had murdered a Russian diplomat. Clint rushed to save Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Larionov at the White House but discovered he had already been poisoned so Clint shot him, framing himself to negate the villains’ scheme. And then Damon Dran enters, informing them that the war will go on while activating a shrill siren that immobilizes the two heroes because of the symbiote….

Russian Embassy, then: Pursued by Iron Man, Natasha stabs herself with one of Hawkeye’s arrows and pretends he shot her. She tosses a bomb and escapes in the havoc but Iron Man is convinced Hawkeye was playing the Widow as a trap, proving himself one of the good guys….

Madripoor, now: Natasha fires a Widow’s Bite to wreck the speaker but Dran seizes her. But Hawkeye allows the symbiote to control him and he fires an alien arrow into Dran’s chest. So Natasha and Clint agree to return to America to face whatever may come together….