Hawkeye: 8 Big Questions Raised By Episodes 1 & 2
7. Do Clint & Jack Have A Relationship?
So far, Clint Barton has had absolutely zero interaction with Kate Bishop's family. From the trailers it's been confirmed that a scene between Clint, Kate, and Eleanor will be coming up, but what about her step-dad, Jack?
On the face of it, there is no reason to think that Jack and Clint have any kind of pre-existing relationship. They haven't interacted, neither has mentioned the other, and there has been no hint of them knowing each other previously. However, this may just be because they don't know the other is involved in Kate's life yet.
In the comics, Jacques Duquesne, AKA The Swordsman, was Clint Barton's mentor when he joined the circus as a kid, and taught him everything he knew. Could the reason Jack was so keen on buying the Ronin's sword at the black market auction be because he recognised it as Clint's?
Based on their ages, a mentor/mentee relationship is unlikely, but it's not too unreasonable to think they could have grown up together or have had some sort of relationship in the past. Why else bring the character in to a series about Hawkeye if not to explore their past together?