If you were wondering what theMarvel’s AvengersKate Bishop DLC was all about but are worried you don’t have the time, I’d encourage you to check it out ASAP. Not only is it a fun ride, it’s also a short one, running you about six hours. I recently wrote about whythat’s a bit of a bummer for fansof the super-looter who have been waiting for more content, but the story also offered an exciting new adventure in the game’s evolving story, one that’s worth playing.
But if you are interested in the events of “Operation: Taking AIM” and how they transpired, either to piece together the story elements ofMarvel’s Avengersafter “Reassemble” and “Avengers Initiative” or to answer some head-scratching questions, I’ve got you covered. I’ll break down the story beats of Kate Bishop’s introductory chapter and explain how they connect to Clint Barton, a.k.a. the other Hawkeye, and the second part of the DLC, “Operation Hawkeye - Future Imperfect.” It should go without saying butspoilersfollow from here on out.
Here’s how thegame’s official pagesets up Kate’s story:
Missing since A-Day, she resurfaces after her investigation into Nick Fury’s disappearance results in her mentor Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) going missing as well. As she unravels the mystery behind the sudden appearance of time-warping Tachyon Rifts, she uncovers a twisted new plan from AIM, which pushes her to work with the Avengers once again.
That’s a pretty good setup, and, with very few exceptions, that also sums up just about the entirety of the DLC’s plot. You’ll meet Kate after a brief mission as Iron Man who goes to investigate more tachyon disturbances and unexpectedly bumps into the former almost-Avenger. Yep, there’s some awkwardness here (which the characters briefly address throughout the story) but there are more pressing matters to attend to: Kate is intent on tracking down disgraced AIM scientistDr. Lyle Getzwith the hope of finding out what happened to Clint. And she’ll need the Avengers help to do it.
Well, “need” is a strong word; more like, Kate can do it herself but she’ll welcome a helping hand along the way. Together, the team takes down innumerable AIM forces on the way to capturing Getz (and defeating a modified dreadbot). While under guard at Substation Zero, Maria Hill, Kate, and Tony Stark get Getz to spill the beans about his former tachyon research and how AIM Scientist Supreme Monica Rappacini has taken it to the next level. Kate’s tech allows her to make a hardlight copy of Getz, granting access to a Siberian AIM base. Before they leave, both Tony and Captain America let Kate know how sorry they are that they didn’t try harder to keep the Avengers together, to search for Clint, and to give Kate a place that felt like home. With the emotional stakes set, the team disembarks.
After infiltrating the AIM facility, they learn that Monica has constructed a time bridge that allows her to communicate with her future self who is building some sort of super-powerful weapon. Aiding both Monica and Future Monica in this endeavor is, surprisingly, Clint Barton himself, who steps through the time bridge for an unknown purpose.
Back at the Ant Hill, Kate shares this intel with Dr. Hank Pym, who surmises that the tachyon rifts are indeed coming from this experiment. She also suggests that the solution to Monica’s time-destroying device is to build a second one; Pym reacts poorly to that but soon warms to the idea.
The only problem is that the Avengers will need alotof sci-fi favorite element cavorite. The team goes out again to gather just that. With plenty of cavorite on hand, Pym constructs a new time-bridge (almost immediately) and sends Kate and the team back in time and across space, using Monica’s time-bridge as an exit point. The problemthistime is that they arrived later than expected, with only an hour to spare to spring Clint from a prisoner convoy before Monica can use him and send him through the time portal. (A complicating factor here is another warbot that aims to stomp the Avengers flat; it’s the same one that they saw on their first visit, though decidedly more intact this time around.)
Kate learns that Clint was under AIM control by his own accord. He and Nick Fury, temporarily imprisoned by AIM, have been working with Monica, and Future Monica, to build something that will help Earth survive a coming invasion. It was Fury’s idea to send Clint into the future to help, but Kate’s intervention may have derailed that. Clint opts to continue with the pre-established plan while Kate and the other Avengers attempt to destroy Monica’s time-bridge. Standing in their way is the game’s latest boss enemy: TheSuper Adaptoid!
This brutal enemy possesses not only the skills and powers of the other Adaptoids you’ve faced, but also the Avengers themselves: A powerful shield and hammer, a size-changing ability, and other impressive powers. The teamwork of the Avengers, with Kate Bishop officially counting among their ranks now, is more than a match for the monster. But before Kate can destroy the bridge, she waits for Clint to escape from the future back into their time. And he’s not alone.
Clint is seen running from Monica, AIMbots, and two giant Kree sentinels who are destroying the city behind him. He makes it through the portal just in time and tosses Kate a final arrow which she uses to destroy the bridge.
Back on the Chimera, Kate Bishop and Clint Barton are welcome aboard and back on the Avengers team, though Kate is taking ownership of Clint’s former room. Clint breaks down the doomed version of the future: It seems that a Kree invasion has caught Earth unawares. Future Monica was working on a weapon to defeat the invading extraterrestrials, but she ran out of time, so a time-bridge was constructed to allow the past to prepare for the uncertain future. Clint doesn’t know when the Kree will invade, only that if Earth and the Avengers don’t start preparing now, history will repeat itself. Unfortunately, Clint seems to phase between two different time periods and passes out before he can say anymore.
While that’s enough of a cliffhanger, if you take Kate Bishop into her room aboard the helicarrier, you’ll find Clint Barton sleeping in the bed. His hair is a little longer, and blonder, suggesting that at least a few weeks have passed. He’s also continuing to shift between time phases, suggesting that all is not well with Clint. Expect this all to be addressed in the next DLC “Operation Hawkeye - Future Imperfect”, but just how that plays out remains to be seen.
Maybe Kate Bishop and the team will be sent into the doomed future to find out what happened to Clint, or maybe they’ll have to take Clint back to a specific point in time to avoid a paradox. Who knows, but the narrative groundwork the team has laid out is exciting and I can’t wait to see what they do next. Be sure to let us know your thoughts!
