10 Archers Who Can Challenge Hawkeye’s Throne

Hawkeye’s DC counterpart Oliver Queen is no slouch. Among the sharpshooters on this list, Green Arrow may be the sharpest – He can shoot the safety of a gun from a distance and can fire 29 to an astonishing 33 arrows per minute. He can shoot dripping water from more than 30 feet and split a grape in half balanced from a man’s head. He has proven adept at protecting Starling City as one of the main heroes of the Arrowverse. Like Hawkeye, he has a wide array of trick arrows at his disposal ranging from basic grappling and exploding arrows to more unique picks like a boxing glove arrow which proves that Oliver can also pack quite a punch. With his bow and other skill, he survived missions on the threat level that requires the likes of Superman and held himself against those who can be considered gods.

Legolas sure loves showing off whether it is unleashing multiple accurate shots while sliding down a staircase on a shield or taking down a massive oliphant all by himself. Add to that how effortless he makes it look as he barely seems to break a sweat or in any real sense of danger. He also reloads and fires at lightning speed making sneaking up on him nigh impossible. It helps of course that Legolas is also 2,931 years old meaning he has had thousands of years to practice giving him a huge advantage over mere men. In this context, if his entire history is recorded, Legolas may just have the highest count of impressive highlights in history. Add to that the extra agility granted by his Elven heritage and it is easy to see why he is one of the greatest shots of all time.

No archery meeting is complete without the OG archer of Sherwood. Robin Hood has been given numerous incarnations in all forms of media allowing his reputation to grow to legendary levels. You can also argue that he popularized the bow and arrow more than any other character turning it into a symbol of rebellion against systematic inequality using it to strike the rich right in their pockets where it hurts the most.

Perhaps the most impressive incarnation is the fox version of Robin Hood from the classic Disney animated film. During a climactic contest, the dastardly villain bumps him from behind messing with his release causing the arrow to go high. Without missing a beat he draws and fires another arrow hitting the one in the air changing its trajectory back down towards the target hitting a perfect bullseye. Perhaps still one of the greatest shots of all time.

Jon Snow knew nothing but he was still well aware of what an excellent shot Ygritte was. The Wildlings were well aware as well by the way they heeded her warning to them not to harm Jon “anyone else tries to kill him, I'll have an arrow for them.” During the attack on Castle Black, she was a lethal figure raining death by arrow from seemingly everywhere. Most amazing of all was the incredible accuracy on display when she landed three arrows on a fleeing Jon Snow with one just right below the heart. Add to that the effort required to hold her bow at full pull a full minute before releasing makes it all doubly impressive. Jon knew he would have been dead on the spot if she had been really aiming to kill.

Sometimes it’s not the number of kills but the cinematic quality of the shot that makes its mark on the audience. Of course, that doesn't mean Rambo has any problem in the killing part, being the original 80's one-man army and all. Who can forget the image of Rambo traversing the jungle while wielding his deadly Hoyt Gamemaster longbow in the jungles of Vietnam ready to strike anyone who dared get in his way? In one awesome sequence, Rambo stares down the helpless enemy soldier while slowly biding his time knowing that his prey has nowhere to go. He sets up each part of his signature longbow with slow confident precision like a lion preparing to devour his prey. When Rambo releases it is a perfect shot right at the enemy’s torso blowing him to smithereens creating an iconic 80’s moment for us all. Later took down a helicopter with a bow and arrow, which is still impressive but after blowing a guy up with a bow and arrow, what comes after becomes a blur.

Katniss was taught by her father how to hunt with a recurve bow. This was of necessity as they lived in the poor District 12 and needed to hunt for animals to survive. She became an expert shot because her very life depended on it.

Her skill proved to be invaluable in the Arena allowing her to emerge with her life from two Hunger Games. Her high level of skill could also be witnessed during the demonstration as she struck the apple right out of the pig’s mouth to gain the game masters' attention and later destroyed the entire arena with a well-timed shot drawing the lightning bolt upwards. The odds were definitely in her favor.

Coming in is the Princess of Pixar's Brave. Princess Merida received a bow from her father on her birthday so it makes sense that she became an expert. During the Highland games in which the winner’s prize is her hand, Merida breaks into the contest dominating in thrilling fashion. Merida unleashes three arrows in rapid succession hitting all three targets, splitting an arrow already lodged there, and even going past the target impaling the target stand. She really was worthy of being dubbed the best archer in Scottland.

Daryl’s weapon of choice is a crossbow which while heavier than a traditional bow also packs more of a punch and can maintain a loaded weapon ready to fire in an instant which is a big plus when dealing with a zombie apocalypse. Using his signature Horton Scout HD 125 crossbow for most of the show, Daryl Dixon has proven time and again to be an expert shot in the zombie-infested world of the Walking Dead consistently landing lethal blows right between zombie's eyes

Although overshadowed by the other characters from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Bow is still an integral part of the rebellion. Using a traditional composite bow that he carries with him constantly, Bow is always ready to assist the Princesses of Power in their never-ending battle against the horde. An expert in technology, Bow is also able to craft a wide variety of arrows like a magnifying glass arrow which somehow always comes in handy for whatever situation they find themselves in. Now that’s foresight.

While still a novice, despite her insistence that she is not a noob, she has been able to impress Hawkeye with her marksmanship that he allowed her to fire his arrows while he drove. He has even complimented her as pretty good which from an expert archer like Hawkeye means she is one of the most awesome in the world. What’s scary is that she hasn’t reached her full potential yet and with more training from Hawkeye, Kate Bishop will continue to hit her targets for years to come