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Mockingbird Reading Order, Bobbi Morse’s Adventures from the Savage Land to the Avengers

Not all Avengers start with a cool codename. Dr. Barbara “Bobbi” Morse was first introduced under her civilian identity in Astonishing Tales #6 (June 1971), created by writer Len Wein and artist Neal Adams.

Bobbi started as a brunette seeking Ka-Zar. By the time she reached the Savage Land (two issues later), she was blonde, and her first name was revealed. Her story is quickly entangled with Man Thing’s, but also with S.H.I.E.L.D., as she was recruited and trained to become one of their undercover agents because she’s a highly accomplished biologist.

Bobbi Morse stayed for a while with Ka-Zar. Eventually, she transitioned into her role as a costumed superheroine in Marvel Super Action #1 (1976), but only became known as Mockingbird in Marvel Team-Up #95 in 1980. She soon became associated with Hawkeye, joined the Avengers, became a founding member of the West Coast Avengers, died, came back to life, was abducted, got married, then divorced, teamed up with Spider-Man, fought invasions of all kinds, and so on.

As an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. or an Avenger, Mockingbird is a force to be reckoned with.

Mockingbird Comics Reading Order

Bobbi Morse, Agent 19 of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Savage Land

First, while not thorough, the following collection is about the first adventures of Bobbi Morse. It goes from the Savage Land to her first mini-series with Hawkeye.

  • Mockingbird: Bobbi Morse, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
    Collects Astonishing Tales (1970) #10, 12-13, 15-20, Ka-Zar (1974) #3-5, Marvel Team-Up (1972) #95, Hawkeye (1983) #1-4, Material From Astonishing Tales (1970) #8, Savage Tales (1971) #8, Marvel Super Action #1.

Bobbi Morse is introduced as part of the supporting cast of characters in Astonishing Tales (1970). She was a biologist, a champion gymnast, and worked on the project to rediscover the Super-Soldier formula that created Captain America. Recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D., her first assignment led her to seek Ka-Zar’s help and created a connection to Man-Thing. After that, she’s assigned to assist Ka-Zar. Ultimately, she was slowly pushed aside when Shanna the She-Devil was introduced.

Bobbi appeared in most of the Astonishing Tales issues, starting with #6, and in issues #3-5 of the Ka-Zar 1974 series.

Bobbi Morse’s last appearance in Ka-Zar’s orbit at the time was in Savage Tales (1971) #8, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Ka-Zar Volume 3 and Mockingbird: Bobbi Morse, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. A year later, she resurfaced in a story published in Marvel Super Action (1976) #1, a story by Mike Friedrich and George Evans that put her in a costume for the first time, but she was not called Mockingbird yet. At the time, she’s “Huntress,” but DC Comics also launched at that time a character with that name…

Introducing Mockingbird

Bobbi Morse… alias Mockingbird, the Avenger

Bobbi Morse entered the 1980s with a new costume and, more importantly, a new name: Mockingbird. In Marvel Team-Up (1972) #95, written by Steven Grant with art by Jimmy Janes, collected in Mockingbird: Bobbi Morse, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She’s working at exposing corruption inside S.H.I.E.L.D., teaming up with Spider-Man and Nick Fury to complete her mission.

Originally, Mockingbird was a character Mark Gruenwald envisioned as a rogue for Spider-Woman, but didn’t use it. When the idea of reintroducing Bobbi Morse was discussed, Gruenwald’s concept was eventually amalgamated with Bobbi, as he put it in the letters column of that issue.

After her reintroduction as Mockingbird, Bobbi didn’t appear in any comics for two years, only resurfacing for a barely noticeable cameo with every other superhero in the three-issue miniseries Contest of Champions (which comes with a character guide naming her Roberta Morse, physicist).

Her real comeback was in the 4-issue Hawkeye miniseries from 1983 by Mark Gruenwald. In it, we learn that Bobbi works with Hawkeye on another corruption story, but this one ends with her being not only romantically involved with Clint Barton, but the two are married! No surprise then that she started appearing with Hawkeye in The Avengers comics, starting with Avengers (1963) #239. She’s presented as his wife in issue #242, and the couple quickly received the offer to lead their own Avenger team on the West Coast, launching a long and successful adventure.

After Avengers #248, Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Tigra, Wonder Man, and Iron Man (James Rhodes) formed the West Coast Avengers. The first 4-issue WCA miniseries took place here; the two teams joined forces in #250.

You can find more ways to read the series and more information about the team in our guide to reading the West Coast Avengers comics. Here are the books available in the Epic Collection:

After issue #44, Mockingbird and Hawkeye are not with the West Coast Avengers anymore. They are in Milwaukee to help train the Great Lakes Avengers. She reappears in a supporting role (non-essential) in Avengers Spotlight #27-28 & #30-36, collected in Hawkeye Epic Collection: Marked For Death. After a visit in Avengers West Coast #69, Mockingbird came back with the team in Avengers West Coast #76.

The Avengers West Coast Epic Collection stops here at the moment! The missing issues in this collection can be found in:

As the title suggests, this is the end of the run for Mockingbird as she sacrificed herself to save Hawkeye.

Mockingbird Resurrected

From 1993 to 2009, Mockingbird appeared to be dead. Still, when she returned during the Secret Invasion crossover event, the story changed as we learned that she had been abducted and replaced by the Skrull impersonator, H’rppa, around the events of Avengers West Coast #89-90.

Once she returned, Bobbi went back in action, joining the New Avengers with Hawkeye and others before opening her private spy organization, the World Counterterrorism Agency (WCA), in the New Avengers: The Reunion miniseries. Clint became one of her operatives, but things got complicated quickly due to family matters.

This is the end of the Dark Reign era, when Marvel’s Heroic Age began. During that time, Mockingbird is still a member of the New Avengers. The team behind New Avengers: The Reunion, writer Jim McCann and artist David Lopez, produced another series starring Bobbi and Clint working for WCA, Hawkeye & Mockingbird.

Almost killed in action, Mockingbird is saved by Nick Fury who used a serum that gives her new powers, as it is illustrated during the Fear Itself event. Now, she’s a super soldier.

Bobbi is present throughout the Avengers vs. X-Men event. Go check out our reading order for the event to learn more about it.

It’s Marvel Now! When B.M. Bendis left the Avengers in the hands of Jonathan Hickman, there was a change in the roster, and Bobbi joined S.H.I.E.L.D.’s new Secret Avengers team. The series, written by Nick Spencer with art by Luke Ross, saw her forced to infiltrate the A.I.M. island, and the story increasingly focused on her. Before that, she also appeared in a few issues (#8-9, 13, 15, 22) of the celebrated Matt Fraction/David Aja run on Hawkeye.

With the All New, All Different Marvel era, Bobbi got busy. She worked as the official S.H.I.E.L.D. liaison to Spider-Man, helping Peter Parker to take down the Zodiac (and, in a much smaller way, was S.H.I.E.L.D. liaison to Silk, too).

Due to her being a character in the TV Show Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (played by Adrianne Palicki), Mockingbird was part of the comics written by Marc Guggenheim, with art by German Peralta, that used the show’s characters in the Marvel Comics universe. And of course, that’s when she got her solo Mockingbird series by novelist Chelsea Cain and artist Kate Niemczyk. 

Not involved with Avengers Business no more, Bobbi was not part of the main Civil War II miniseries, but appeared in tie-ins connected to the event. Notably, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. issues, Captain America: Sam Wilson #10, and stories from her solo series. We have a reading guide to help you navigate it.

Unlike with Civil War II, Mockingbird took a more visible role during the Secret Empire crossover event, when it was revealed that Captain America worked for Hydra. She’s in the main series, being a member of the Underground, fighting against the enemy, but also in a few tie-ins, but mainly Secret Empire: Underground #1 (set between SE #4 & 5).

Around that time, Mockingbird joined Spider-Man and Silk as a recurring character in the Spider-Man/Deadpool series (see issues #23, 28, 30-31, 33, 35-37, 40).

With the Marvel Fresh Start era, Mockingbird teamed up with The Unstoppable Wasp. She was a supporting character in the series starring Nadia Van Dyne and her team of girl scientists.

In relation to the Iron Man 2020 event, Marvel organized a short Force Works reunion, and Mockingbird was obviously present, joining on a mission to deal with a couple of bad guys. 

Then, there was the Empyre story, the Avengers tie-in miniseries, in which Bobbi worked with Quicksilver and Wonder Man to deal with a situation involving Kree and Skrulls.

In recent years, Mockingbird has been mostly absent from the Marvel Universe, only popping up for short guest star appearances here and there, nothing of note. But this could change! 

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