That if you ignore Hawkeye from the Ultimates comics, that is just the "heroic" version of Deadeye. I think bow is the weapon he uses least.

I love bows and they're very useful, but this comic is still hilarious. Particularly that final panel. He's so happy!

Guns are loud and give away your position. Bows are much quieter. This is Walking Dead 101, guys.

The problem with using bows and arrows in these settings is that they tend to use them for the same role and job like a rifle or gun.

Sort of like grabbing A sword and charging A tank while not being bullet proof.

Yeah you can tell someone has actually not seen the movies/show to know that some of the things Hawkeye does can't be done with a gun or specialized bullet. That USB arrow he used even back in the first Avengers movie to shut down the aircraft wouldn't be possible with a gun.

Not to nitpick or anything, but he actually does use guns in the MCU.
In fact, when he first showed up in the MCU he use a sniper rifle.

Because, remember kids, the universe with the giant purple man and the giant green man and the nano armor and the red haired russian assassin and the literal GOD is SO realistic that a 'bow and arrow' just - ya know - SO far out of the realm of credulity xD xD xD

Also strictly speaking, if you're fighting a dragon, a space bugman, or a Norse God, a well-drawn bow will do way more damage than anything less than an anti-material rifle, and even if it doesn't kill they've now to deal with that giant shaft of wood/carbon fiber stuck in their chest/arm/eye.

A modern bow has numerous advantages in terms of payload and even piercing power compared to bullets. A compound bow can pierce kevlar and ceramic armor like it's nothing, and actually be more effective at a similar range against such an opponent. Guns are great because you can arm a lot of idiots.

@Noah Jones He uses a bow in open combat because he uses what he calls "trick arrows" which does shit other than work like an arrow such as explode or release smoke/gass.

Conclusion:
Bows are viable in a specific stealth ops niche.

That being said... Why is Hawkeye fielding a bow in open combat against hard-targets like armored Chittari and Ultrons, where none of the advantages of the modern bow are present?

Opinion noted and respected, but a few points must be made.

-IRL, silenced firearms are loud and flashy.
-Meta-materials used in modern armor are less resistant to lower velocity projectiles.
-Much material science and mechanical engineering goes into the modern compound bow.

She is an engineer after all!

Bows are a much better weapon for stealth attacks.
Plus Hawkeye is the Tony Stark of gimmick arrows.
His major downfall is multiple targets with limited
height advantage, cover. Then he sucks.

@Samuel Measa
I'm complaining about DCU Hawkeye, that character is bland. The Hawkeye from the comics was better written.

Loading a single trick bullet would be very cumbersome. Instead you either have an entire magazine of a trick bullet, or you carry a bunch of guns each loaded with a single trick. Like a normal 9mm, a laser pistol, a freeze gun, a stun gun, a sonic pistol, or what ever else strikes your fancy.

You can't use trick arrows with a gun, though. Trick bullets aren't nearly as useful.

The thing about Hawkeye is that he vary rarely misses. Unlike those who he goes up against who went to the same training school as Imperial Storm Troopers.
Also how many times do you think people lie about which Avenger brought them in?

@Chris Sizemore
Do recall he started out as a circus entertainer before turning villain, before turning Avenger/Sidekick/Hero. This is why he works best in a story as a secondary character there to move the story forward.

I think he use gun in Ultimate Universe, but everyone is mean except Spider-Man.

I can understand what Jo is griping about. However, I think what most people don't like about Hawkeye is the way he is written. Hawkeye is just bland, and no arrow will fix that.