Ronin

Maya Lopez

After being unable to join the Avengers for personal reasons, Daredevil recommended Maya to Captain America, in order to help capture the Silver Samurai in Japan. She made a suit that would conceal her identity as well as her gender, renaming herself "Ronin", which translates to "Masterless Samurai". This name fits her, because she has photographic reflexes.

After joining the Avengers, Maya returned to Japan, keeping her eyes on Elektra, the deadly assassin leading The Hand. She also checked on the Silver Samurai from time to time, hopefully trying to solve the conflict between The Hand and Clan Yashida.

As Ronin, Maya fought Elektra and was killed, but was immediately resurrected by the Hand. It was the same process that was used to resurrect Elektra. They took Maya captive with the intent of turning her into an assassin for The Hand. The New Avengers rescue her and escape. Elektra then sent The Hand after them. Little did the New Avengers know that the Hand was able to brainwash Maya which resulted in Doctor Strange being stabbed by Maya, but with the help of Wong, Strange was able to release her from the spell. Maya then charged at Elektra and stabbed her, resulting in her death and revealing that she is a Skrull in disguise.

Clint Barton

Clint Barton, after returning from his ventures, found the world he once new turned upside down. With the people he called friends in the avengers dead or hunting him, he turned to Dr. Strange and found a home with the New Avengers. When he found out that Captain America was assassinated, he confronted Iron Man about this. Tony then ask Clint to become the next Captain America, Clint took it into consideration, but when Kate Bishop, the second Hawkeye confronted him, with out knowing that Clint is wearing Cap's costume, talking about how she honored the name of Hawkeye without the disgrace of becoming his copycat. After that, Clint gave up the costume back to Stark. Tony then warned Clint that if should ever join the New Avengers, he will arrest him. Taking the guise of Ronin to conceal his identity, he has now joined the New Avengers in his first mission, saving Maya Lopez, the first Ronin from the Hand. When Clint was going to give the Ronin costume back to Maya, she said that he could keep it.

Alternate Versions

Earth-1610

In the Ultimate Universe, Ronin was an identity that was created by Moon Knight in order to get closer to the Kingpin. Moon Knight suffers from an incredibly complex case of dissociative identity disorder (commonly known as multiple personality disorder). It is so complex that the identities actually speak to each other on what appears to be a playground.

Moon Knight offered to be the one to (among the Ultimate Knights) become the Kingpin's bodyguard/assassin. They did not, however, know that he would be creating another identity within his mind (they don't even know of his disorder). The little girl within him disagrees with what Moon Knight (the dominant personality) has offered to do, but the other two (Marc Spector and Steven Grant) feel that it is a plausible solution to their Kingpin problem.

The Kingpin instructs Ronin to bring him Spider-Man as a test. He finds out that most believe that Spider-Man goes to Midtown High School, so he drives a bus through the wall in order to lure him out. Kitty Pryde arrives before Spider-Man, and ends up being knocked-out by Ronin's vicious attack with a fire extinguisher. Spider-Man arrives just in time to see it happen, then jumps into the fight himself. He ends up being shot with a tranquilizer dart in the neck, then Ronin uses his web shooter's to swing away from the school, bringing him to the Kingpin. When he arrives, he only says, "What's next?".

While Spider-Man was being tortured by Kingpin Ronin stood in the back; however, it turns out Fisk knew he was Moon Knight all along. He attacked him and had his men take him to the river and executed in costume to send a message to the other "costumes". In Moon Knight's mind we see Moon Knight drowning and the other three personalities standing around him. Suddenly, Ronin comes in and pulls him out of the water. From there he went to the police and told them who he was and that Wilson Fisk sent him to be executed being the first hero ever to publicly unmask himself to enforce justice. Wilson Fisk was arrested and prosecuted thanks to Moon Knight.