Though most of the MCU Avengers' team have origin stories of their own, two of the original Avengers that fans know the least about are Black Widow and Hawkeye. Neither has an origin film of their own, despite having backstories wound together by years of spy-work and time as agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Both characters were introduced in other solo films with only Black Widow playing anything remotely resembling a supporting role before The Avengers. Hawkeye himself was relegated to a cameo in Thor, but they've managed to build a meaningful relationship nonetheless.
With Nat making the ultimate sacrifice in the last film, it seems it'll be hard for their friendship to be explored any further. However, there is still a Black Widow solo movie in the works, so that might give more screen time for these beloved heroes.
Until we know more about the Black Widow project, here are 20 Wild Revelations About Black Widow And Hawkeye's Relationship.
20 Neither Have Superpowers
Even though most of the Avengers have been amped up by serums, created by super-geniuses, are mutants, etc., Black Widow and Hawkeye have no advantages of the sort. They don't even get a fantastic tech suits like War Machine or Iron Man. They just are.
However, the people they just "are" do have exceptional marksmanship and top-tier assassin abilities. They aren't the most flashy heroes, but they have fantastic stealth and infiltration capabilities. As on-hand agents, they help The Avengers get their high-priority missions finished.
Considering Hawkeye brought Black Widow into S.H.I.E.L.D., the pair have been together through their entire careers. Superpowers or not, they've supported each other into becoming great heroes.
19 They Both Date Around (In The Comics)
Even though Hawkeye and Black Widow started their comic run romantically entangled, they didn't stay that way. Instead, they've spent more of their run exploring relationships with other people.
Hawkeye has most famously been entangled with Spider-Woman and Mockingbird. If the creators were doing it on purpose, the guy really has a thing for bugs and birds.
Black Widow's dating pool was far more prolific, consisting of Captain America, The Winter Soldier, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and more. Before comics focused more on her awesome skills, she was better known for being a catch.
Either way, they've both lived long and rich romantic lives in the comics, falling in love and breaking hearts.
18 They Almost Married
Before they went on to date other people, Black Widow and Hawkeye were madly in love. They started out criminals working together before Hawkeye joined the good guys, Widow defected for him, and then they affirmed their passionate love.
They were an Avengers power couple for a long time, alongside the likes of Vision and Scarlet Witch. Side by side, they completely changed each other's lives.
However, the pair weren't meant to be. Shortly after getting engaged, Black Widow had to break his heart to fulfill an important mission. When she finally returned to the team, their relationship was officially donezo and they haven't been anything more than friends in a long time.
17 Both Have Been Criminals Before
While many Avengers started off wholesome and good, Hawkeye and Black Widow weren't like that. Widow was manipulated by the USSR to become a perfect assassin, and she manipulated Hawkeye to try to defeat Iron Man. They both were turned into awful people.
With time, though, Hawkeye eventually left behind the life of crime to do some good in the world. And Widow? He convinced her to try out being a hero. After they became do-gooders, neither hero went back.
Unfortunately, though, their ex-criminal lives didn't quite disappear. The Avengers had quite a few run-ins with Hydra and the USSR intelligence agencies and it took Iron Man some time to let go of the whole "attempts on his life" thing.
16 Clint Trusts Natasha With His Family Secrets
In the MCU, Clint takes great care in keeping his family safe and fairly secret. His ranch is somewhere no one knows and he doesn't talk about his family with The Avengers. Well, that is, until they are in desperate need of somewhere to go.
Even when Clint was keeping his family a top secret, Natasha knew they existed, met them before, and was aware of his hidden ranch.
Clint didn't trust most anyone, even Nick Fury, with his family, the most important thing to him. However, he trusted Nat with them. It only proves the strength of their relationship and how close they are as friends.
15 Black Widow Saves Hawkeye From Loki
During the first Avengers movie, Loki tried to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. by enslaving the minds of several of its members. This includes Hawkeye, a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Seeking the Tesseract, he was using them to cause distractions and get it out of the facilities.
If it wasn't for Black Widow getting in Hawkeye's way and fighting him, he could have been hurt by other agents or Loki himself. After all, he only needed the enslaved minds to bring him the item. He wouldn't need them past that.
She put herself in serious danger just to make sure he and the item stayed safe and sound. That's true friendship.
14 They Both Have Children (In Some Universes)
Black Widow and Hawkeye, in the comics, don't have much interest in children. They're both ex-criminals with a lot of problems and some tragic backstories. Moreover, though, they just don't seem to have the time for that kind of thing in most stories. They are full-time Avengers, after all.
In movies or animation, however, it's a different story. Most obvious, in the MCU, Clint has an entire family. He has a wife, two kids, and another on the way. He's a very serious family man, quitting being a full-time Avenger to be with them.
Though it's a rare case, in Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, Black Widow has a son with Captain America, named James Rogers. He leads the young heroes against evil.
13 Hawkeye Doesn't Believe In Taking Lives (She Does)
One of Hawkeye's most important tenets is that he doesn't believe in taking lives. Well, save a few creatures and those time he goes Ronin dark. Even during his time as a villain, he refused to cause much bloodshed.
On the flips side, Black Widow has been putting people in their graves since she was a young girl. It was what she was trained to do. When she grows older and can choose her morals, she still walks the line of hero and anti-hero. After all, she wants to save people, and sometimes there's a more effective way to get there.
Safe to say these besties agree to disagree in this situation.
12 They're Serious, Committed Romantics In The Movies
Despite their propensity to date around in the comics, both Hawkeye and Black Widow are in serious, committed relationships in the MCU.
Clint is married to his beautiful wife, Laura, and they have three beautiful kids together. He's completely devoted to them and has even retired from heroism for them. He will do anything to protect his wife and the family they've built.
Natasha, while not married, falls deeply for Bruce Banner, AKA The Hulk. While other men ogle her, he respects and even feels a bit awkward around her. She finds his intelligence and emotional strength alluring and their feelings have been playing out for years now. Losing her in Endgame must have devastated him.
11 She Defected From The USSR For Him
Once upon a time, long before the MCU and any current comic book runs, Black Widow was an infamous and dangerous USSR agent. After enlisting Hawkeye to try to end Iron Man, he turned into a hero.
Black Widow did the same, but she was sent to infiltrate and spy. However, with time she fell in love with Hawkeye and defected from years of manipulation, brain-washing, and training for him.
He understood her like no one else. They filled similar roles as agents and assassins, they both experienced good and evil, and they both had terrible childhoods where someone beat lessons into them.
10 Both Were Introduced In The Same Series
During the Tales of Suspense series of Marvel comics, both Hawkeye and Black Widow were introduced into the superhero world.
Black Widow was introduced first in #52, a USSR agent trying to undermine Iron Man and grew a passionate hatred for him.
Hawkeye showed up five episodes later. Once a carnival entertainer, Black Widow coerced him into helping her with her villainous ploys.
They both started comics together, were villains together, and even became heroes together. Of course the two have a deep and rich history together, romantic or not.
9 Hawkeye Often Leaves The Avengers
In the Avengers films alone, there are several instances of Clint ditching the team. The most prevalent is after Civil War, when he takes a plea deal to settle down with his family. However, after his entire family is snapped, he initially shirks rejoining the Avengers in favor of turning bloody vigilante.
This is hardly Hawkeye's first time leaving the team. Though most of the time Black Widow joins the team and then stays there, he's known for leaving. He left to create the West Coast Avengers, he left to become Ronin, and even more instances.
It's safe to say Clint Barton follows his own plans. Only some times does that line up with the Avengers and Nat.
8 Both Are Attracted To Scientists
One of the most interesting developments of the Avengers universe was the unique relationship between Nat and Bruce, otherwise known as Black Widow and the Hulk. The pair had never had a relationship in the comics, but the writers wanted to test them out.
This isn't Widow's first fling with a scientist, though. Before Hulk, she dated the likes of Tony Stark, one of the brightest men on the planet. Similarly, one of Hawkeye's most consistent paramours, Mockingbird, has a PhD in biology.
Even though they both understand each other as trained assassins, they appreciate intelligence and curiosity.
7 Clint Has Failed Missions And Disobeyed Orders To Protect Her
Even though Black Widow and Hawkeye are trained agents, focused on missions and objectivity, Clint is arguably the more emotional of the two. Because of this, the guy has broken rules to protect his good buddy/lover, Black Widow. Even when they were criminals, he fell back from a mission to protect her life. Beating Iron Man wasn't worth losing her.
Similarly, despite them arguing about who to sacrifice in Endgame, he didn't wait for an agreement and took it upon himself to try to save her, his family, and the world.
The only thing that stopped him was Nat's pragmatic decision that she was the better sacrifice.
6 They Are Both Expert Marksmen
Despite being trained by very different people (carnival vs. evil Russian agents), both Hawkeye and Black Widow are expert marksmen. They simply prefer different tools. Nat tends to use guns while Hawkeye is known for his signature bowmanship.
However, if anyone was to compare the two, it would be hard to do. They both are masters at what they do.
Perhaps the best rule of thumb is to just not be on the other end of their weapons. The likelihood of surviving wouldn't be great.
5 Both Have Been Married Before
While Hawkeye isn't as prolific as Black Widow, they both are heroes that have found their fair share of romance. So much so that they've found themselves in serious commitments with partners every so often (though all fans know that doesn't often go well).
Beyond his devastating broken engagement with Nat, Clint married Mockingbird, AKA Bobbi Morse. They were members of the West Coast Avengers together and fell in love on the job.
Black Widow has only ever officially married Alexei Shostakov, who faked his passing to become a secret spy. However, she has been engaged to the likes of Hawkeye and Tony Stark and lived with Daredevil for awhile.
4 Before Avengers, They Were Partners (Movies And Comics)
As agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Black Widow and Hawkeye were close friends and partners. They became good friends who trusted one another with everything and supported each other in a hard job. Clint told Nat the secrets about his family and she trusted him to be someone and somewhere safe for her, no matter how dark things got.
In the comics, they have just as deep a bond, even though it does always tend to turn romantic. She was the first person to see more in him, even if she used that to turn him into her villainous partner. He saved her from her spy brainwashing and they supported each other through tough times.
No matter what universe, comic book, movies, etc., they are always fantastic partners.
3 Natasha Always Would Have Sacrificed Herself Instead Of Clint
Black Widow always was more serious and pragmatic than most Avengers, trying to pick the greater good over her own feelings.
Because of that, when it comes to Clint, her feelings would always win. In her life, he was always the pillar of happiness and safety. Their friendship grounded her and his family gave her hope. As a simple cog in the machine, she would always see protecting him as something that betters the greater good.
Whether it was to get the soul stone or to save him from Thanos, Nat always would have saved Clint over saving herself.
2 The Tried To Destroy Iron Man Together
When Black Widow and Hawkeye initially teamed up, it was to help her mission of defeating Iron Man. They took several aggressive shots at Tony before eventually moving onto becoming heroes.
However, during their time beating on Iron Man, Black Widow was so desperate to end him that she could fall in love with any man who managed to take him down. If that's not married to the job, nothing is.
Luckily the pair moved past their criminal days, but it still must've been awkward for Tony when they later joined the Avengers.
1 Black Widow's Solo Movie Might Finally Reveal What Happened To Them In Budapest
Throughout the Avengers films, Hawkeye and Black Widow have infamously eluded to a mission in Budapest that severely impacted them. After Endgame, more information has come out about the Black Widow solo movie, and the Budapest mission may finally be revealed.
Not only are they filming in Budapest itself, but the movie is rumored to be an origin story, set before her original introduction in Iron Man 2.
If the movie does reveal the secrets behind their Budapest experience, Jeremy Renner better be ready to suit up all over again.
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Were there any other wild facts about Black Widow and Hawkeye's relationship that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
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