Was Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff’s relationship too close for comfort? Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are debating the issue.
Let’s be honest, we all considered a romantic future for Hawkeye and Black Widow at some point during the early days of the MCU. But, as soon as we learned about Clint’s wife Laura, as well as Natasha’s aunt-like relationship with the Barton children in Avengers: Age of Ultron, their relationship quickly turned platonic.
It’s obvious the two former agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were never romantically involved, but did they ever wish to be? One MCU fan took to Reddit to question whether Clint and Natasha’s relationship could be considered “emotional cheating.”
The post featured a still image of one of Clint and Natasha’s most emotional moments in Avengers: Endgame, just before the latter sacrificed herself in Clint’s place to obtain the Soul Stone.
Users in the comments were outraged with this seemingly legitimate question, quickly jumping to attack the person who made it. “Imagine not knowing what it’s like to have close friends,” one said, while another called the issue “the most ridiculous thing you could ever complain about,” even though the original poster was just opening up the discussion. One account even went as far as suggesting “some therapy for all those trust issues.”
While the majority is very much against the insinuation of a romantic link between the two Avengers, a select few gave the original poster some credit. One Redditor saw some legitimacy in it, based on the characters’ romantic background in the original comic book material.
Another was relieved to find out they weren’t alone in believing Natasha and Clint were more than friends, prompting a response from the author of the post, who believes “they never physically consummated it , but you can see it in their eyes that in their hearts they already fell into each other’s arms.”
While Disney Plus’ Hawkeye gave us some insight on how Clint has been dealing with the aftermath of Natasha’s death, it once again cemented the archer’s more-than-solid relationship with his wife and children, as not even the threat of spending Christmas away from home was enough to shake he and Laura’s trust in each other.