Between Clint’s natural fatherly instincts and his respect for Wanda, he’s managed to be there for her during some really critical moments in her life. Clint has consistently been one of the few people, besides Vision, that Wanda could consistently count on, which is especially important now that she’s lost her entire family.
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The friendship between Wanda and Clint began during Avengers: Age of Ultron, when he sat down with her and convinced her to be an Avenger. Clint managed to not only find Wanda and tell her exactly what she needed to hear in order for her to have the strength and courage to become a hero, he also managed to form a connection to her twin brother in the short amount of time they knew each other.
Pietro’s sacrifice for Clint is most likely what inspired Clint to keep looking out for Wanda after the events of Age of Ultron, but he and Wanda actually have quite a bit in common. For starters, both of these heroes are learning how to cope with their grief after losing loved ones. The scene in Avengers: Endgame reinforced their connection to each other, when they broke off to reminisce about Clint’s loss of Natasha and Wanda’s loss of Vision during Tony’s funeral.
As disappointing as it is, none of the other heroes seemed to remember that they’d lost two other members of their team, because they were so focused on Tony giving up his life to save the world. The fact that Clint and Wanda took that moment alone showed that they understood, appreciated and sympathized with each other for undergoing such a major loss.
During Captain America: Civil War, after Wanda accidentally direct Brock Rumlow’s bomb into a building, Clint was there to break her out of her forced isolation. Having initially planned to sit out of the fight, Clint put himself back in the game at the risk of “disappointing his kids,” but he knew that he needed to get Wanda out of the Avengers Tower and back on her feet. This moment proved that Clint trusts Wanda, despite what the others might have thought of her for losing control, once again establishing that these two have a special bond.
After the Infinity Saga, the two separated and started doing their own thing, but Marvel missed an opportunity to strengthen their friendship instead of casting it aside. Both Wanda and Clint are still dealing with their grief after the events of Endgame, as seen by their actions in their respective Disney Plus series. Given the fact that they’re able to find comfort in each other, Marvel could have taken the time to further explore their unlikely friendship and experiment with their unique dynamic.
Wanda is still lonely after having to give up her family when she released Westview, and Clint could’ve used the support of someone who understands what it means to lose your best friend. Since becoming an antihero, Wanda is in need of redemption and nobody understands that better than Clint. As a reformed assassin, Clint knows how much of a burden it can be to carry the weight of doing wrong, making him a perfect ally for Wanda as she continues to find herself.
Clint’s relationship with Kate Bishop also proves that he’s capable of taking misguided heroes and steering them in the right direction. As Wanda continues to find herself, Clint could very easily offer her some sort of support, even though he doesn’t know much about magic. Regardless, he’s seen a lot in his years as an Avenger, and he has connections all over the world that he could use to help Wanda learn more about her powers.
Helping another one of his fellow heroes could also have been beneficial to Clint, since he made a promise to Natasha to do the most with the life she gave him. Aiding Wanda in her pursuits would’ve offered Clint a sense of fulfillment like he got from training Kate. Now that Clint seems to be retiring, it’s pretty unlikely that Marvel will be working with Clint and Wanda’s friendship anymore.
All in all, the continuous buildup between the two feels unfinished. The MCU spent so much time reinforcing to fans that Wanda and Clint have a strong friendship, yet nothing really ever came out of it. With so many characters, it’s understandably difficult for Marvel to always flush out the hero dynamics, but Clint and Wanda’s story with each other still feels unfinished.
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