On rewatch of Avengers: Endgame, I realized the film set up the perfect original Avenger to help the Scarlet Witch, but the MCU never followed up on this promise. A rewatch of Avengers: Endgame in 2025 is certainly interesting. Not only does it remind me of the glory days of the MCU, despite my enjoyment of most post-Infinity Saga projects, but it also recontextualizes many of the stories that have been told since then. With upcoming Marvel movies set to build on what was set up in Phases 4 and 5, Avengers: Endgame ironically remains a starting point.

The irony in question comes from the fact that Avengers: Endgame was a conclusion to the Marvel movies in the timeline before that. However, a franchise as successful as the MCU was never going to fade into obscurity, leading to Phase 4’s more disparate storytelling ventures. Upon revisiting Avengers: Endgame, I realized how many of the film’s scenes can tie into some of Phase 4’s biggest projects and the MCU’s most powerful heroes. One such hero is Scarlet Witch, with Endgame recontextualizing her future by setting up one original Avenger as her confidant, which the franchise failed to explore.

Avengers: Endgame Reinforces The Idea Of Hawkeye & Scarlet Witch’s MCU Bond

The Two Heroes Were Shown To Be Close In The Infinity Saga

In Avengers: Endgame, a scene set after Tony Stark’s funeral shows Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch standing on the banks of a lake. Hawkeye tells Scarlet Witch that he wishes he had a way to tell Black Widow that they won. Scarlet Witch replies with “She knows. They both do,” the latter statement referencing Vision. The two then embrace, looking out over the lake on which Tony’s funeral took place.

This reinforces the bond that the two had in the MCU’s Infinity Saga. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Hawkeye was responsible for calming Scarlet Witch down in the Battle of Sokovia, thus being the reason she became a member of The Avengers. Captain America: Civil War built upon that, with Clint being chosen to save Wanda from Tony Stark’s imprisonment of her and recruit her for Team Cap. The aforementioned scene from Avengers: Endgame is a good culmination of this friendship, proving how strong their bond truly was.

Hawkeye’s Dynamic With Scarlet Witch Means He Arguably Stood The Best Chance Of Helping Her In WandaVision & Doctor Strange 2

Hawkeye Could Have Brought Wanda Back

After Avengers: Endgame, Wanda became a villain. WandaVision‘s ending led into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with the character going on a multiversal killing spree to find variants of the children she lost during the former story. Both stories stemmed from Wanda’s grief over Vision’s death and the life they could have lived together, yet not one member of The Avengers was shown to aid the Scarlet Witch in her time of need.

After the dynamic between her and Clint was so clearly outlined in Avengers: Endgame, it makes little sense that he would not try to help her. Clint is well aware of Scarlet Witch’s past trauma after Avengers: Age of Ultron, but also helped her through Vision’s death in Avengers: Endgame. However, the MCU did not capitalize on this friendship and involve Hawkeye in WandaVision or Doctor Strange 2, rendering their bond somewhat inconsequential.

The Setup For Hawkeye & Scarlet Witch’s Stories After Avengers: Endgame Explains Why They Don’t Reunite

The Two Were Set On Very Different Paths

Despite my sadness that Hawkeye was never shown to help Scarlet Witch, it remains the case that the MCU more overtly teased different stories for them. Although the scene in Avengers: Endgame can be described as a tease for their future friendship being meaningful, there is no denying that Marvel wished to make Scarlet Witch a multiversal character while keeping Hawkeye closer to the ground. After all, Scarlet Witch was tied to heroes like Doctor Strange and America Chavez, with the likes of the Darkhold and multiversal incursions involved in her post-Endgame arc.

Hawkeye, on the other hand, has only been involved in one, smaller story since Avengers: Endgame. This story saw him take on an apprentice in Kate Bishop, with the crux of the story being his desire to be with his family for Christmas and his need to grieve over Black Widow’s death. This put the two characters on starkly different paths after Avengers: Endgame, explaining why their scene from the 2019 movie, sadly, did not lead to them reuniting.