WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Hawkeye Episode 4, "Partners, Am I Right?" which aired Wednesday December 8th, on Disney+.
As fun as the Loki series was, there was one major point of contention for fans regarding its LGBTQ arc. The series revealed Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief was bisexual, but it was only mentioned in passing. After the same thing happened in Avengers: Endgame, it felt like Disney was ticking off a box in a forced, inorganic manner. Sadly, Loki's biggest mistake seems to be repeated in Hawkeye.
It's a good thing that the MCU is acknowledging diversity and equality, especially after Valkyrie's bisexual arc was cut from Thor: Ragnarok. That change can be seen, for example, with Phastos having not just a one-off scene, but a storyline and an on-screen kiss with his husband in Eternals, which is a major step for Marvel Studios. Thus, one would have thought Hawkeye would follow suit on showing rather than telling. Instead, it regresses into the same mode of Loki, treating the idea of a queer couple as something that can stay in the background.
Hawkeye's faux pas comes when a beleaguered Clint Barton tries to get his trick arrows back from the NYPD. He sends Kate Bishop to Central Park to meet with the firefighters and cops in the LARPers who role play there. It culminates with Kate striking a deal with Wendy to get the weapons out from her precinct, and when Wendy meets Clint later at Kate's aunt's apartment, we discover Wendy is part of the LGBTQ community.
Clint wants to take her bag with the arrows, but Wendy admits the bag was a gift from her wife, who stitched her nickname of "Bombshell" inside. Clint then confesses he needs the bag and he'll owe Wendy one, before moving on with Kate to find the mysterious watch and unlock the secrets of Echo and her Tracksuit Mafia.
The problem with this is that yes, it normalizes LGBTQ couples, but it also treats them like an afterthought. It would be easier to believe Marvel is truly interested in telling stories like the one they told in Eternals, but that's been the exception, not the rule. The series could have had Wendy's wife with her, giving Clint lip as to why the bag has so much meaning and can't be used. It could have added comedy as well, which is as inherent theme of the series, maybe even reminding Clint how much he misses the banter with Laura and his family.
This is what made Eternals resonate a lot, as that kiss Phastos shared reinforced the love he had for a world that gave him happiness despite him being different. This was the catalyst for him turning on Ikaris and trying to save Earth. Showing would also have added emotional context for Loki when the trickster explained his past, reinforcing to Sylvie he's always felt different and like an outsider who just sought acceptance for being himself.
Admittedly, Wendy isn't a major character, but more of a focus on this relationship in Hawkeye would have sent a powerful message in what could have been a romantic and progressive moment to prove the MCU is as diverse and relatable as ever.
See how the MCU botches another LGBTQ arc in Episode 4 of Hawkeye, streaming now on Disney+.