Great topic! So my view is that there wasn't anything between Nat and Bucky in the MCU, other than, you know, some violence here and there. And so far I am holding off on other relationships until we get more info on her. I know she was married in some of the comics to Alexei. Funnily enough I was glancing through an Avengers kids book at Walmart (that's not weird, is it?) and they had a story about her as a kid...and Alexei was her younger brother instead.

One thing that is my headcanon is the 1984 birthyear is accurate. So she was early/mid-20s when we first see her, meaning she joined SHIELD late teens/early 20s. And I have a feeling Ward asked her out at some point. I just do.

I used to totally think Bobbi and Clint were married in the MCU and now I'm just not sure. I'm kinda bummed b/c I liked that history. So I go back and forth on that, although I'd like to think they at least had a fling at one point.

And you have totally sold me on the Clint/Melinda FWB headcanon. I'm waiting for canon to mention it now haha.

Yeah, I think for the MCU I'll take Alexei over Bucky, in light of the 1984 birthdate plus the story she told Cap about "the Winter Soldier". The tone she used there did not come from a place of excessive familiarity.

It makes sense that she would have been married, though, to merit the Widow moniker, I think ... It can't just be a reference to her modus operandi!

I'm so confused by that!!! Aren't all the girls in the Red Room program Black Widow too? Did they all get married off? Or is Nat the only one to survive? And were they training these girls from the get-go to sleep around and then off people? Or is that just a fandom headcanon? And does/did MCU Natasha do that too? Or is she just a spy/killing machine? So many questions...ahhh, can't wait for AoU!

Oh, and for the Clint/Melinda canon thing? Jeremy Renner was filming something that he wouldn't talk about the other day ... ;-)

I like the way you think, my dear ;)

Getting back to your Natasha/Bobbi point...I feel like Natasha gets along really well with other women. So I totally see her dishing with Bobbi (and Melinda) and having a grand ol' time.

I don't know how Clint would feel around Natasha's ex'es...I have a feeling he wouldn't be as chummy as she is. Hmm...what do you think?? I don't know enough about Clint to judge either way actually.

I'm so torn about (past or future) Clint/Bobbi in the MCU. On one hand, I love them in the comics and they give me many an emotion, on the other I like the idea of Bobbi being treated as her own character with no relation to him. If they do throw her at him at some point, I think I like the option of it being way in the future, maybe having Bobbi introduced into the movies at some point later on.

That hivemind past Clint/Melinda headcanon is one my favorite things. YES GOOD. MORE OF THAT. XD

Well, I think Bobbi is her own character in AoS already, her (past) relationship with Hunter notwithstanding. I don't really buy into the whole idea that women lose their agency automatically, just because there's a guy in the picture. Depending on how she emerges from a given relationship, it could add quite a bit to how her character is perceived.

But frankly, I don't think Bobbi/Clint is going to happen in the MCU, so I'm personally hedging my bets for Clint/Melinda. That could be such FUN, watching those two spark off each other. I think I need to write me some of that...

I really like this point...I feel the same way re: agency. I think I would like a nod/wink to their comics relationship even if its just a cameo or a comment or something. Kinda like nod to Happy/Pepper's comic relationship at the end of IM3.

And YESSSSS to Clint/Melinda, if you write it, I will read it (of course I read everything you write, but you know what I mean). For the love of everything, I really hope he does end up on an episode, I just need to see everyone's reaction to him.

No, not automatically losing their agency because there's romance referenced, but... if they brought her in tacked to Clint or if they'd drawn that connection too fast, she'd existed in his shadow? Less of her own character, more of an appendix that's defined by him. Because of the comics backstory. Ah, not sure I'm conveying this right. I don't think romance storylines take away agency from female characters by default, but if you have a female character that's so heavily tied to a male one in the comics and immediately, or quickly, tie her to that character in the movie/show verse too, then she would have a much harder time to be her own character. I don't mind putting them together eventually, just not until she's a defined and layered character all on her own. Lol, word vomit, I hope that made sense. XD

We still don't know who Melinda's ex actually is... Heeh. (No, I don't think they'll go there, but boy would it be great. Hehe.) And yes. Yes. You totally need to write some of that. You do. /nods

I don't know. Scott and Jean came out the gate together in X-Men, yet they were both solid.

Yeah, but Clint and Bobbi didn't come out the gate together on screen. He came out first. Like, the first things I heard in reaction to the announcement that Bobbi will be on the show was wondering of if she'd be his ex. Having her be that might've given her less of a chance to be her own character, you know?

And yeah, even then they could've handled it well. It's not an automatic screwup, and it can work. But I'm still glad they brought her in the way they did and avoided that trap altogether.

Edited 2015-01-18 04:04 pm (UTC)

Yeah, they didn't, so that discussion is a bit academic. And I think linking her to Hunter had no negative repercussions for her - if anything, it made him look like a bit of an eejit in terms of the comments he'd been making about his ex.

But if Marvel were to do a reveal on MCU Hawkeye and May, now that would turn heads -- in both directions. ;-)

I'll throw out headcanon that Bobbi and Natasha would be friends, ex or not, just like they are in the comics.

You know what's weird? This thread is only viewable when signed in to Livejournal for some reason (unlike last weeks attf). I wonder if that's why there aren't more responses bc this is an interesting topic!

Hmmm. I made it "members only". Maybe that's why? I'll change the security setting when I have my laptop up.

A little late to the party due to my vacation, but after reading this, the wheels are turning...

My burgeoning head canon has Clint having had a fling with Melinda May at some point (strictly friends with benefits, although igrockspock turned that into a former marriage, in her wonderful story Two Truths and One Lie.) We know May has Nat on speed dial, so what do they text each other about that won't pass the Bechdel test??

It amazes me how characters can evolve and emerge on "paper" completely different from how we thought they would. Over the past year and a half, Clint Barton has done that to me. He has emerged as a OIF/OEF veteran who, while he doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve, is much more passionate about his work, his comrades in arms, and his friends than his external demeanor may show. He's turned out to be a cynic with touches of idealism buried deep beneath. As a result, he's emerged -- for me, at least -- as the type of guy who can't have a casual fling.

Tash, on the other hand, has been very closed-off. She cares about her work, her fellow agents, and her friends, but she's also got a boat-load of trust issues as a result of her time with Red Room. Thus, friends are few and far between; a true romantic relationship hasn't been a reality for her.

This particular head canon has turned my story idea completely on its proverbial ear, and I'm having to re-think my entire POV. Augh.

Right now, my brain has also grabbed on the possibility of May/Coulson -- past and future. (For this I blame Ming-Na, Clark Gregg, and Twitter.) Given that Clint and Tasha worked closely with Coulson, it seems conceivable that they knew about any past history between he and May. I keep rolling around ideas about how his "death" -- and subsequent "resurrection" -- might affect interactions between May, Clint, and Tasha. Nothing concrete yet, just a general sense that it's just kinda there, in the background.

It does lead me to think that there might be a slight feeling of betrayal or frustration because May, knowing Coulson is alive, has backed off of her casual/friendly conversations with the two master assassins, usually sticking to business; she doesn't trust herself not to give it away, especially given Tasha's interrogation skills. And, because of the obvious complications, they haven't exactly seen May to confront her about it.

Needless to say, I don't see a fling or FWB relationship with May. But I'd love to see the moment they find out Coulson's alive and May's known (and worked with him!) for quite a while...

All I can say is that I always loved the idea of May/Coulson, past, present, or future, so I would love it if it becomes canon somehow!