The following contains spoilers for Black Widow.
Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a sprawling world of movies and television shows full of interesting characters, some of those characters are closer to one another than others. One friendship that's been consistent - even when the two don't share the screen - is that of Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton. For three phases of the MCU, Black Widow and Hawkeye proved they would do anything for one another, bantered during their fight scenes, and made sure they both knew they weren't monsters for their past actions.
The two easily have one of the best friendships in the MCU. They clearly have a lot of history together, starting with Natasha's defection from the Red Room to SHIELD. That was something that was hinted at in earlier appearances, but not broached in detail until the Black Widow movie. One common way to tease their friendship? Telling the audience about a mission they both worked in Budapest that clearly left a mark on both of them.
Natasha And Clint's MCU Friendship Begins With Budapest
Natasha makes her debut in Iron Man 2 while Clint makes his in Thor. There isn't a hint to the friendship they have until he's compromised in The Avengers and she decides to save him. The bulk of Clint's time in that movie isn't representative of the character since he's being controlled, and it quickly becomes clear that the MCU writers aren't entirely sure how to fit him into the larger team in subsequent movies. The Avengers still marks the beginning of an important relationship from the audience's point of view.
Natasha spends most of her energy trying to get Clint out from under Loki's influence. When she finally does, they spend a chunk of the Battle Of New York fighting side by side. It's then that the audience gets the first mention of Budapest.
Natasha mentions that the fight in New York is, "like Budapest all over again." Hawkeye remarks that the two of them, "remember Budapest very differently." That one exchange stuck with fans for years after it landed in the movie. What happened in Budapest? How were the fights similar? How were they different? The audience thought they might never know.
Black Widow's MCU Journey Is Bookended With Hawkeye
Following The Avengers, fans saw the two of them together less than expected. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Natasha wears a necklace with an arrow pendant to honor her friend, causing some to speculate that they might have had a romantic relationship. It's in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, however, that just how close she is to Clint's family is revealed. His children call her their aunt and his wife even names their next child after her. Budapest, however, doesn't get another reference until their last movie together.
Black Widow's final journey in the MCU, chronologically at least, is in Avengers: Endgame. It's Black Widow that pulls Hawkeye into the team for a mission to get everyone they lost back. It's also Black Widow that travels with him to Vormir to retrieve the soul stone. That's the last mission they ever take together, and their scenes leading up to her sacrifice very much feel like a goodbye.
As the two most grounded members of the Avengers, Clint and Natasha don't seem like the best candidates for a mission that takes them to a faraway planet. Their trip to Vormir is punctuated by Clint marveling that they're, "a long way from Budapest." When Natasha sacrifices herself so that he could get his family back, it felt like that chapter of the MCU was closed for fans. Their friendship ends in the far reaches of space on a cosmic trip instead of on the ground in a spy mission.
Black Widow Reveals What Really Happened In Budapest
Despite Black Widow's long-awaited movie being set during the events of Captain America: Civil War, however, Budapest is finally revisited. The visit comes courtesy of mail from an old SHIELD safe house. When Natasha realizes her "little sister" from the Red Room sent a package there, she decides to go. Yelena and Natasha's initial spat reveals some clues about just when Natasha was last there. When Yelena wants to know what kind of gun made the bullet holes in the wall, Natasha remarks that those holes are from arrows.
As it turns out, the mission to Budapest marks Natasha's defection from the Red Room. It's the same mission in which Hawkeye was supposed to terminate her, but "made a different call." The duo spent an extensive amount of time planning to bring the Red Room down. They rigged explosives to kill General Dreykov, taking his daughter out in the process, something Natasha holds guilt for years later. The duo even spent two days in a crawlspace in a train station hiding out from operatives pursuing them. Natasha even points out the games of tic-tac-toe they played on the walls.
Why The Budapest Reveal Matters
Black Widow didn't have to reveal just what Natasha and Clint went through in Budapest for the character's final MCU outing. It's a nice nod to the fans who have spent years wondering. It also serves to demonstrate just how the two characters became so close so quickly.
It seems impossible to think that the two spies could spend 10 days hiding out together, saving one another's lives, and escaping a hostile city, and not become close. Natasha claiming she owes Clint a debt in The Avengers is even more poignant. He didn't just capture her after seeing how impressive her skills were. Clint didn't just suddenly decide to convince SHIELD to make her an asset when he was sent to find her. He lived alongside her and was forced to trust her with his life before bringing her back to the United States.
Black Widow revealing what happened in Budapest, even without revealing every detail of their experience, only serves to make the MCU's best friendship even better.