1 The Avenger Could Save Wanda in Doctor Strange 2 (Why He Didn't)

 In Doctor Strange 2, the Scarlet Witch is an unstoppable evil force, but an old friend of the Avengers might be able to save her had she been there.

Warning: SPOILERS for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) become a full-fledged villain, but her turn to darkness might have been avoided had a certain Avenger intervened. Wanda suffered some of the most traumatic and heartbreaking losses in the MCU. Because of that, and the corrupting influence of the Darkhold, she was pushed to the brink and unreceptive to reason until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' ending. However, she might have been preemptively saved from that darkness had one of her mentors been around.

Wanda and her brother, Pietro, were fully introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Throughout the film, Wanda and Pietro antagonized the Avengers, first under the orders of Hydra and then under the orders of Ultron. Eventually, they saw the error of their ways and joined the Avengers, where they fought side by side in the country of Sokovia. Pietro even died saving Hawkeye’s life. Hawkeye reunited with Wanda in Captain America: Civil War, where he broke her out of the Avengers compound to join Captain America's team. Since this moment, Hawkeye and Wanda have not had any one-on-one contact. They were both in Avengers: Endgame fighting against Thanos’ army, and Wanda briefly reassured Hawkeye that Black Widow knew her sacrifice wasn't for nothing. But that's it, as Hawkeye wasn't included in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cast.

If he had been, Hawkeye might have been the perfect person to help Scarlet Witch see reason in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness due to their shared history and similar tragedies. Hawkeye doesn’t have superpowers like the Hulk or a supergenius intellect like Tony Stark. Still, he has proven himself a reliable ally and confidant to characters who have suffered immense loss and need guidance. Hawkeye has all the attributes that would help him get through to Wanda and stop her murderous quest to recover her children from the Multiverse. Time and time again throughout the MCU, it's been Clint Barton who has been Wanda's support and mentor in her toughest times.

Hawkeye has already saved Wanda twice before, so him saving Wanda a third time before the post credits of Doctor Strange 2 wrapped up the events of the film would not have been out of character. In Age of Ultron, Wanda was overwhelmed by the battle stating, “It’s all my fault.” Hawkeye encouraged her by responding, “Doesn't matter what you did, or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. Stay in here, you're good, I'll send your brother to come find you. But if you step out that door, you are an Avenger.” Hawkeye comes to Scarlet Witch’s aid again when he rescues her from the Avengers Compound after Tony Stark confines her to the premises in Civil War. Hawkeye encouraged Wanda to make amends by actively facing her problems rather than hiding from them.

Hawkeye can also relate to Wanda’s deadly mistakes. After Hawkeye lost his family because of Thanos (Josh Brolin), he became the vengeful vigilante Ronin. As Ronin, Clint Barton tracked down criminals and killed them in cold blood. He only stopped because Black Widow informed him there might be a way to bring his family back. Like Clint, Wanda also had a violent response to the loss of her family. Her grief combined with the Darkhold's magic made Scarlet Witch so desperate to reunite with her children that she was willing to kill America Chavez for her powers and destroy the entirety of the Illuminati in Multiverse of Madness. Hawkeye could have empathized with Wanda’s anger and grief over losing her family and gotten through to her.

After the events of Hawkeye, Clint Barton seemed so wrapped up in his personal life that he probably has no idea what happened to Wanda since Avengers: Endgame. Perhaps in a future MCU installment, Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch will meet again, if Wanda survived the ending of Doctor Strange 2. If Clint reunites with Wanda, maybe she will finally find a friend who can help her recover from the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.