Warning: SPOILERS for Hawkeye episode 4
Kate Bishop doesn't shoot Yelena Belova at the end of Hawkeye episode 4, and here's why she might have made that decision. Although the Disney+ series is a chance for Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton to get a lead role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it also introduced Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. Hawkeye brings them together in a New York adventure with escalating threats, and episode 4 saw Black Widow's Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) join the mix.
Yelena's appearance in Hawkeye was reported ahead of her MCU debut, but Black Widow's post-credits scene provided some context for her role. Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) gave her a mission to hunt down Clint and blamed him for the death of Natasha Romanoff. It wasn't until Hawkeye episode 4 that Yelena crashed Clint and Kate's mission to try and get revenge. She swiftly attacked Clint and ultimately got the better of him in combat, which led to a small moment where Kate and Yelena seemed destined to fight. However, Kate didn't shoot Yelena and let her leave in peace - but why?
The interaction between Kate Bishop and Yelena Belova doesn't last long in Hawkeye episode 4, but that doesn't make Kate's decision to not fire an arrow at Yelena any less curious. This came shortly after Kate shot Maya Lopez a.k.a. Echo (Alaqua Cox) in the shoulder, forcing her to flee the fight. Kate easily could've done the same to Yelena but refrained from letting the arrow go after Yelena turned to make eye contact. It only took Yelena shaking her head no and not uttering a single word to get Kate to not fire. The MCU series doesn't address Kate's decision to not shoot, but it is likely another example of Clint rubbing off on her. Earlier in the episode, Clint said the best shot he ever took was the one he didn't that meant helping Natasha. He said that he knew by looking at her that she didn't want to be part of the Black Widow world anymore, and Kate may have the same feeling about Yelena from this short encounter, which would explain why she didn't shoot.
It's intriguing to see Hawkeye set up a direct parallel between Clint and Natasha's friendship and a possible one for Kate and Yelena. Clint originally went against SHIELD's orders to kill Natasha and instead worked with her to take down Dreykov's Red Room. While Clint was able to see the good in Natasha back then, his time as Ronin and the baggage he carries could be clouding his judgment now. Kate meanwhile can see Yelena clearly and might recognize the pain she's living with after losing Natasha. Kate deciding not to take the shot and seeing Yelena for who she really is could make this moment the foundation for two of Phase 4's newest characters to become connected moving forward.
Even though there is a chance that Kate didn't shoot Yelena for another reason (such as intimidation), the similarity between this moment and Clint and Natasha's past is the more fulfilling answer. It puts the MCU's new Hawkeye and Black Widow in the same scenario as their mentors. There's even the possibility that Clint seeing Kate and Yelena in this light will allow him to reconfigure his thoughts on Yelena and recognize that Kate is superhero material. At the very least, it will make Kate and Yelena's next encounter even more meaningful.
Hawkeye airs every Wednesday on Disney+.
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