Hawkeye Copies Batman V Superman’s Martha Trick (But Better)

Hawkeye drops its own variation on the infamous “Martha” scene from Batman V Superman, but the MCU does it more successfully than the DCEU.

Hawkeye‘s season finale shares a glaring similarity with DCEU movie Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but the MCU’s version does a better job of DC’s derided “Martha” moment. Division and comic book movies go together like Spider-Man and memes, but very few cinematic adaptations split fans quite like 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Though some claim Zack Snyder’s second DCEU entry is among the greatest superhero films ever made, others (and most critics) took a harsher view. Among their many gripes was the climax to Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent’s final battle, where Batman almost has his opponent defeated with a Kryptonite spear, only to relent after learning their mothers are/were both named “Martha.”

Disney+’s Hawkeye TV series strikes a very similar note during its own long-awaited hero vs. hero scrap. In the closing episode (“So This Is Christmas?”), Yelena Belova finally catches up with Clint Barton, partly intending to complete her assassination contract, partly wanting revenge for Black Widow’s death in Avengers: Endgame. Hawkeye gamely absorbs Yelena’s beating until she looks just about ready to strike the final blow… but before she can, Clint whistles the secret tune Natasha Romanoff and her sister shared during childhood. Desperately questioning how her nemesis knows this forgotten musical memory between siblings, the whistle convinces Yelena to stop knocking the feathers out of Hawkeye.

Related: Hawkeye Post-Credit Scene Explained

Like the Batman V Superman “Martha” scene, Hawkeye vs. Yelena is two protagonists fighting each other largely because of a misunderstanding. Batman and Superman were manipulated into feuding by Lex Luthor, whereas Yelena wrongly believed Clint was in some way responsible for Black Widow’s death. In both cases, the battle ends because the loser stirs up an old family memory the two combatants share. For Bruce and Clark, this common ground is their mothers; for Clint and Yelena, it’s Natasha Romanoff.

Despite the parallels between Batman V Superman‘s “Martha” scene and Hawkeye‘s finale, one version trumps the other for execution – and it’s the MCU once again claiming bragging rights over its DCEU rival. The problem with Bruce vs. Clark’s conclusion is how the highly-anticipated title fight boils down to sheer good fortune. Superman wants Batman to rescue his mother from Lex, so uses his last breaths to utter “save Martha,” forcing Batman into hesitating because, unbeknownst to Supes, Bruce’s mother shared that very name. Had Bruce’s ma gone by any other moniker, Superman would’ve been a glowing green shish kebab, and it’s this overwhelmingly unlikely coincidence halting Batman V Superman‘s advertised showdown that irked critics most.

Hawkeye improves the “Martha” trick by having Clint Barton intentionally change Yelena’s heart. Florence Pugh’s Black Widow believes Clint let Natasha down – either directly causing or willfully allowing her to die on Vormir. Unleashing the secret weapon of Natasha and Yelena’s sibling whistle demonstrates how much Hawkeye and Black Widow must’ve meant to each other, proving to Yelena that Clint loved the fallen Avenger just as much she did. Whereas Batman V Superman‘s “Martha” scene relied solely on good fortune (that their mothers shared a forename and that Superman would say it aloud at the appropriate time), Hawkeye’s whistle is akin to a secret password only someone Natasha really trusted would know, thereby confirming his innocence in Yelena’s eyes. One could still argue the whistle represents a cheap end to the Hawkeye vs. Yelena fight scene, but at least there’s a clearer cause-and-effect than Bruce and Clark received in Batman V Superman.

More: Hawkeye: Every Marvel Easter Egg & Reference In Episode 6

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