Ahhh, the most popular and widespread couple in the Gundam Wing universe. Here we see strong and silent pared with outgoing and optimistic—classic opposites attract scenario.
What evidence is there that they could work?
When Heero is captured (after being shot twice by Duo) Duo goes to the hospital to save him. This was a rather risky maneuver (infiltrating an enemy facility), one that was unnecessary to the mission. Afterwards, he goes as far as to offer to repair Heero’s Gundam for him, even though it has not been established for sure that they’re both on the same side. (ep 3)
While Heero is repairing his Gundam, Duo tries to engage in
friendly conversation, saying, “I just wanna make sure you’re really
human.” (ep 4)
Duo was wondering “what is Heero up to?” while staring at the moon. (ep 6)
While on the way to New Edwards, Duo says to Heero, “After this, I’ll be able to go back up to space.” Heero gives him a strange look, pictured to the left (ep 7)
While in school together, Duo is always approaching Heero, trying to get him to cheer up. (ep 10)
After Heero self destructs, Duo says he is “emotionally drained.” (ep 11)
Heero takes on Duo’s name when he enters the colony school. (ep 18)
Heero saves Duo from prison on Barge, though in terms of the mission he should have just killed him. (ep 19)
When Duo finds Trowa at the circus, he asks first if Trowa knows where Heero is (ep ??)
Heero punches Duo out so that he’ll be captured, and not get be exposed to the same danger he’ll be in. (Endless Waltz ep 2)
During the show Heero acts almost protectively towards Duo, by keeping him out of battles and saving him when there’s trouble. Duo in turn has no problem trusting Heero despite the short time they spend together, and is always happy to see him. To Duo, Heero is someone stronger than him whom he can look up to and admire. Duo needs someone very solid in his or her beliefs and self-confidence in order to help sort out his own insecurities. To Heero, Duo is a fellow pilot, someone who he can trust while at the same time look out for. It can’t be argued that they don’t work well as a team. Heero has all the passion that Duo would search for in a companion, and Duo has a unique zest for life that Heero probably admires in him, if silently.
However, people tell me that Duo is the only one Heero opens up to, and that Duo gives Heero a reason to live by making him believe in his own worth. If you can prove it with even one example, I’d love to see it.
What evidence is there that it wouldn’t work?
There isn’t any evidence that it wouldn’t work. However, there is evidence that all the positive evidence can be explained in the characters themselves (if you haven’t read the character sections for Heero and Duo, please do so).
In the case of Heero
As has been stated many times in the show, comics, novel, whatever, Heero is someone who acts on his emotions. If he had any very strong emotions towards Duo, he would have acted on them—perhaps not during the show, because they didn’t spend enough time together, but definitely after the war. At that point Heero has been freed from his mission and is searching out a life for himself. If he envisioned that life as one that included Duo, the two of them would have gotten together within the year of peace. Or at least met often, which is not indicated by the OVA or comics (as is, Duo is always glad and somewhat surprised to hear from him).
Heero taking Duo’s name at the colony school was a very
logical choice to make. Had he
taken his own name, he would have instantly stuck out (especially since a lot of
people, including Zechs and Relena, already know that name). Making up a name would run the risk of
being discovered as well; either Heero would have to create a history for this
false person, or the people at the school would find an empty file and get
suspicious. It would make sense to
use the code name of another pilot—Duo has no problem spouting his name to
everyone, and so it can be assumed that the past of “Duo Maxwell” is clean and
would not surrender any suspicious information to a computer search. True he could have used the names of the
other pilots, but the names “Winner” and “Barton” might have called as much
attention to him as “Heero Yuy,” and he didn’t even know Wufei’s name at the
time. Making Duo Maxwell the best
option.
During the show Heero acts in a way that is very protective toward Duo in different situations. This does not necessarily mean that there was an attraction of any sort. Heero has been trained since he was a small child to be a professional assassin, and he’s good at it. He knows how to balance the mission with his emotions. Duo is not quite this good or this professional. From the first time they meet, Duo proves that he doesn’t have the kind of training and guts that Heero has: Duo should have killed Heero at the hospital instead of saving him, shouldn’t trust a stranger so openly, shouldn’t have let Heero so close to his Gundam. Though Duo is a top-notch pilot, he obviously isn’t a soldier. Remember that each of the Gundam pilots originally thought of this as being a solo mission; to Heero, Duo is a civilian who’s bitten off more than he can chew. In that sense alone Heero has an obligation to help him stay out of fighting at the least—he’s one of the people Heero is trying to protect.
When Duo says, “I’ll be able to go back to space,” Heero gives him a strange look (shown above). So far, Heero hasn’t been worrying about what he’ll do once the mission is complete (I’m not saying he’s going to kill himself: read the Heero section). That’s not his job. But here’s a fellow pilot that’s looking ahead. The people that Heero is used to dealing with aren’t this open-minded—the mission comes first, and everything else is secondary. But Duo lacks at least one thing that is necessary for a soldier: a complete sense of selflessness. After this point Heero doesn’t try to openly discourage Duo from fighting, but instead looks out for him. Stealing the parts from Duo’s Gundam was unnecessary—he could have stolen them from Howard’s people just as easily (after all, the fact that they offered parts implies they had some to spare). Instead Heero steals Duo’s, keeping him out of the fight. He doesn’t want Duo to get involved, preventing him not only from getting in the way but from getting hurt.
As proof, I offer the
scene in which Heero goes to save Duo from Barge. He came with every intention of killing
Duo, but when faced with the final shot, Duo asks him, “Are you really going to
do it?” Heero’s response is, “Only
if you want me to,” and immediately afterwards lowers the gun. Heero can see past Duo’s masks—he can
tell that Duo doesn’t want to die.
Had Duo honestly wished for death, I believe that Heero would have
granted the request (after all, he didn't attempt to talk Trowa out of his self
destruct plan, because he knew it was what Trowa wanted). Instead he repays Duo’s favor and helps
him escape.
In the case of Duo
It’s already been stated that Duo is a person who easily trusts others and works best in a group. Heero is the first of the other pilots that Duo meets—meeting Heero proves that he’s not alone in this mission, so of course he’s going to want them to work together. He turns to Quatre for comradeship just as easily in later episodes. That is, Duo is someone that needs to be among others like himself, and in the beginning Heero is the only one that he might be able to relate to. This would explain all those times that he’s wondering about Heero, or trying to start a conversation—you might say he’s socially desperate. More than that, being open is just his nature. (refer back to Duo’s single section, and the psychology surrounding his “gang” mentality)
Yes, Duo did go out of his way to save Heero from the hospital in ep 3. But as I’ve said, this is the only person right now that might understand what Duo’s going through. From their first meeting, when Duo realizes that he and Heero and the same, Heero is considered to be part of Duo’s new “gang”. Because of the way Duo was raised, he is someone that looks out for his own. Of course he would help someone in that situation.
From another angle, he might have felt a bit guilty. After all, it was his fault that Heero was captured in the first place. But if you’re thinking that Duo had a thing for Heero the first moment they met, think again. Duo’s first concern was to try and rescue the Gundams—after all, Heero wasn’t all that far away, and Duo didn’t make any attempt to rescue him from the Alliance Military. Only after Heero had been captured, and Duo had time to think, did he attempt to help him.
After Heero self-destructs, Duo is left “emotionally drained.” Heero’s suicide was a very powerful event that affected everyone, not just those that had any attachment to him. Of course Duo is going to be upset after losing someone he was only just getting to know. It emphasizes Duo’s fear that everyone that gets close to him is doomed to die (because he is “Shinigami”). If Heero and Duo had been lovers, or even interested in each other, he probably would have suffered a lot more than he did.
I understand that these proofs are not as episode specific as those for the pro section. However, the proof against this couple is in the fact that there is not enough positive evidence. When Heero is rescuing Duo from Barge and has Duo’s arm over his shoulders, there is no discomfort or innuendo on either side. Heero doesn’t talk to Duo much, only when necessary, but does speak quite openly to Trowa (Trowa being a fellow soldier closer to Heero’s level of skill and temperament).
More importantly, Duo encourages Heero to be with Relena. If Duo was in love with Heero, or suspected (or knew) that Heero was gay, he would not be playing matchmaker! (I.e. in Ground Zero Duo sends a false message to Heero saying that Relena was in trouble, just to make Heero go see her when she was upset). Duo never discourages Heero’s relationship to Relena, whatever it may be. Therefore, it is improbable to imagine that anything was going on between them during the time of the show, or afterwards.
[In response to this argument, Jessie added the suggestion that Duo may be encouraging Heero to be with Relena because he loves Heero so much, and wants him to be happy. After all, Duo is known for hiding his true feelings, is he not? It's just as easy to say he's working for Heero's benefit as a lover or a friend.]
However, in the spirit of fairness, these arguments only hold true up through the year 197. Heero and Duo are awful young to have decided what kind of relationship they want, so it’s possible that in the future they will have matured. Their personalities are certainly compatible as friends or lovers, whichever. Of course Heero and Duo would have to overcome their own personal problems before being able to commit to anyone let alone each other. That, and assuming that they are both homosexual, which is not indicated either way.
In
conclusion
Though it can’t be said one way or the other whether or Duo or Heero are gay, it’s fairly obvious that nothing was going on during the time of the show—there simply wasn’t enough time spent together for anything to have developed, especially into some kind of mind-blowing true love. And since all the evidence supporting them as a couple can be explained as being an effect of their own relative personalities, it’s unfair to assume anything more. Especially in the case of Heero, the focus is on his relation to Relena. As far as the show is concerned, Heero and Duo are nothing more or less than good friends.
