This isn't really a new thing for minimates. They get in the prototypes, photograph them for the advertising/box, sometimes make changes, then produce the final figure. Sometimes they try to reflect the changes in the advertising/box photos by photoshopping them (like the creepy Starbuck face recently) but usually they just leave it. I don't like the Hawkeye change either, but I'm surprised anyone is surprised anymore (and enough to be angry) when a photo doesn't completely match the mate.
Edited to make more sense: the point being, they likely don't get in a 'changed' prototype, it just goes into production, so there's no way to photograph it for the box anyway...
I agree with battlecat, changes from prototypes and control art are pretty common.