Marvel really pulled out all the stops for Avengers: Endgame when it came to tying up loose plot points and characters. But whereas Tony Stark got the fitting farewell that befitted the MCU’s first superhero, Natasha Romanoff on the other hand, well, didn’t.
Black Widow’s lack of a classy goodbye or even a funeral scene was unsurprisingly a big sticking point for many fans, who weren’t pleased to see one of the longest-standing members of the Avengers be thrown into a ditch – literally.
So why exactly didn’t Natasha get the funeral scene or emotional send off she deserved while Tony did? Well according to Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo, the reason boiled down to “you’re going to see her again anyway so we didn’t bother!”
Joe told Entertainment Tonight that since Marvel have that Black Widow movie coming out and Tony doesn’t, Iron Man got the funeral scene and Natasha didn’t since she’s not technically gone just yet.
Elaborating further, Joe explained that certain storytelling choices had to be made in order to fit everything in Endgame‘s three-hour runtime. Since they needed to bring closure to Tony Stark, Natasha will get her closure in her own solo film instead.
I get what the Russos are saying here but saving Natasha’s farewell for the Black Widow solo film is a bit of a lame cop out from Marvel.
The pair had an almighty task in trying to tie up as many loose ends as possible with Endgame and it’s understandable that certain things will be cut. But when there are random scenes like Korg playing Fortnite sprinkled in the film, it does make you wonder why they couldn’t spare another minute or two at the end for Black Widow.
Saving Natasha’s farewell for her solo film makes sense on paper but there’s a high risk of it just not working because the movie is set before Endgame and a lot of emotional energy has already been spent. How exactly are you meant to bring closure to a now-dead character in a satisfying way with a prequel that’s supposed to serve as its own standalone, three-act thing?
But hey, maybe I’m overthinking it. Marvel has thrown out the conventional storytelling rulebook with its MCU films and it’s worked out well for them so perhaps the Black Widow solo film will actually work as intended.
Here’s hoping it does because Black Widow deserved better than what she got in Endgame.