Image courtesy of Marvel
I, like many people, had eagerly awaited the release of Avengers: Endgame, but I left the cinema heartbroken and exasperated with the death of Black Widow. Instead of complaining about the choices the filmmakers made, I’d like to make the case for a choice moving forward - to resurrect the current iteration of Natasha Romanov/Black Widow played by Scarlett Johansson. I realise this may be considered an improbable idea, but if Avengers: Endgame taught me anything, it’s that losing battles are worth fighting and that they can be won.
I am a long term fan of Marvel Cinematic Universe and have loved to watch their growth over the 22 films they have released. While the slate has become more and more diverse, I remember a time when Black Widow was the sole female hero we had. Part of Black Widow’s curse has been that she arrived at a time when having an underdeveloped female side-kick was the norm. In Iron Man 2, she was undercover for the bulk of the film and there was never much depth given to her. Despite this, her fight scene and demeanour were enough for my fandom to begin.
When The Avengers came out, we finally got a chance to see who Black Widow was. She was brave, smart, charismatic and underestimated. These traits were in full display in many moments, such as when she suggested she be launched from Captain America’s shield onto a Chitauri craft, when she manipulated Loki into giving her answers, and when, shaking from her encounter with the Hulk, she rises to fight again. Her heroism never freed her from the darkness within. She had a deep-rooted emotional, inner struggle. She was complicated, had a past and felt pain as a result of this. I always admire characters and people who are imperfect heroes. Ones that are human. Ones that despite their suffering, are extraordinary, which is why I like and admire her so much.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier reinforced what I love about Black Widow. I firmly believe that Black Widow deserved to get a double billing in that film as the Wasp was granted for Ant-man and the Wasp. From her nonchalant attitude on missions to her well choreographed fight scenes, there was a lot to like about Black Widow’s portrayal in this film. This film also provided one of my favourite scenes from the whole of the MCU; the scene between Black Widow and Captain America driving in the car. It is a scene that started as light-hearted but slowly transitioned to something deeper and more emotional. You can see that Black Widow has lived a hard life and that her experience has led her to see life as the complicated, unclear mess that it is. This depth and richness of character was something I saw clearly as a resource that Marvel Studios should tap into. They, sadly, refrained from doing this.
In October of 2014, when Kevin Feige, the long-time head of Marvel Studios, announced the Studio’s plans for Phase 3, I was incredibly excited for the most part but the omission of a Black Widow film on the slate was incredibly disheartening. I felt as though they did not see the value of a Black Widow film as I did. How a Black Widow story could be used to say something meaningful and philosophical. How the exploration of who she is psychologically would be engaging. When asked about the omission of a Black Widow film from the Phase 3 slate, Kevin Feige said “Well, frankly, as I said in the presentation, it’s about bringing new characters to the screen.”. This statement, to me, seemed to be an excuse, since the slate included third films for Captain America and Thor, and sequels for the Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. Following the announcement, they managed to squeeze two Spider-Man films into the line up so it appears to me that they just did not want to make it.
Black Widow next appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron. While we were fortunate to spend a good amount of time with Black Widow, her scenes, like the rest of the film, were spotty and not all the way there. There was the scene between Natasha and Bruce which was let down by how the dialogue was written. But there were some good moments. These moments include the scene where she pushed Banner into the hole, knowing she may lose her relationship with him. She knew she would be entering into danger, but she did this because of her selfless commitment to the Avengers and for the good of mankind. I also enjoyed the flashback scenes to her training. Despite the film’s failures, I still felt a Black Widow movie was worth pursuing and I was willing to be patient for it.
Captain America: Civil War was another film that, in my mind, provided writing for Black Widow that left something to be desired. I thought that, as a result of trying to tell a story so large, with so many characters, Black Widow became a plot device and therefore there were some inconsistencies in her character. It was somewhat frustrating but it was not terrible.
Black Widow next appeared in Avengers: Infinity War where she only had five minutes of screen time. Given her minimal screen time, I don’t have a whole lot to say. There was nothing wrong with the scenes she had and there were even some great moments, namely the “She’s not alone” scene. This film didn’t add anything to her character, nor did it take anything away.
Avengers: Endgame was Black Widow’s most recent outing and, in my opinion, her scenes were well written. I thought the scene of Black Widow trying to keep what was left of the Avengers and the aspirational mission together was particularly poignant and authentic for the character. I loved the scene when she found Hawkeye in Japan. When I saw Hawkeye had the spaceship in his hand, I knew that they were going after the Soul Stone and I was 90% sure that their pursuit of it would lead to her death. There’d been rumblings in fan circles that she would sacrifice herself for it and, given the Studio’s apparent undervaluation of her character, I believed that was this was going to be her end. The scenes leading up to and including her death were perfectly written. I’m not disputing that. I just don’t believe they made the right choice for her demise. I understand why the character would want to be the one to die and that she would try with all her heart for it to be her over Hawkeye. I think the scene should have been identical, except it should have gone the other way in the final moments.
I found her death to be depressing and frustrating. As a female fan of Marvel, I had always been patient with the Studios. To allow Marvel to grow and evolve, as it has, and to take its time doing it. Black Widow’s death for me was a loss of hope. Black Widow died before she ever really got the chance to have a large, evolutionary character arc. She died before we had the opportunity to explore her character properly. I saw the writers of Avengers: Endgame respond to the backlash by saying: “The goal with all these things is just to put these people on a journey or continue or end their journeys. Steve Rogers goes from selfless to slightly more self-interested. Tony goes from selfish to giving himself for the universe. Thor goes from obligated to letting go of that obligation. And Black Widow goes from a woman with red on her ledger to clearly wiping out all that red.”. In that quote, the writers highlight the character development and growth of the male characters, but Black Widow having red in her ledger that she wipes out isn’t character development. Character development would be her realising the things she did when she was brainwashed were not her fault and that, when free to make her own choices, she makes positive ones. It could be that she finds a way to move on from the past. There are lots of options for what it could be, but what the writers said is not one of them. Black Widow was always ready to die for her sins. I can see it in a number of her appearances, so her dying for them is nothing new.
I realise she is finally getting the solo film that fans have long craved for, but having it set in the past means that we are not going to see her character evolve. She will have an arc within the movie but that will be hamstrung by the requirements of who she will be in Iron Man 2. Also, since it’s set in the past, the story won’t affect the current trajectory of the MCU. One of the many things that people love about Marvel Studios is the large, overarching, collective storytelling. That each film is a cog in something larger. It is interesting that the first two female films have been denied the opportunity to be a part of it. To me it suggests Marvel lacks confidence in female-led projects and devalues them.
As a viewer, I found the Black Widow story to be one of missed opportunities and uncapitalised potential. Despite my criticisms, what is done is done and we need to move forward instead of whining about what could have been. I would like to offer what I think a Black Widow film with a present day setting could be and why I think the resurrection of Black Widow is the right choice to make.
What I have always found interesting about Black Widow is the complexity of her character. Black Widow is a hero who is so keenly aware of her flaws. She feels an enormous amount of guilt and wishes to free herself from it by doing the right thing. A film that really delves into the character with depth would be a captivating watch. She could question why she is alive again when she thought her life and duty had been fulfilled. I would want it to be a film in which, at the end of the film, she finds some inner peace for the first time in her life. Where she is finally okay enough to build a full life that is more than just her job. I think heroes that are flawed allow us, imperfect human beings, to see that we can be better versions of ourselves and, despite everything, we can do our best and that it can be enough. It is a statement the character is suitable to make. A Black Widow film would also be a great way to philosophically explore the nature of good and evil. A more nuanced take than the black and white of most action films. All of the above, coupled with well choreographed action sequences, could create something fresh and be loved by critics and audience members alike.
Now, how to have Black Widow back to be able to make that film. Resurrections in comic books are not uncommon. I recognise that the resurrections themselves are often not the best pieces of writing, but it is what happens after that, I believe, that matters. The mechanism of the resurrection is something that should be left up to the writers, but it could be something drawing from the multiverse. That, it appears, will be further explored in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Maybe Doctor Strange could bring her back from Heaven or Hell. They could draw on something from the comics or write something new. The idea of resurrecting Black Widow is not completely far-fetched as she was recently resurrected in the comics, though her death was under different circumstances. Before you say that the Keeper of the Soul Stone made it clear that it couldn’t be undone, they’ve left the door open for Gamora’s return and a resurrection storyline, as opposed to a time travel one, would not create the same plot holes. It would not be undoing what was done, it would be a new path from where she finds herself now.
I understand people will view this as an unlikely prospect but Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine managed to survive the failures of X-men: Origins Wolverine and The Wolverine before we got the beautiful, perfect, rewarding film Logan, and Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool managed to get past the the travesty of his character’s writing in X-men: Origins Wolverine before we got the hilarious and lauded Deadpool. Even within the MCU, male heroes were allowed to have poorer outings before we got a great one. I think Black Widow should be shown the same courtesy. To be allowed to get beyond the past shortcomings and fulfil the character’s potential. It is not too late to rectify this and give the audience what Black Widow deserves.
Scarlett Johansson did brilliantly with the little she was given and she has the capacity to do something very special. She was able to maintain the character’s integrity and authenticity across a number of films in which the character was not always given her due. I believe it is important to carry on the current iteration of Black Widow over recasting or using a different Black Widow from the comics. A post-resurrection arc for Natasha Romanov/Black Widow would be an opportunity to do something new in the MCU and something rewarding for the audience. This is not a failure that must remain a stain on the MCU and the audience has been known to move past similar things. I hope Marvel Studios finally sees clearly what she has to offer and makes the choice that shows that.
