Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo joins a viral TikTok trend to mock persisting complaints about Black Widow’s divisive death in the MCU.
Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo mocks persistent complaints about Black Widow’s death via a TikTok trend. The 2019 MCU blockbuster culminated the Infinity Saga and functioned as the send-off for some of the franchise’s founding heroes. While Iron Man’s death and Captain America’s retirement didn’t happen until the end of the movie, Natasha Romanoff’s sacrifice took place during the second act of the blockbuster, causing her to miss the climactic final battle. Since then, this particular plot point has been criticized and remained a hot topic of conversation among fans.
More than three years since Avengers: Endgame‘s release, the franchise is now deep into setting up its next storytelling chapter in the MCU Multiverse Saga. Despite this, it seems like the Russos are still constantly hounded by complaints about how they wrote Black Widow out of the franchise. In a new AGBO Films TikTok video, Joe Russo addresses a comment on the matter using a viral trend on the platform. Watch the clip below:
Why Black Widow’s Endgame Death Is Controversial
Avengers: Endgame is mostly a beloved film. While it isn’t perfect, it provides a satisfying conclusion to the Infinity Saga, which is no easy feat considering its 10-year build-up. That being said, there are a couple of creative choices that Marvel Studios made which remain debatable. That includes the handling of Fat Thor’s arc, and the way Black Widow’s death panned out. For the latter, the primary problem with it stems from the fact that Natasha could have continued her story in the MCU, as Hawkeye was better positioned to make that sacrifice for the Soul Stone. Marvel Studios, however, has tried to explain their motivations for her death, saying it was their way of giving her agency, considering how adamant she was in making the heroic play.
Still, it would have been far better if Marvel kept Black Widow alive. This way, they could have continued developing her personal arc, something they failed at spectacularly during the 11-year Infinity Saga. Instead of being treated as a primary role player in the MCU, she was mostly relegated to supporting her fellow founding Avengers, which was unfair. Continuing her story could have also been a better way to give more agency, as the franchise could have shown her doing things she’s really passionate about instead of being forced into carrying out missions for the team.
Since her sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame, Natasha Romanoff appeared one more time in the MCU via the prequel Black Widow solo-film. The project tackles the character’s time on the heels of the Sokovia Accords’ execution, as she is reunited with her foster family, including her quasi-sister, Yelena Belova. Unfortunately, the movie does very little to rectify the problems from Black Widow’s Avengers: Endgame death. In fact, it even makes them worse, as it contradicts some of the choices she made in the 2019 blockbuster. Despite the continued criticisms, however, it looks like the Russos are standing by their decision with how Natasha was written out of the MCU.
Source: AGBO Films/TikTok