‘Avengers: Endgame’ May Give The ‘Black Widow’ Solo Film Some Unexpected Layers

Hey, it’s “Avengers: Endgame” day, and as you can imagine, spoilers abound. We’ve already written our spoiler-free review, but now it’s time to get into some of the nitty-gritty and the impact that ‘Endgame’ will have on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Suffice it to say, please don’t read this piece if you haven’t seen “Avengers Endgame.” That’s hopefully obvious. Don’t do it, thanks. *Spoilers forthcoming.*

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Considering the 3-hour runtime for “Avengers: Endgame,” and the countless interviews that promised/warned you about the end of an era and the first ten years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the audience was right to expect significant changes, shocks, and revelations from the epic film. And for the most part, Marvel Studios weren’t lying. There were incredible returns for characters, some shocking deaths, and yes, a time-jump that featured some unexpected consequences for some beloved characters.

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Before the release of ‘Endgame,’ if you were to bet which characters would end up surviving the film, at the top of the list probably would have been Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow. The character seemed destined to survive the onslaught because many assumed the big 3 (Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Evans) would perish, leaving Scarlett Johansson left as the biggest name to carry the load. There’s also that little thing about a solo “Black Widow” film that is about to begin shooting in a couple of months featuring the character. Stands to figure she would live.

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Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, and not only did Black Widow expire in the film, but she died in such a way that not even the mighty Infinity Stones were able to bring her back. Yes, ‘Endgame’ went to great lengths to explain (via Hawkeye) and then reiterate and hammer home (via Banner), that not even an ‘Infinity Gauntlet’ snap could bring her back. So, for all intents and purposes, Black Widow is dead, dead, dead. Never to be seen again.

So, where does that leave her solo film? Before the release of ‘Endgame,’ the speculation was that the “Black Widow” spin-off movie would be a prequel, focusing on the early days of Natasha, before her becoming a hero and joining Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. And ‘Endgame’ pretty much seals the deal on that assumption.

The only way for “Black Widow” to continue moving forward in the regular MCU continuum would be some by employing some crazy writing maneuvering by Marvel Studios that would likely ruin the emotional impact of “Avengers: Endgame” and infuriate the fans that don’t want her death to be cheapened by bringing her back so quickly (don’t make those deaths meaningless). Sorry, but a miraculous resurrection is just a terrible idea, in every way.

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That leaves the prequel option as the only real way to proceed. And in doing so, the film carries a bit more weight than a run-of-the-mill “Black Widow” film might have. Sure, fans were already craving a solo story featuring Natasha, but now we know the film will essentially be the final time that audiences will likely see the character on the big screen, bringing some added emotions to the proceedings.

This also gives a certain amount of freedom to filmmaker Cate Shortland (hired to helm the film) that is usually not reserved for these sorts of solo outings. Outside of the fact that it’s most likely a prequel, and we know that Widow won’t die at the end (which can be said about any prequel, anyway), there probably won’t be much talk about a sequel, not just from the fans but also the star, Johansson (who will likely ride off into the sunset, joining Evans and Downey, Jr. in the post-‘Avengers’ life).

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This is clearly all speculation and should be treated as such. Marvel Studios hasn’t even formally announced that a “Black Widow” film is even being made, even though the main cast (including Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour), writer, and director have all been reported, as well as the start date for production. Sure, you can speculate there could be a soul stone story or some workaround, but I’d wager Marvel is done with messing with the time continuum for now considering how much of a head trip ‘Endgame’ is. Audiences will want a break from that. It’s likely that when Kevin Feige announces the next slate of films (probably Comic-Con), he’ll have to give some firm details regarding the time period of “Black Widow” because fans will most certainly have questions.

And as for a release date, it’s rumored that “Black Widow” will be the first film of 2020, coming in May of next year and that’s also a good bet to make.