The MCU's Avengers: Endgame had a Herculean task; to complete the story arc from Avengers: Infinity War and do it in a way that satisfied fans. The story arc that had begun in Infinity War, involving Thanos erasing half of the Earth’s population with the Infinity Gauntlet, needed to be concluded. But how? As the Avengers would soon discover, Thanos had destroyed the Infinity Stones shortly after “The Snap”. One of the ways to undo the damage was suggested by Scott Lang (Ant-Man), involving several teams of Avengers going back in time and extracting Infinity Stones from that time period.
Black Widow and Hawkeye were sent to Vormir to extract the Soul Stone. As payment for its removal, it required that which you love most to be sacrificed. Why did Black Widow sacrifice herself, instead of Hawkeye? Both heroes had their reasons for wanting to make that commitment, and both had reasons not to. As long-time friends, partners, and (in the comics at least) lovers, it was gut-wrenching to watch them wrestle with their decision. Black Widow ultimately became the one to die, literally fighting Hawkeye off to do it, but was that the right decision?
Updated on January 1st, 2022 by Kayleena Pierce-Bohen: Black Widow's sacrifice to get the Soul Stone and save the world made some fans think they'd never see the legendary Avenger again. While they might not have been able to see more of her future, her mysterious past held plenty of possibilities, with a strong focus on her work as a freelance operative before she joined the Avengers.
Now, with the new Disney+ series Hawkeye, Clint Barton reveals how he has coped in the wake of her death, instructing the young Kate Bishop to be every bit as courageous as she was. There's never been more interest in the effects of Black Widow's sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame and the ever-present question 'did Hawkeye love Black Widow?'
Black Widow's Sacrifice In Avengers: Endgame Was Justified Because
Black Widow Wanted To Be A True Hero
While being part of the Avengers pretty much secures a reputation as a hero, Black Widow’s dark past didn’t always make her feel like one. Unlike some of her more pure-hearted teammates, like Captain America, she’d done a lot of things she really wasn’t proud of prior to her induction.
As a highly trained agent in the Black Widow Program, this included contracted hits and assassinations. The ignobility of her missions meant she never felt like she belonged among her peers but dying a hero’s death to save the world (and her friends) would make up for that.
Hawkeye Had A Family
If there was even a remote possibility that Hawkeye could get his family back, Black Widow wasn’t going to let him pass up the chance. With the snap of Thanos’s fingers while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, he’d managed to rob Clint Barton of his wife and two children, and only with the Infinity Stones together again could the effects of “The Snap” be undone.
The solo Black Widow demonstrates that Nat fully understands the power of family, so it would never sit right with her knowing that the Barton kids would be without their father.
Black Widow Is A Lone Wolf
Black Widow has always been a loner, happiest with her own company. There are several reasons for this that aren’t entirely personality-oriented, explainable only by her backstory of becoming Black Widow. The Black Widow Program brainwashed her into forming no attachments to others, thereby making her a superior killing machine untethered to anything that might compromise her missions.
Speaking of missions, she often worked alone, except for when she worked with Hawkeye in Budapest (a point they mention in many films). It was her initial partnership with him and by osmosis, the rest of the Avengers, that made her feel a sense of connection. But at heart, she will always be a lone wolf separate from the pack.
Black Widow Loved Hawkeye
Did Hawkeye love Black Widow and did she love him in return? While never explicitly stated in the films leading up to Avengers: Endgame, Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton have a romantic connection in their relationship, though they couldn’t consummate it for various reasons. One of those reasons being that Black Widow was figuratively married to her job and another being that Clint was literally married. It was perhaps because of the former that the latter was the case, leaving Clint to seek a rural life on a farm.
In the comics as well as the films, Hawkeye and Black Widow worked together as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents for years, growing close as the two "non-super-powered" members of the Avengers. In the comics, they did become intimate, whereas, in the movies, Black Widow’s silent love for him is why she would have sacrificed herself.
The Avengers Succeeding Was More Important To Black Widow
While there’s no doubt that both Hawkeye and Black Widow wanted to sacrifice themselves for the good of the team, there are fundamental differences in their positions. Whereas Hawkeye would do anything for the Avengers, he would do more for his family. The Avengers were Black Widow’s family, and therefore she was willing to sacrifice her life so that they would succeed in their mission.
Natasha did a lot of arguably wicked things before joining The Avengers, and she wasn’t the easiest to get to know, but she made an effort to build up a unique report with each of her colleagues. She opened up in her own way, and she valued their abilities and their insights, and they respected hers just as much in return.
How much less exciting would it have been if, upon realizing Black Widow was about to leap to her death, Hawkeye simply shrugged and told her to go ahead? It wouldn't have been particularly dramatic in a movie that requires a rollercoaster of emotions to be elicited from its audience. Black Widow deserved to have a climactic ending, even if it didn't happen the way fans expected.
Fans had spent a decade coming to care about the characters in the MCU, and if Natasha's sacrifice was simply played off as the "right thing to do" without any internal struggle from the person who cared the most about her, it wouldn't have been realistic or impactful. One of the best elements of the MCU movies remains to showcase superheroes that feel like real people, who aren't perfect, but who ultimately do the right thing.
Black Widow Is An Emotionally Complex Character
In a recent interview with Marvel, Scarlett Johansson explained how working on Black Widow made her realize just how emotionally complex Black Widow is as a person, and how much her relationship with her family impacted her work as an assassin and then later as a superhero. She was clearly someone who, beneath her reserved exterior, felt deeply about her commitment to saving the people she cared about.
She felt that the stand-alone movie gave her not only the opportunity to kick off the MCU's Phase 4 with a bang but also for "some sort of healing and understanding as to why Natasha decides to make that ultimate sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame."
Her Character Had Little Else To Do With The Plot
Given that Black Widow hadn't been a part of as many main plotlines overall in the MCU movies, it wasn't surprising to find that in Avengers: Endgame, the final film of Phase 3, she wasn't given any way to really prove her worth. In passing, fans learned that she'd kept the Avengers' motley crew together, but they didn't witness years of the challenges she overcame. It was therefore a natural choice in her narrative for her to be the one to sacrifice herself to acquire the Soul Stone.
By making the decision for herself, she was able to have some agency and contribute in a significant way to the main storyline that the rest of the Avengers were a part of. Just like when Iron Man died, she was allowed to be one of the noble few who gave her life so that her friends --and the world-- might live.
So Hawkeye Could Go On To Train Kate Bishop In Her Memory
In the very first episode of Hawkeye, Clint Barton takes his family to see Rogers: The Musical, a Broadway show based on Steve Rogers, the first Captain America, and features all of the Avengers (including Black Widow) as played by actors. It's clear by the discomfort on the archer's face that he's disturbed by the gaudy visuals, with the pain of Natasha's death still so fresh.
When he begrudgingly begins training Kate Bishop, whose skill with a bow rivals his own, it's not just because of their shared abilities or out of a need to keep his daughter away from the superhero life -- it's because he can help the young would-be Avenger become as brave and compassionate as his friend.
Hawkeye Should Have Died In Avengers: Endgame Because
Natasha And Bruce Could Have Been Together
There was a period of time in the Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers movies where Natasha was semi-flirtatious with several male members of the superteam. Though Tony Stark would come to cement his love for Pepper Potts, and Steve Rogers couldn’t get over Peggy Carter, Bruce Banner emerged as an unlikely contender for her affections.
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, their relationship was explored in some depth, though he was unable to make any commitments because of the uncontrollable nature of The Hulk. Sensing a kindred spirit, she declared she would run away with him if he wanted to leave the Avengers behind. Sadly their possible romance will almost certainly never be explored now.
He Put His Family At Risk
After “The Snap”, Hawkeye lost his entire family. His wife and two children were gone in an instant, leaving him the sole survivor. He couldn’t find Thanos, so he took out his frustrations and pain on the villains that–in a cruel twist of fate–were not killed off by Thanos’s use of the Infinity Stones.
When the Avengers are successful in undoing the destruction Thanos caused, his family is returned to him. But he can’t erase the past five years of slaughtering criminals. Those left alive will undoubtedly come looking for him and his kin, seeking their own revenge.
Black Widow Didn't Deserve To Be Side-Lined
For years, Black Widow served as the only woman on an all-male superhero team, and while everyone else received their own stand-alone films (and trilogies), she didn’t. Marvel Studios kept assuring fans the Black Widow film would come, but now with her untimely death, it seems the only way it can is in a prequel capacity.
Her character has been effectively sidelined for much of the films in all three phases of the MCU timeline. She has offered narrative support for the plotlines of her male peers, and she has provided emotional support for their character arcs. There was far more to her story than we got to see, and she deserved to have her character fleshed out.
Black Widow Had Been Entirely In Charge For Five Years
In the five years since “The Snap”, the Avengers (and the rest of the world) did a variety of things to cope in the aftermath of losing half the world’s population. Captain America continued his PTSD support group. War Machine continued protecting various parts of the globe. Tony Stark lived a decidedly un-playboy life in a remote cabin on a lake. Black Widow maintained the status quo at Avengers Headquarters.
As the only person single-handedly holding down the fort, she was the first line of communication for any superheroes or survivors that would have normally been speaking with someone like Nick Fury. She may have put her fighting abilities to rest for the time being, but she had important things to be taking care of, unlike Hawkeye, who was busy being a vigilante renegade.
He's Semi-Retired
For the five years before their trip to Vormir, Hawkeye had been busy slaughtering drug cartels and gang members all around the world. He had made it his life’s purpose to balance out the injustice of his family being taken from him while murderers continued to thrive.
Black Widow, by contrast, was much less selfish and had made it her purpose to keep the lines of communication open between all superheroes still in existence at Avengers Headquarters. But prior to “The Snap,” when the Avengers needed Hawkeye, he was most commonly found on his farm in Iowa, and couldn’t be bothered saving the world. If left to live, Black Widow would have done more for more people.
He Could Have Redeemed Himself
Hawkeye wasn't convinced that the plan to retrieve the Soul Stone was even going to work, but for the small part of him that did, he had a chance to not only get his family back but redeem himself for what he'd done in the five years since their absence.
By becoming a vigilante who murdered criminals in the streets, he'd ceased to be the superhero he once was, especially given the Avengers who kept their integrity. After living with the regret of his past mistakes, Hawkeye could have found redemption in the eyes of his family, his team, and ultimately himself.
Hawkeye Loved Black Widow
The interactions between Hawkeye and Black Widow in the Avengers movies showcase a camaraderie that can only be had by sharing confidences and learning to trust one another in the face of extremely volatile situations. In the comic books, he helped her leave her life in the Soviet Union behind, and they worked together on dozens of missions.
One of the hardest things for Clint to do was walk away from Natasha after he already lost his family. Too consumed by rage and survivor's guilt, he couldn't be honest with his feelings and up turning away from the one person in his life who was not only still alive but might have understood him. He shouldn't have let the one person who had given him a second chance die.
It Would Have Generated More Interest In The Solo Black Widow Movie
When Black Widow decided to sacrifice herself, fans who had been following the progression of her own stand-alone movie were concerned about its development. Rumors had circulated for years that it was going to be released soon, but trilogies based on other Avengers had come and gone in the process.
If Hawkeye had been the one to make the tragic choice, it might have drummed up more interest in Black Widow. The movie was reasonably successful, but some fans didn't see the point of following a character who was never coming back in future iterations of the MCU. If she were still alive, the movie might have been able to be set after Avengers: Endgame, rather than be a prequel set before she joined the Avengers.
Black Widow Could Have Joined All The Female Superheros In The Final Battle
One of the most epic moments in Avengers: Endgame comes at the end when all of the female superheroes line up and make their stand. Led by intergalactic hero Captain Marvel, there's just something that seems to be lacking by the fact that Black Widow is missing from their number during this momentous and inspiring occasion.
Black Widow led the charge in the MCU before the rest of these women appeared, and to not have her share in their moment, and with the rest of the heroes on the battlefield is to the moment's discredit.