The Black Widow movie has the power to give Natasha Romanoff a better finale than the one she received in Avengers: Endgame. Though it appeared her time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had reached its end, Scarlett Johansson will take up the Black Widow name once again in the character's first solo movie. Revolving around the checkered past of Black Widow, there is potential for the upcoming film to give Nat the ending Avengers: Endgame simply couldn't provide considering that it was an ensemble film.
Since first arriving in the MCU for 2010's Iron Man 2, Black Widow has largely been relegated to supporting roles throughout her tenure in the universe. Some films dropped hints and clues about her backstory now and again, but none really chose to tackle the subject. This can be chalked up to the character never having a film of her own, typically taking part in ensemble films such as The Avengers or acting in a supporting role in the Captain America series, where there was no real time to dive into such history.
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Now approaching a full decade since the character first appeared on the big screen, Black Widow is due out this coming May. Though little is known of the story, it is widely understood that the film will be an adventure that entails Nat facing her past in order to help her future. The story is set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, a span of time that has been unexplored for most characters on-screen. With a presumably character-driven story without the major inclusion of her Avengers counterparts, this movie has the potential to flesh out Black Widow and give her the send off she deserves.
Endgame Was About The Avengers (Not Black Widow)
As is common knowledge at this point, Avengers: Endgame laid Natasha Romanoff to rest, chronologically speaking in the MCU. Her journey reached its conclusion when she sacrificed herself on Vormir so that Hawkeye could get the Soul Stone; as such an exchanged was required to get it. Her character arc in the film was predicated on how she wanted to do something right, and redeem herself in her own eyes. Though she made the ultimate sacrifice to save the universe, it can't be denied that the spotlight was not on her alone in the film.
Avengers: Endgame is about exactly what its title says, the Avengers. Nat was not the focus of the film, and so she did not get the conclusion that many felt was suitable for one of the founding members of the team. Especially taking into consideration how little development she had received over the years. For her story to come to an end in an ensemble film without any substantial development felt like disservice to Black Widow, and many felt she deserved more.
Black Widow Confronts Her Past In Her Solo Movie
Clearly a prequel, 2020's Black Widow not only takes audiences back to the MCU's past, but it will also offer up insight into the past of Natasha Romanoff, acting as a pseudo-origin story for the character. She will return to her roots in Russia where she was trained, reunite with old friends such as Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and David Harbour's Red Guardian, and most importantly, she will confront her past dealings. It is known that Nat was a former KGB operative and a deadly assassin, qualities that made her such a good fit for S.H.I.E.L.D. and later the Avengers. Though few specifics are known or shown of what exactly Natasha's past was like, it is well understood that generally speaking, she is not who she once was.
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Throughout her time in the MCU, it has been hinted at how badly she wants to distance herself from the person she was before all of that. As seen in the trailer for Black Widow, she will at last take a look at the person she once was and stand face to face with her former self in a figurative sense. She is aware that, in order to move forward, she can no longer run from her past, but confront it. This is something that could have never been accomplished had she remained a secondary character in other films. Black Widow can finally be fleshed out in a more meaningful way that ever before, and this insight can lead to her story truly coming full circle.
Black Widow Can Properly Resolve Her Story
Black Widow has the opportunity to do something for Nat that no previous MCU film before could, which is resolve her story. Not in some big, world-saving sense, but rather her internal struggle to move past her prior mistakes. It has been discussed almost since the start of her time on screen, she has plenty of "red" on her ledger that she needs to come to terms with. She can't keep outrunning it, so it is now time she brings herself a sense of relative peace. Clearly she has a heavy conscience about who she used to be some time ago, and in this film she should look to clear things up personally.
The spotlight is on her and her alone now, so naturally it would only be logical for the film to dive deep into her history so that, in a proper resolution to her story, viewers can finally get answers to some of their biggest questions about her, including what happened in Budapest with Hawkeye. The character of Black Widow has always been incredibly ambiguous with regards to her origins in the MCU as well as how she became the deadly assassin that she is now. Such mystery has come to define the character, and at this point in her story, she should look to evolve beyond it.
If nothing else, Black Widow can give fans the ending to Nat's story they feel she deserved. Many were unhappy with her demise in Avengers: Endgame and how her story was handled. There were many loose ends left hanging and story threads left on the table that many feared would never be paid off. Black Widow has a lot of expectation, as it looks to expand upon a character that has existed for 10 years yet hasn't received much fleshing out at all. Her first solo outing could tell a story never before told, the story of the true Natasha Romanoff and her internal battles that she has suppressed for years. Her solo journey can at last have its proper ending.
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