Black Widow Post-Credits Scene Was Filmed During Reshoots

Florence Pugh has revealed that Black Widow's post-credit scene wasn't added to the movie until the re-shoots in late 2020. Pugh plays the role of Yelena Belova, Natasha Romanoff's younger sister-figure in Scarlett Johansson's swan-song to the character that she has played for eleven years ever-since the character first appeared in 2010's Iron Man 2. Since taking on the role, Johansson has been a vital part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in all four of the Avengers films, as well as the later two Captain America films. Black Widow represents the first-solo outing for the character as well as the actress' final turn in the role, however director Cate Shortland has said there is possibility for more films with a different character in the role - likely Pugh's Yelena.

Black Widow is set after the events of 2016's Captain America: Civil War, but before the events of Infinity War and her eventual sacrifice in Endgame. Considering Natasha's death, many fans had theorized about whether or not Pugh would be stepping into Johansson's shoes as the Black Widow after the events of the movie. These theories were seemingly confirmed by the film's post-credit scene which jumped forward to after the events of Endgame and saw Yelena seemingly working for Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, who first appeared in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Fontaine interrupted Yelena at her sister's grave and offered her her next assignment, seemingly confirming a belief that Fontaine may be building the Dark Avengers - including Wyatt Russell's U.S. Agent - and setting up Yelena's return in the Hawkeye series scheduled for Disney+.

Pugh has since revealed to Variety that this post-scene was not added to Black Widow until its re-shoots, which took place during winter of 2020. Principal filming had taken place during 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, which ultimately halted the Black Widow's premiere. When asked about the post-credit scene, Pugh explained that she "didn’t know that there was going to be one” and that the scene was "actually shot... right around when we did reshoots." Pugh's full statement can be read below:

“We actually shot that scene right around when we did reshoots for Black Widow … I was doing scenes again with Scarlett, and being strapped to her on various machines, and us giggling again … And then the following week, I was at her grave! It was quite shocking to fast-forward that quickly but wonderful to have only seen Scarlett the week previous. I think it would have been sadder if it had been many, many months later.”

Scarlett Johansson David Harbour Florence Pugh Black Widow

Perhaps most interesting is that Pugh didn't feel as grounded in the scene because of being reunited with Johansson to reshoot scenes. Pugh has previously stated that she and Johansson formed a close relationship while filming, akin to the one between Natasha and Yelena, so it would have made sense if Pugh hadn't seen her in a while to further enforce the sense of loss Yelena feels in the scene. It's also interesting to note whether or not there were any plans to have the post-credit scene, or whether they were a last minute addition. it's not uncommon for these scenes to be added at the last minute - The Avengers' famous shawarma scene was allegedly filmed on the day of the premiere. It's more than possible that this was the intention all along, and that filming just happened to coincide with the reshoots. Pugh seemed positive about the post-credit scene overall however, stating that "it was just really wonderful to kind of jump ahead and see [Yelena] has been surviving."

As with all post-credit scenes, it seems as though it will have significant implications for the MCU going forward. One of the biggest questions that arises from the scene surrounds Fontaine's intentions with this team she is seemingly building. Hawkeye is due for release later this year, although little information about the show's plot has been revealed so far. If Pugh is set to be returning sooner than expected, then it will certainly be entertaining to see how she interacts with the man she blames for her sister's death. Fans of Black Widow and the MCU as a whole will just have to wait and see what's next the character going forward.

More: MCU Rewatch Guide: What To Watch Before Black Widow

Source: Variety