Spoiler warning for the Black Widow movie

Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow has had an interesting journey. She started off as a Russian operative before joining S.H.I.E.L.D. and eventually becoming part of the Avengers. She has been a supporting character in most of the MCU films but she's finally got her own movie.

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The character has been a key part of all major MCU plots. And while she's flawless in the comics, there are several things about her in the live-action films that don't make much sense. Here are the most common ones that have been evident so far.

Updated on July 30th, 2021 by Amanda Bruce: With Black Widow finally getting the solo movie fans have requested since her introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Natasha's backstory is slightly expanded upon. That also means, however, that some things contradict earlier incidents in the MCU. The movie is certainly an enjoyable one, but it leaves fans with even more questions about the character.

Falling For Bruce Banner

Black Widow Hulk MCU

One thing that's often missing in the MCU is romance. Love stories tend to be few and far between. Previously, Black Widow seemed to be closer to Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. If she was ever going to fall for someone, it ought to have been one of them.

However, in Avenger: Age Of Ultron, she suddenly set her eyes on the big green guy. It's strange considering the fact that the two hadn't been close at all in the previous film. The flirtation also failed to lead to anything serious between them.

Black Widow's Family

Alexei, Melina, Yelena, and Natasha after their Red Room fight in Black Widow

In Avengers: Endgame, Natasha speaks at length about family. She makes it very clear that she thinks of the Avengers as her family, and that's part of the reason she's taken on a leadership role while half of the planet has disappeared. She wants the rest of the Avengers - and humanity - back. She even says that prior to the Avengers, she didn't have a family.

This is in direct contrast with the events of her solo movie. In Black Widow, the audience sees that fellow Red Room agents she spends three years undercover with as a child are thought of as her family. She references that she really has two families - the Avengers and the trio of Yelena, Melina, and Alexei from the Red Room. Her never referencing her Red Room family in the conversation about the Avengers makes no sense.

Ability To Cure Mind Control

Black Widow and Hawkeye in The Avengers

In Avengers, Loki uses the scepter to mind-control Hawkeye. When Black Widow and Hawkeye engage in fisticuffs,  she bangs his head and the mind control becomes a thing of the past. Pretty easy considering the fact that the scepter contained the Mind Stone, which is a very powerful Infinity Stone.

Later, Black Widow also cures Selvig's mind control by hitting his head. Was there something special about her punch or could any mind-controlled person get cured by just getting hit in the head? This makes little sense considering the immense power that the Mind Stone was supposed to have.

Her Real Name

Black Widow Avengers Endgame Vormir

Black Widow is Russian and her real name in the MCU is Natasha Romanoff. In the comics, her real name is Natalia Alianovna Romanova. However, her MCU surname is incorrect. Males and females have different versions of the same name in Russia.

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Romanoff happens to be the male version of the name, while Romanova (the comics version) is the female version. Black Widow has thus been going with an incorrect version of her name in the MCU with no explanation.

Black Widow Remembers Budapest Fondly

Nataasha uses the radio to talk to Clint in a Budapest flashback in Black Widow

The audience first gets their tease about events in Budapest in The Avengers as Black Widow remarks the Battle of New York is "just like Budapest." Hawkeye disagrees, but through the mentions of their work there throughout the MCU, it appears she remembers the experience there with him fondly. That's odd considering what's revealed about the experience in Black Widow.

Her solo movie reveals she and Hawkeye spent over a week hiding out from authorities while she formally defected to SHIELD while attempting to kill Red Room leader General Dreykov. She also believed she killed his daughter in her efforts, collateral damage that she felt immense guilt over, so the experience couldn't be that fond for her.

The Meaning Of The Arrow Necklace

Natasha wears her arrow necklace in Avengers: Endgame

In one of Captain America: The Winter Soldier's many easter eggs, Natasha is seen wearing an arrow necklace. When asked about it during an interview, according to ComicBookMovie.com, the Russo brothers revealed that the necklace symbolizes her relationship with Hawkeye. The directors suggested that Black Widow and Hawkeye would be involved romantically in the future.

But in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the two are said to be just friends. Natasha falls for Banner instead. She also happens to be close to Hawkeye's wife. It thus feels pretty odd for her to have a necklace that only signifies her love for a married friend, especially since she continues to wear it when they're separated in Black Widow and in Avengers: Endgame.

She Chose To Be On Iron Man's Team In Civil War

Team Iron Man heads into battle in Captain America Civil War

Tony Stark and Steve Rogers each had their own crews in Captain America: Civil War, but what was baffling was the man Natasha chose to align herself with. She spent a lot of time with Steve Rogers in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and it seemed obvious that if there was ever any division, she'd be on his side.

Instead, Natasha chose Tony. She did spend some time with Tony in the past, but her role was more significant when she was with Rogers. Later on, Black Widow chose to help Rogers during the split. That makes it even more baffling.

Leaving Yelena Behind

Black Widow movie Natasha and Yelena

When the truth of Black Widow's family and her mission with Hawkeye in Budapest is revealed, her decision to drop everything and leave the handful of people she cares about behind to join SHIELD makes little sense. The audience sees how much she cares about Yelena Belova, for example. They think of one another as sisters, even if Natasha doesn't want to admit it 20 years later.

When Natasha and Yelena return to the Red Room from their three-year mission as children, Natasha tries her best to protect Yelena, even pulling a gun on their guards. She gives Yelena a photobooth strip from their undercover work to keep. She clearly thinks of her as family. Yet, when she chooses to defect to SHIELD, Natasha appears not to give her little sister a second thought until Yelena reaches out decades later, even though they would have still been training alongside one another in the Red Room for years after that initial mission.

Giving Up Her Independence So Easily

Captain America comfronts Black Widow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

By the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers vowed to keep up the fight while Natasha declared that she wanted to be independent for the foreseeable. That meant no more Avengers team-ups for her for a while. She simply needed time for herself.

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However, less than a year later, she was back, trying to stop Ultron. And despite vowing to be independent she was more than ready to date Bruce Banner.

Her Offensive Comparison

Bruce Banner and Black Widow almost kissing in Angers Age of Ultron

When Natasha was trying to calm Hulk down in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, she talked about her days as a Red Room spy. She also talked about the procedure which made her unable to conceive. She then compared this to Hulk's condition, labeling herself a monster too.

It would have made sense for her to say she was a monster due to her dark days as an assassin. Instead, she made the comparison relate to child-bearing. There was plenty of backlash about her choice of words and, though the Black Widow movie improves the moment somewhat, it remains a very controversial scene for the MCU.

Her Iron Man 2 Role

Natasha examines Tony's face in Iron Man 2

As an expert assassin, it seemed quite odd to have Black Widow as a secretary in Iron Man 2. Having worked for both the Russian government and SHIELD in various field missions, Nick Fury could have found a better job for her than Tony Stark's secretary.

Natasha's job was to evaluate whether Tony would be perfect for the Avengers initiative but this is a job any other SHIELD agent could have done. The only major action she gets is when she helps in stopping Whiplash. It wasn't a bad way to introduce her to the MCU but a solo film detailing her origin story would have been much better at the time.

She Was Allowed To Join The Avengers, Despite Her Not-So-Clean Past

Natasha crouches during the airport battle in Captain America: Civil War

Most of the Avengers members value justice and doing good deeds. They all have rather clean histories. Black Widow's case is quite different. She was an assassin who was responsible for the elimination of several high-profile figures.

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It's strange that the Avengers would accept a former killer in their ranks. No one seems to have a problem with her history. They might all appreciate the fact that she changed but it's pretty strange that no one keeps an eye on her given the fact that movie assassins and trained agents are always up to sinister things.

Not Making Sure The Red Room Is Gone

Black Widow Natasha Dreykov pheromones

When Natasha reunites with Yelena when they're adults, she is shocked to discover that General Dreykov is still alive and that the Red Room is still active - with Yelena as one of its best agents. Considering her defection to SHIELD appears to be contingent on her eliminating Dreykov, why doesn't she ever make sure the Red Room is completely dismantled?

To be fair, it's entirely likely that this is something Nick Fury hid from her as a SHIELD agent to keep her focused on her own missions. It's just odd that someone who is one of the best spies in the world would believe for years that a massive spy organization just destroyed itself after she blew up one building. Through SHIELD, she should have had a front-row seat to what would have been its dismantling.

She Doesn't Get A Memorial When She Dies In Endgame

Steve Rogers at Tony Stark's Funeral in Avengers Endgame

Black Widow played a huge role in Avengers: Endgame by sacrificing herself on Vormir to ensure Hawkeye's safe return to the present day with the Soul Stone. Without her actions, it would have been impossible to save all the people that disappeared as a result of the Thanos snap.

Iron Man's own sacrifice wouldn't have been possible either without Natasha's action. But at the final moments of the movie, Iron Man is the only one who is granted a memorial. All their heroes pay their respects but the same honor isn't given to Natasha.

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