The MCU Just Seriously Disrespected Black Widow (AGAIN)

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Ms. Marvel.

Marvel just disrespected Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and her sacrifice again in Ms. Marvel episode 2. Iman Vellani debuted as Kamala Khan in the Disney+ series, and while the show is focused on telling her origin story, it is also chock-full of references to the bigger universe to which it belongs. After the inclusion of AvengerCon in Ms. Marvel episode 1, episode 2 features a more subtle but dismissive reference to Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow.

As a Jersey-born 16-year-old, Kamala gets superpowers after a mysterious bangle sent by her equally mysterious grandmother unlocks her special abilities. Marvel Studios has done a great job thus far differentiating Ms. Marvel from past Disney+ series by leaning into the character's coming-of-age story. Aside from that, what makes her so unique is the fact that she's a massive fan of the Avengers, particularly Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). While the show is meant to celebrate all things Avengers as a reflection of Kamala's devotion to them, Ms. Marvel has disrespected some of those characters through a deliberate parallel.

After discovering her new powers during AvengerCon, Ms. Marvel episode 2 sees Kamala exploring her special abilities with the help of her best friend, Bruno (Matt Lintz). At one point, they climb up a rooftop and test "hardlight," but given her lack of knowledge of how it works, she falls, and luckily, Bruno catches her. As Kamala hangs off the building ledge, she tells him "You have to let me go," a repeat of Black Widow's final words to Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) on Vormir in Avengers: Endgame and her final words in the MCU's timeline, period. The difference is that Kamala is just five feet above the ground so she landed safely, while Natasha falls to her death. This moment in Ms. Marvel is played for laughs but given its similarity to the still-controversial Black Widow death in Avengers: Endgame, it can be interpreted as a knock on what's supposed to be one of the most tragic moments in the MCU.

The framing of the shot and the overdramatization of the moment in Ms. Marvel episode 2 were a clear reference to Natasha's death in Endgame and could be seen as making a mockery of her sacrifice. That said, it could also be read as a moment that symbolically underscores how little Kamala knows of what it's really like to be a superhero. Right now, she thinks being an Avenger is all about wearing a cool costume and having amazing superpowers and easily saving people. The loss and mortal danger of being a superhero, and the sacrifices like Black Widow made, aren't yet real to Ms. Marvel. Kamala is a big fan of the Avengers and thanks to Ant-Man's (Paul Rudd) podcast in Ms. Marvel, she, alongside the MCU public, knows about what went down in the final Avengers: Endgame battle. However, that's the extent of her knowledge. Ant-Man heard about what happened afterward, but he wasn't with Black Widow and Hawkeye in Vormir when she chose to sacrifice herself for the Soul Stone. Kamala listens to these stories as just that–stories.

Given that she's already on the radar of Department of Damage Control agents, however, it seems Kamala Khan will soon learn about the more unpleasant realities of being a superhero. With Kamala's obsession with the Avengers, audiences can expect more MCU references in Ms. Marvel that parallel the differences between her and seasoned superheroes. There have already been other tributes to Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Guardians of the Galaxy, and other heroes in the franchise. Hopefully, Marvel Studios leans on those and avoids ones that could be read as insulting, like the reference to Black Widow's death.

More: AvengerCon Secretly Reveals The Biggest Threat To MCU’s Future

Ms. Marvel airs new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

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