Episode 3 of Marvel's What If...? casts a different light upon Black Widow's defection in the Budapest operation - not the first time that this story has been the subject of a retcon. Most recently, in the Black Widow movie, it was revealed that Hawkeye was sent to eliminate Natasha Romanoff; a mission that transformed into recruitment when they met one another. At the beginning of episode 3 of What If...?, Fury implies that he had a direct hand in her defection. This could simply be Fury being glib - the comment is made in passing - or it could speak to Fury playing a deeper role than previously implied.

Per the story told in Black Widow, Fury likely authorized Romanoff's defection - may have even made the arrangements for the change of allegiances - but would not have had a direct hand in the process. Black Widow killing the villain Dreykov would be an excellent proof of bona fides, but would require permission to proceed from a highly placed intelligence agent, like Fury, after all.  However, Fury claims to have "arranged for" Widow's defection and recruitment, which suggests his role might have been more than just that of a facilitator.

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Fury may well be speaking in earnest; certainly, Romanoff does not differ from his accounting of the events when he talks about arranging for her defection. Given that they were in the middle of a disagreement at the time, this would have been a prime opportunity for her to score a point by mentioning Hawkeye's role, and there would have been no security concern for doing so since Fury and Romanoff are the only two people in the scene. The timeline for Black Widow and Hawkeye's Budapest adventures supports this reflecting the MCU, considering the main point of departure within the What If...? episode did not occur until after Romanoff's defection.

If Fury is simply being glib, his point - that making Tony Stark a useful part of the Avengers initiative is doable and desirable - loses some of its punch. Rather than furthering his argument that such recruitment is a well-laid plan, it suggests he is a talented opportunist. It is possible that the point of departure in this universe was earlier; Hope Van Dyne is older than Romanoff and could have been recruited first, making the recruitment of a Black Widow seem more possible. If this is the case, then the departure from the original MCU timeline is considerably deeper than the episode had previously implied. Budapest's impact on Hawkeye and Black Widow might have shifted significantly, had Van Dyne also been in play.

Whether Fury had a direct hand in recruiting Romanoff or not, this passing reference is the most direct information that has been provided about his participation in the process. While it was previously known that he had assigned Hawkeye for Romanoff's elimination, this gives an insight into his role when that mission shifted. There are a number of possibilities that mitigate its role on the MCU's main timeline, but What If...? is helping to fill in some of the blanks about details in the main timeline not impacted by the point of departure.

Next: Black Widow Sets Up Yelena To Avoid The MCU's Worst Natasha Romanoff Mistakes

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