Black Widow's Funeral in Endgame Would Have Felt Forced and Inauthentic, Apparently
One divisive question emerged in the years following Avengers: Endgame– why didn't Black Widow get a funeral?
She sacrificed her life in the war against Thanos just as much as Tony Stark did. After his death, he was given a beautiful funeral that brought virtually every MCU hero together for the first time. Why didn't Natasha deserve the same?
As it turns out, the filmmakers had their reasons. Cate Shortland, director of Black Widow, talked to Variety magazine about the character's lack of closure.
She said she spoke to Scarlett Johansson, and they both agree that her character would have hated a public funeral. 2021's Black Widow showed Yelena at her grave, which Shortland thought was more appropriate.
"I felt like the fact that she's buried in a really private place, in the boondocks somewhere, is perfect," she said.
Stephen McFeely, who co-wrote Endgame, shared the same sentiment to New York Times.
He said it wasn't "honest to the character" for Natasha to have a huge funeral. Stark was a huge public figure who had a bit of an ego; even in his matured, family-oriented stage of life, he likely would have preferred a more extravagant funeral. Nothing about Black Widow's characterization pointed to that desire.
Joe Russo, Endgame's co-director, gave a more cinematic reason to Entertainment Tonight.
Endgame was Iron Man's last appearance in the MCU, and the final scene of the movie acted as closure for the character and his actor, Robert Downey, Jr. Johansson returned as Natasha in the prequel movie Black Widow two years later.
That installment served as closure for her.
"In this movie, we had to bring closure to Tony Stark."
He also said there's limited "storytelling real estate," even in the three-hour Endgame. There simply wasn't enough room for two heartfelt, dramatic scenes of closure – even though both characters helped build the MCU over the previous decade.
Fans, however, aren't satisfied. Ever since Endgame's release, memes and Reddit posts galore have emerged that both complained about and mocked the lack of a proper funeral for Black Widow.
They argued that her death was overshadowed by Tony's, partly because Tony's happened later in the film. But, to them, it seemed out of character that Clint, Steve, and the rest of her Avengers "family" wouldn't pay respect to her sacrifice.
Still, other fans sided with the filmmakers. They reiterated Shortland's words, that Natasha likely gave instructions on how she'd want to be remembered.
They also pointed out that there was a touching scene after the funeral, in which Clint and Wanda bond over their lost comrades and friends.
Whether or not she got a proper cinematic funeral, Black Widow is still etched in the minds of all MCU fans. After her send-off in Black Widow, it's likely she won't be back.
However, her rank among the heroes seems to be filled by her sister, Yelena, who will star in the upcoming Thunderbolts.