Here's How Scarlett Johansson Found Out About Her Avengers: Endgame Death
Contains mild spoilers for "Black Widow"
All eyes are on Scarlett Johansson now that "Black Widow" is finally in theaters and on Disney+. Natasha Romanoff got the solo film she always deserved, which takes place between the events of 2016's "Captain America: Civil War" and 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War." While we already know that Natasha doesn't make it out of "Avengers: Endgame" alive, "Black Widow" is still a fun ride with a compelling story that introduces all-new characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film's post-credits scene takes us back to present day, where the audience is reminded yet again that Natasha is no longer with us.
As difficult as it is for Marvel fans to again relive that horrible — but necessary — death, it wasn't as hard for Johansson to swallow. The actress has been busy promoting her new film, and in an interview with BBC Radio 1, she revealed what it was like to find out that Natasha was going to meet her demise in "Endgame."
Scarlett Johansson says Natasha's death wasn't a surprise
When the time came to place a call to Scarlett Johansson that Black Widow, the character she played for eleven years in the MCU, was going to meet her ultimate fate, only one person could make the call. Johansson told BBC Radio 1 that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was the one who let her know about Natasha's fate, and she admitted he seemed kind of sad about being the one to tell her. "I think he was nervous to tell me and sad about it, saying something along the lines of, 'We all expected that there would have to be some big sacrifices,'" said Johansson.
As far as handling the news, Johansson took it rather well. "It didn't surprise me that that was a choice that Nat would have made. I knew that she had to feel at peace with that decision and that she was doing it out of love," she said. "It had to feel like she was resolved in that decision, and that decision was hers, and that it wasn't something that was happening to her because so much of her life has happened to her."
While it might have been hard to say goodbye to Natasha, Johansson was happy with how she went out: saving the entire universe. Is there a better way to go?
Scarlett Johansson won't be returning to her role as Black Widow
As gutting as it was to lose Scarlett Johansson's Natasha in "Endgame," fans will have to prepare themselves for a future without Johansson's character, as the actress has revealed she has absolutely no plans to return to the role of Natasha Romanoff. In an interview with Fatherly shortly after the release of "Black Widow," Johansson delivered unsurprising but predictable news — this standalone film is the last we'll see of this beloved character.
"I have no plans to return as Natasha," Johansson confirmed to Fatherly. "I feel really satisfied with this film. It feels like a great way to go out for this chapter of my Marvel identity. I would love to be able to continue to collaborate with Marvel in other ways because I think there's just an incredible wealth of stories there. Re-imagining this genre is something that I find very interesting. I think there's a lot of opportunities to tell these stories in different ways than audiences have come to expect."
Though this may be the end of Johansson's tenure as "Black Widow" — which, as of this writing, the actress helped propel to box office history by making it the highest pandemic-era release yet — that doesn't mean the moniker of Black Widow will necessarily be retired going forward. As fans saw in the film's post-credits scene, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, mourning the loss of her late adopted sister, has been driven to act by the mysterious Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)... and it's entirely possible that Yelena will step into Natasha's shoes and take over the mantle in future MCU projects.
Black Widow has changed so much since Scarlett Johansson first took the role
"Black Widow" definitely showed audiences a new, emotional side of Natasha Romanoff, introducing fans across the world to her family and fleshing out her past and her upbringing — and clearly, this was a relief for Johansson, who recently criticized how the character was first treated when she arrived in the MCU. Back in 2010, Johansson joined the superhero franchise in "Iron Man 2," but after fully realizing the character for years, Johansson admitted that she's fairly unhappy with her character's roots, according to outlets like IndieWire.
Describing the character's evolution during a roundtable discussion, Johansson said, ""It definitely has changed and I think part of that change has probably — it's hard because I'm inside it, but probably a lot of that is actually from me too." However, she definitely didn't mince words about how her character was treated when she first showed up in the MCU.
"All of that is related to that move away from the kind of hyper-sexualization of this character and, I mean, you look back at 'Iron Man 2' and while it was really fun and had a lot of great moments in it, the character is so sexualized, you know?," Johansson said. "Really talked about like she's a piece of something, like a possession or a thing or whatever — like a piece of ass, really. And Tony even refers to her as something like that at one point. What does he say?"
Tony definitely does objectify Natasha in that movie, which Johansson noted as she continued: "Yeah, and at one point [Tony] calls her a piece of meat and maybe at that time that actually felt like a compliment. You know what I mean? Because my thinking was different. Maybe I even would have, you know, my own self-worth was probably measured against that type of comment or, like a lot of young women, you come into your own and you understand your own self-worth. It's changing now. Now people, young girls, are getting a much more positive message, but it's been incredible to be a part of that shift and be able to come out the other side and be a part of that old story, but also progress. Evolve. I think it's pretty cool."
"Black Widow" is available to stream on Disney+ Premier Access for $29.99 and is playing in theaters now.