What Marvel Fans Really Wanted To See From Black Widow
Despite being a founding member of the superhero team in the MCU, Natasha Romanoff AKA Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) ended up being the second-to-last Avenger to get her own standalone Marvel project. Although 2019's "Avengers: Endgame" saw Natasha meet her tragic end, "Black Widow" still came out over two years after "Endgame" was released. As a result, the character's final outing in the MCU turned out to be a prequel story about her past as a Russian spy and the makeshift family she made during an undercover mission when she was a child.
Unsurprisingly, some MCU fans weren't entirely satisfied with the direction "Black Widow" took. As the character's first and final film, especially one that was meant to pay tribute to her following her "Endgame" death, some fans felt "Black Widow" just didn't carry the correct amount of emotional weight. Thankfully, the internet exists, so even if certain Marvel fans didn't get the "Black Widow" that they desired, they've still had the chance to share what they really wanted to see from the movie.
Marvel fans wanted to see Black Widow defect to S.H.I.E.L.D.
While the "Black Widow" movie had to be a prequel, not every MCU fan was thrilled to see it tell a story about Natasha Romanoff's previously unknown surrogate family. Indeed, some fans wish the movie had, instead, been about something they already knew happened but had never seen. In particular, Marvel fans wanted "Black Widow" to depict Natasha's defection to S.H.I.E.L.D., and to feature Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) in a prominent role. At least, that's what some MCU fans on Reddit have openly discussed in the time since "Black Widow" was released.
"It would have made for a better story and given her death a lot more meaning and then some more by the 'Hawkeye' TV show," wrote Redditor u/igotdooms. "Instead of this weird disconnect from her death and her finding closure in her family stuff pre 'Endgame.'"
In the same Reddit thread, u/ApocolypseTomorrow noted how important it was that "Black Widow" introduced Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), writing, "'Black Widow' needed to be relevant to the future of the MCU somehow." However, the user did echo the sentiments of their fellow Redditor, adding, "Having a secondary storyline running and flashbacks to her deflecting to S.H.I.E.L.D. would have been amazing if it was integrated into the main plot line well."
Obviously, for many fans, the prospect of seeing Natasha's defection seems a lot more attractive than the family-focused plot Marvel ultimately delivered. Her defection story also would have given fans the opportunity to see the beginning of Natasha and Clint's friendship. Unfortunately, that section of the characters' lives will have to remain ambiguous for the time being.