As those who’ve seen the movie will know, the emotional context of Black Widow’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame suggests this is it for the character. However, there could still be a way to resurrect her for future MCU outings.
After all, the taking of the Soul Stone from Vormir requires a death – that much we know. However, what we don’t know is what happens if the Soul Stone is returned? The phrase the Red Skull often says is “a soul for a soul.” So, surely when the Stone’s brought back, you’d get the soul back that you exchanged it for in the first place, right? And if that’s how it works, then would Cap not have resurrected Nat when he returned the gem to Vormir?
As pointed out in an article we published earlier this week, there’s also been a ton of speculation over Natasha’s death as a few things about it don’t seem to add up. For instance, as she sacrificed herself and Hawkeye didn’t kill her like Thanos did Gamora, why was Clint still able to receive the Soul Stone? Furthermore, if she was brave enough to die for the cause herself, maybe that means her fate isn’t permanent? It’s important to remember that back in Infinity War, Red Skull said the Stone “has a certain wisdom,” so perhaps it can grant mercy to Black Widow?
Then there’s the fact that Natasha’s resurrection may have already happened off-screen when Cap went back in time – as mentioned above – and returned the Stone to Vormir. After all, old man Steve seemed to have a lot to tell his friends in regards to what he’d been up to, so maybe he has a pleasant surprise that he’s just waiting to drop on them.
Whatever the case may be, it’s likely we won’t find out for a while, but it does seem that Marvel at least has some options for how they can go about resurrecting Black Widow after Avengers: Endgame if they so choose. And even if they don’t, at least fans can take comfort in the fact that the character’s prequel movie is still on the way, which will explore Nat’s origins.