Understandably, given the enormous importance of the Infinity Saga book-ender, Avengers: Endgame changed a heck of a lot before it hit cinemas last April. The filmmakers have come clean about many of the alterations that were made in reshoots over the past year and one of the most notable was the alternate death scene for Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff’s demise was a huge turning point for the movie, but it originally happened much differently. And you can now get a look at how things could’ve played out via the video below.
The Infinity Saga boxset that was released late last year revealed many must-see deleted scenes from across the MCU, this one included. The @MCUPerfectClips Twitter account has now just shared the sequence on social media, opening it up to many who haven’t watched it before and if that’s you, it’s time to fix that right now. Quickly, too, before it gets pulled down.
Natasha's Alternate Death #BlackWidow
(Avengers : Endgame | 2019) pic.twitter.com/mXFGHyOXve
— MCU Perfect Clips & GIFs ? (@MCUPerfectClips) April 9, 2020
As you’ll remember, the scene in the theatrical cut focuses on the selfless battle between Clint Barton and Natasha as they fight to be the one who sacrifices themselves for the greater good, allowing the other to take home the Soul Stone to undo the Snap. In this alternate version, the stakes were upped by Thanos sending his goons to stop them from retrieving the gem. Instead of battling Clint, then, the drama of this scene comes from Nat struggling to make it to the cliff-face as she’s pelted with enemy fire.
This version is pretty emotional, too, but fans are generally in agreement that the one in the movie is the superior scene. We don’t lose anything from the villains being cut out, either, as the added intimacy only aids the poignancy of the moment. Having Thanos and his Sakaaran soldiers show up just gets in the way of the tragedy of it. That said, it’s fascinating to get the chance to watch both and compare them.
Despite her character’s death in Avengers: Endgame, Scarlett Johansson will return to the MCU in the upcoming prequel film Black Widow this November.
