‘Endgame’ Directors Share the Reason for Altering Black Widow and Hawkeye Scene on Vormir. With the release of Avengers: Endgame and premiere on Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+ Marvel fans have unprecedented access to deleted content and bonus features from the MCU. One such scene was an altered version of Black Widow and Hawkeye on their mission to Vormir to retrieve the Soul Stone.
The initial concept, which was fully edited during production, included Natasha and Clint arguing about who will be the sacrifice to retrieve the stone when suddenly Thanos and his army appear to try and stop The Avengers mission. The “battle on Vormir” scene was originally supposed to make it into the film until the directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, decided that the scene would be more compelling if there was a battle merely between the best friends who wouldn’t hurt each other, but would do everything to prevent the other from sacrificing themselves.
“So we started talking about it in post-production with our editor Jeff Ford. We started spitballing: Isn’t the best version of this scene Hawkeye versus Black Widow? We have two heroes, neither of whom is gonna let the other die? They both know they have a mission that involves one of them sacrificing themselves and these characters had such a rich relationship throughout the MCU. So why don’t we just make the conflict between these two characters?”
“We thought that scene would be tragic if two best friends have to fight each other for the right to die, to save the universe. And it was heartbreaking,” Joe Russo said in a prior interview. “We conceived of a way to choreograph it for maximum emotional value, where the lead in this race keeps switching hands in a way that you’re not sure who actually is gonna make it over that cliff. Black Widow’s the sole female member of the original Avengers, which is an extremely important thing for us and for fans. So after we committed to the idea of her death, [we focused on] figuring out how it was going to be most meaningful and resonate. And that final moment where she saves Clint as he leaps over and fastens him to the cliff wall while she’s hanging onto his arm — how do you as Clint stop someone who’s willing to die in that moment from shaking loose from your grasp? To us, that felt like the cathartic climax of the fight between two best friends.”
Though there were multiple iteration of this scene one thing was for sure. Natasha would be the one to sacrifice herself for the sake of humanity and to give her friends a chance to live with their loved ones again. She clearly understood the weight of her decision in both scenes and her sacrifice was understandable in the varying scenes. The final cut is the more emotionally connected moment between the two characters who have a clearly defined bond. The heartbreak was felt by audiences everywhere and no matter what happened in the 14,000,605 versions of this moment, but it is clear the Russo’s chose the right path for this character and her sacrifice would not be in vain. It’s truly what Natasha would have wanted for her new ‘family’.
What do you think of the deleted scene? Do you feel it was better than the path chosen in the final cut of Avengers: Endgame? Are you excited to see Black Widow back in action in her solo film premiering May 1, 2020? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for all things Marvel!
Featured Photo Credit: Marvel Studios
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