This ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Scene Was Drastically Reshot
Avengers: Endgame is out on Blu-ray and DVD for fans to enjoy. Arguably the biggest movie of the year so far, Avengers: Endgame is the highest-grossing film of all time. Globally, it earned $2.79 million at the box office.
Making a movie is a constant process, and oftentimes directors reshoot scenes if a test audience does not like the original idea. The creators behind Avengers: Endgame reshot or deleted several scenes before the final cut came out in April 2019. Jeremy Renner recently revealed a key scene was reshot, drastically changing the tone of the movie.
Black Widow’s death scene was originally a lot different in ‘Avengers: Endgame’
In Avengers: Endgame, Black Widow sacrifices herself so Hawkeye can retrieve the Soul Stone. It’s regarded as one of the saddest scenes in the movie. During a panel at Celebrity Fan Fest, Renner told attendees he shot two different versions of the scene.
“We shot that scene two times, in two different ways,” he said.
In the final cut, Hawkeye and Black Widow fight each other to try and prevent the other from sacrificing themselves. The only other character present is Red Skull who watches over them. In an alternate take, Black Widow and Hawkeye are attacked while trying to decide who will make the sacrifice.
“It felt just a little out of place. We were on the altar, if you will, and a big ship comes in,” he said. “We get attacked by a bunch of people and we both race to jump off. Then it got reshot and we were just fighting each other to go over.”
The alternate take made Black Widow’s sacrifice rushed, as she had to race Renner’s Hawkeye to succeed. The final take let an emotional good-bye between the two characters take place.
Black Widow’s death caused some controversy for moviegoers
Black Widow is one of the original six Avengers along with Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, and Hawkeye. Scarlett Johansson first appeared as Black Widow in Iron Man 2 in 2010. Despite being one of the main Avengers, Black Widow never got a solo film and instead appeared as a supporting character in other MCU films.
After Black Widow died in Avengers: Endgame, she did not receive an official funeral like Iron Man. Some fans felt like the choice to kill the only original female Avenger halfway through the movie was a misogynistic choice. This was not the first time fans had a problem with Black Widow’s storyline. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, some fans disliked the forced romance between Black Widow and Hulk.
A Black Widow movie is in the works
According to Joe Russo, the reason Black Widow did not have an official tribute is because a solo movie for the character was in the works. Black Widow has a 2020 release date and will star Johansson, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz. The film is a prequel, and it takes place after the events of Captain America: Civil War. While Johansson feels the movie could have been made 10 years ago, she also thinks Black Widow is different from previous Marvel movies.
Based on the reaction to Black Widow’s death, it seems Marvel made the correct choice in letting the character have an emotional sendoff with Hawkeye in Avengers: Endgame. For fans wanting to see Black Widow again on the big screen, Black Widow will be released May 1, 2020.
