One of the most emotional scenes in Avengers: Endgame (a movie that had no shortage of them) was the death of Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff had been a mainstay character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since her introduction in Iron Man 2 in 2009, and watching her depart after a decade of being the most recurring heroine in the MCU was heartbreaking.
While it will be great to see her again in the next Black Widow movie, which will be coming as a prequel, fans are still hopeful that Marvel can find a way to revive her character for a post- Avengers: Endgame movie. The possibility that this could happen is more feasible than might be expected and could be linked to a plot point that at first glance may have seemed like a continuity error.
How one minor detail in Endgame proves Black Widow is not truly dead
In Infinity War, Thanos traveled to Vormir to get the Soul Stone, where he was told that he had to sacrifice someone he loved to acquire it. At first, Gamora offered to sacrifice herself, but Thanos stopped her, reasoning that her suicide would be a sacrifice on her part and not his. Thanos then killed her himself, allowing him to obtain the gem.
Following this theory, this actually contradicts Black Widow and Hawkeye's journey to Vormir in Avengers: Endgame. We clearly see that Black Widow commits suicide in this scenario, however, Clint Barton gets the Soul Stone. Therefore, it is not too exaggerated to believe that Natasha really could be brought back to life.
True, we saw a body, which by Marvel standards tends to mean literal death. Still, the fact that her sacrifice was used to retrieve the Soul Stone may suggest a spiritual transaction. Perhaps instead of actually dying, her soul was displaced, perhaps inside the stone or on another plane of existence. When Bruce Banner said he tried to bring her back but couldn't, perhaps the reason for this was that she wasn't really dead.
Furthermore, there could be a relationship between Natasha and the Soul Stone that we are not fully aware of. Perhaps she was more aware of what would actually constitute a "sacrifice" on her part, and Hawkeye was not, and perhaps her next film could shed some light on this.
The Hydra-Natasha connection
While the events in Black Widow are confirmed to take place after Captain America: Civil War, we also know that this movie will also delve into the character's origin story and finally clarify her training as a Russian spy. This movie is another way of relating Natasha to the Soul Stone and could involve an organization that is firmly affiliated with it: Hydra.
Russia's involvement in World War II meant that they certainly had contact with Hydra. Possibly there were Soviet officers who even deserted the organization (as did Americans), and they could have obtained more information about the Soul Stone in their dealings with Red Skull.
Perhaps Natasha will find out more information about the gem in this movie, and in Endgame she knowingly gave her life, knowing that she wasn't going to die at all. In that case, perhaps we can expect a post-credits scene in Black Widow that announces Natasha's return to the timeline after Endgame.
A few problems with this theory
Of course, there are a few things about this theory that seem a bit problematic. If she knew it was safe for her to sacrifice herself, why didn't she tell Hawkeye about it? They certainly would not have had to go through the trouble of that suicide fight, as wonderful to behold as it was.
Perhaps, however, Natasha still needed to pretend that she knew she was giving her own life. Perhaps Red Skull would have prevented them from acquiring the gem if he felt that Black Widow was breaking the rules. Maybe that's why the stone was given to Hawkeye, since his pain was real, even if Natasha's death was not.
Maybe it's a crazy theory, but here we are talking about Marvel, so logic and science have little to do with storytelling. If they decide that reviving Natasha would work at the story level, and as a way to appease fans, then opening up this avenue is as good as any other. For now, we can be grateful that Scarlett Johansson is reprising her role in this long-awaited solo film.
All we have to do now is to wait for the premiere to see if this theory comes true. And if the movie succeeds and smashes the box office like other MCU movies, which it has a very good chance of doing judging by the trailers and information that have come out, then there's no reason to believe Marvel wouldn't exploit its own inconsistency and minor plot points such as the one discussed above to bring back a beloved character.
Comic book characters coming back to life have a long and illustrious tradition and someone like Black Widow who is portrayed by an actress as prominent as Scarlett Johansson has a very good chance of following that tradition.
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