Avengers: Endgame Writers Say Hawkeye’s Death Would Be Tragic, but Black Widow’s Was Deeply Heroic

Avengers: Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely decided on Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) sacrificing herself on Vormir over Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) because it made for a “deeply heroic” and “more satisfying” beat.

“With Clint it would be a tragic beat, because he wants to get back with his family and it would deny him that. With Natasha, it’s sad, but it’s a deeply heroic beat,” Markus told SYFY WIRE at San Diego Comic-Con.

“That this is what she’s been fighting for. She went from red in her ledger to the absolute peak of heroism. You have to go to her every time. It’s a bigger, more satisfying, more monumental story beat. With Clint, it’s just sort of like, ‘Oh, that’s…’”

Added McFeely, finishing the thought, “‘That’s ironic.’”

Family man Hawkeye was once considered for the death that unlocks the Soul Stone, ultimately making it possible for the Avengers to resurrect trillions of lives snapped out of existence by Thanos (Josh Brolin), but Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo agreed the sacrifice was better suited for Black Widow, who had spent the five-year time jump mourning the loss of the family she found in Earth’s mightiest heroes.

“At the beginning of Endgame, she wants to bring it all back because she feels like it is the strongest emotional connection that she’s ever had in her life,” Joe Russo says on the home release commentary track.

“She’s presented with a choice, which is to give her own life to bring everyone else back, and she does it. Which [is] the single most heroic moment in the history of the Marvel Universe.”

Johansson next reprises her role in Black Widow, set some time after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Renner returns in Disney+ series Hawkeye, where the bowman will pass the torch to young archer Kate Bishop.

Buy or Pre-order Avengers: Endgame:

• Buy it digitally on Amazon, Fandango Now, and Vudu (7/30)
• Pre-order on Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray at Walmart (8/13)
• Pre-order the Steelbook version at Best Buy (8/13)