Black Widow Director Says Scarlett Johansson Didn’t Want Natasha’s Funeral

When a major beloved character is killed off in movies and television, there is typically a moment of grief to allow the emotional weight to run its course. For Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the sendoff was a bit different and still has fans reeling, some in anger, over how it was carried out. When Scarlett Johansson’s character dropped from Vormir in an effort to help the Avengers defeat Thanos in Endgame, some thought she would be brought back to life when the Infinity Stones resurrected half of the universe. However, it was quickly revealed by Hawkeye via information from Red Skull that Natasha’s choice was irreversible. Despite the film ultimately ending on a funeral for Tony Stark, there was only brief moment of conversation and realization of Natasha’s death among her family.

In the upcoming Black Widow movie, fans of the titular hero will likely get a sense of closure for the character, but they definitely won’t get a funeral — especially seeing as the movie is a prequel set after the events of Captain America: Civil War. According to Black Widow director Cate Shortland, Johansson did not think the character should have a funeral for reasons related to Natasha Romanoff as a character.

“In Endgame, the fans were upset that Natasha did not have a funeral. Whereas Scarlett, when I spoke to her about it, said Natasha wouldn’t have wanted a funeral,” Shortland said in an interview with Empire. “She’s too private, and anyway, people don’t really know who she is. So what we did in this film was allow the ending to be the grief the individuals felt, rather than a big public outpouring. I think that’s a fitting ending for her.”

This is not the first time the topic has come up.

During ComicBook.com’s Quarantine Watch Party of Avengers: Endgame, the writers of the film which culminated the Infinity Saga were probed by fans in regards to Natasha’s death and lack of funeral. “We tried a few things,” McFeely said in a tweet. “We could never land on one that felt good enough (and that didn’t take you out of the moment in front of you).” Previously, the team behind Endgame cited Tony’s public figure compared to Natasha’s entirely private life as the reason so many gathered to bid Stark a farewell while Natasha’s death resulted in the few who were close to her merely mourning for a moment (and hitting the Punisher in the head with a bench).

Do you think Natasha should have had a funeral in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or did the remaining Avengers sharing their moment of grief before charging back to battle serve as a fitting moment for mourning? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram!

Black Widow is set for release on November 6.