Black Widow
MCU Writer Says Marvel’s Multiverse Doesn’t Ruin Black Widow’s Death
The creators of What If…? claim that the introduction of the multiverse does not change the stakes in the core MCU or spoil previous storylines.
According to What If…?
writer A.C. Bradley and director Bryan Andrews, the establishment of the Marvel universe have no bearing on Black Widow‘s death.
The MCU has experienced few significant casualties prior to the one-two punch of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame; those who perished in Marvel movies were often supporting characters rather than main heroes.
That’s why the two Avengers films were so powerful since they included major fatalities like Tony Stark and Black Widow.
Natasha Romanoff’s death, in the latter instance, is still being discussed two years later, with fans wondering whether someone else should’ve died in her stead.
In the season one conclusion of What If…?, it’s Black Widow who receives a second chance at life.
The Natasha of the world where Ultron wins faces the possibility of returning to that desolate, lifeless planet in the episode, which premiered on Disney+ on Wednesday morning.
When she refuses to go, the Watcher offers her the chance to become another Black Widow in a parallel world. As fans will remember, an alternative Black Widow, like the rest of the Avengers, perished in What If…?
episode 3, thus the Ultron-world Nat was able to find a new calling in her stead.
Some may argue that the multiverse’s loophole reduces the MCU’s stakes. However, Natasha’s experience there hardly undermines what occurred elsewhere, according to the What If…? creative team.
Bradley and Andrews detailed the thinking process behind Black Widow’s new existence in a post-finale interview with Variety, and explained how the multiverse doesn’t destroy the MCU’s stakes:
Bradley: When it came time to wrap out Dystopian Natasha’s tale, we decided that keeping her in the Ultron universe was a fate worse than death. Everyone has left. And these tales have become everything to the Watcher, as he tells her.
It wasn’t like, “Oh, what are we saying about Marvel and the MCU?” It wasn’t like that.
‘What are we saying about the Watcher?’ it originated from a place of ‘What are we saying about the Watcher?’ These are his favorite characters. He adores these tales, these characters, and these heroes.
He’d never send her back to a world where she’d have to starve to death on her own,
We wanted to immerse her in a scenario where she might be the Natasha Romanoff he has seen and loved in many forms.
So that’s how the concept was born.
Is it possible that this will be mirrored in the MCU as a whole? Who knows what will happen. They are constantly making plans.
Andrews: When it comes to the multiverse challenge, it’s as if you’re saying, “Oh, well, this individual is living in a thousand other ways in various worlds,” and doesn’t that make the stakes seem lower?
I don’t believe so, because you’re still just watching one narrative at a time, and ideally we’re doing our job well enough that you’re drawn in by what these characters on the screen are doing at the moment, and shocked by what may or may not happen to them.
So, as long as we’re doing our job and engaging the audience, it shouldn’t matter whether someone else is living or dead in another world.
That experience – it’s what’s going on right now, right in front of your eyes. And if you’re able to connect in some manner, that’s fantastic.
Then it will always work.
And you never know what you’re going to receive, which I think adds to the pleasure, and was one of the best parts of making the series.
We have the option of going dark. We have the option of going into comedy. We can fully immerse ourselves in the genre, which is half of the fun.
The issue of how the multiverse impacts the franchise’s stakes is a valid one, and one that the MCU will have to address as it delves further into this perplexing idea.
It’s simpler to contemplate all the possibilities of the world in a program like What If…?
Because of the anthology structure, the show may concentrate on various worlds and play with the characters in whatever manner it wants.
That’s why Tony Stark has died so many times, and why a Black Widow from one universe is currently living in another.
However, when it comes to the MCU as a whole, the multiverse’s effects will be more long-lasting.
If another Black Widow was brought in to replace the void left by the one who died in Avengers: Endgame, not only would that sacrifice seem hollow, but the narrative around the character would have to reflect the consequences of her presence.
It isn’t impossible, but it has the potential to be nasty.
For the time being, it seems that the MCU will leave the universe-altering twists to What If…?
The multiverse’s consequences will undoubtedly be seen in the larger franchise, but in a manner that does not invalidate the events that preceded it.
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Marvel’s Multiverse Doesn’t Ruin Black Widow’s Death, Says MCU Writer
