The Black Widow Post-Credits Scene Brings Back A Surprising Character
But what does it mean?
When Avengers: Endgame did not have a post-credits scene, it was something of a shock to the Marvel fandom’s system. These bonus scenes had been the norm for the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2008’s Iron Man; even the MCU’s Disney+ series have post-credits sequences. Luckily, the tradition has returned in Marvel’s Black Widow, which has a post-credits sequence at the very end of the credits. Moreover, the Black Widow post-credits scene brought in a character no one – not even Yelena (Florence Pugh) — expected to see.
Warning: Spoilers for Black Widow follow. Since Black Widow is technically a prequel film to Marvel’s Phase 4, fans were particularly keen for a post-credits scene, mainly since the final moments of the movie focus on Natasha getting the quinjet and flying off to rescue team Cap from The Raft. Knowing that Natasha is heading toward her date with destiny, fans assumed the movie’s post-credits sequence would most likely jump to the present day.
The film did not disappoint. The scene (which starts at the 2 hour and 11-minute mark for those able to scrub through on Disney+) takes place at Natasha’s grave. Yelena is faithfully visiting her sister’s resting spot regularly to maintain the flowers and stuffed animals left by grieving Avengers fans.
As she tidies up, someone walks up behind her. And there, standing next to her, is the Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Valentina is a recent addition to the MCU; she made her first appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+. In the series, she appears to be a bit of a villain, having recruited John Walker, the disgraced former Captain America replacement who’s just been fired for murdering a civilian with his shield. But here, she’s not recruiting; Yelena, it turns out, already works for her. It’s just that this week’s assassination assignment is one big enough to warrant an in-person directive.
When fans see who it is, it’s suddenly clear why Val wasn’t willing to put this in writing and needed to speak face to face. Yelena’s next target is “the man responsible for Natasha’s death,” aka the one who came back from Vormir without her. It’s former Avenger Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), better known as Hawkeye.
Seeing a character from one Disney+ show appear in a big screen film was already enough to raise eyebrows, so adding Hawkeye into the mix has fans shook. The next appearance by Barton is in his own Disney+ show, slated for fall 2021. Moreover, not only is Renner in the series, but so is the girl who eventually takes up the Hawkeye mantle, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld).
Also in the show’s cast? Pugh, who plays Yelena. Although almost zero details about Hawkeye’s plot have been released, suddenly it’s looking like the next must-watch Marvel show coming from Disney+.
