Marvel Finally Gave Black Widow’s Endgame Death Real Meaning

Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for Hawkeye.Black Widow sadly gave up her life to save others in Avengers: Endgame, and Hawkeye gave even more meaning to her Marvel Cinematic Universe death. In Hawkeye, Clint Barton’s holiday plans with his kids get upended when Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) started wearing his old Ronin outfit while fighting criminals. With Ronin’s old enemies on Bishop’s trail, Hawkeye took it upon himself to clear up the situation. Unfortunately, his scheme goes awry. After Hawkeye lets the Tracksuit Mafia capture him in an attempt to clear Bishop’s name, Bishop tries to pull off an ill-advised rescue attempt, getting caught in the process herself. This eventually leads to a clever reference to Endgame‘s Black Widow death, which in turn reveals more about what’s going on inside the mind of Clint Barton.

After Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) deadly finger snap killed his family in Avengers: Infinity War, Clint adopted the Ronin persona and took his frustrations out on the criminals who somehow survived the snap. Ronin mercilessly murdered several villains, making new and dangerous enemies along the way. One of those enemies is Maya Lopez aka Echo (Alaqua Cox), a Tracksuit Mafia leader and skilled fighter who is eventually revealed to be related to Kingpin. Ronin killed her dad during a previous attack on the Tracksuit Mafia, and Lopez wanted revenge.

Related: Kingpin’s Perfect Future Avoids A Huge MCU Villain Problem

While being held captive by the Tracksuit Mafia, Hawkeye paid tribute to the tragic Black Widow death. Lopez, who’s Deaf and uses American Sign Language to communicate, questions Clint about Ronin through an interpreter in Hawkeye season 1, episode 3. Barton tries to convince Lopez that Bishop has nothing to do with Ronin and that the masked vigilante is dead, but the Tracksuit Mafia commander isn’t buying it. She questions who killed Ronin, and he answers, “Black Widow.” Lopez knows Barton is lying, but the moment gives Black Widow’s death and sacrifice new meaning.

Black Widow’s Death Saved Clint Barton In More Than One Way

Barton’s response to Lopez confirmed that the Black Widow death scene ended Ronin. In Endgame, Black Widow found Hawkeye/Ronin after he finished killing off members of the Yakuza. There, she gives him hope that the Avengers can reverse Thanos’ snap. Because of Black Widow, Hawkeye moved on from Ronin, leaving his disturbing history in his past. She then saved his life again by sacrificing herself on Vormir for the Soul Stone. After Black Widow gave up her life for the Avengers to defeat Thanos, there was no way that Hawkeye could ever go back to being Ronin again. In saying that Black Widow killed Ronin, Hawkeye continues to honor his friend’s tragic sacrifice.

The moment continues Hawkeye’s trend of Black Widow tributes. In the Hawkeye premiere, Barton took his family to see Rogers: The Musical, a Captain America-themed Broadway show. There, he noticed a young girl in the crowd who reminded him of Black Widow. An actor portraying Black Widow on stage also affected him, and Hawkeye leaves the theater after the situation becomes too much for him. The Hawkeye moments continue to show why Black Widow’s death in Avengers: Endgame was far from the end of her story in the MCU.

Yelena Was Also Essential To Barton’s Healing Process

In Hawkeye, Clint’s grief over Black Widow’s death is further contextualized by the character of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Natasha’s sister. Rather than reciprocating Yelena’s attempts to kill him, Clint eventually stops defending himself during their final confrontation, insisting that he didn’t kill Black Widow. Clint finally convinces Yelena that he’s telling the truth when he whistles Natasha’s secret signal, which is only known to people that Black Widow trusted with her life. Though Yelena Belova’s funny quotes give her a reputation for being a source of comic relief in the MCU, Hawkeye succeeds at painting her as a complex and morally gray hero, and Yelena’s decision to spare Clint suggests that the two could meet as allies in the future.

Related: Hawkeye Subtly Gave Black Widow Her Perfect Cut Ending Back

Hawkeye and Yelena will forever live with the grief of Black Widow’s death, but Natasha’s sacrifice will forever be an inspiration to future Avengers and a warning to anyone who might threaten Earth again. That said, while Hawkeye could train the next generation of Young Avengers, it’s unlikely that Yelena will want to be associated with the Avengers herself. Yelena made this clear in her conversation with Kate Bishop, in which Yelena questioned the very meaning of the word “Avenger,” sharing her cynical but spot-on analysis of modern superhero worship. This is why Yelena Belova’s Thunderbolts appearance is much more likely than Yelena becoming a Young Avenger or even a Dark Avenger. If there’s anything that the Hawkeye finale made clear, it is that Yelena will find her own path, and it will undoubtedly be a worthy tribute to Black Widow’s Avengers: Endgame sacrifice.

Hawkeye season 1 is streaming now on Disney+.