After more than a year with nothing released in theaters, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has returned with the highly anticipatedBlack Widow. The movie felt a bit out of place, as it had been delayed several times before and didn’t seem to fit the current crop of MCU TV releases that had kept the franchise going during the pandemic.
The film was both an origin story for Black Widow as well as an introduction to a new hero who joined the MCU in Yelena Belova. While the film was a success and the biggest release of 2021 at the time of its release, there were several moments in the film that made it scratch your head.
ten Red fear
The film debuted in 1995 and showed a scene straight out of the Cold War era in the United States. But that was quite disconcerting, as the Cold War and fears of Communist Russia ended in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Even considering the MCU to be an alternate world to the real world, the very idea of law enforcement closing in and shooting to kill Soviet agents and their two young children was terrifying. Add the fact that there was no explanation for how law enforcement found the secret airfield in the middle of nowhere, and the whole opening was exciting but made no sense.
9 The massive hunt for Natasha
The next thing fans saw was the massive manhunt for Black Widow led by Thunderbolt Ross. The Secretary of State was in Natasha’s footsteps and had a legion of soldiers behind him. With all the baddies and criminals on the loose, why was Ross so committed to bringing in Black Widow?
There’s a Marvel prequel comic that explains how Ross convinced the United States to give him all the resources he needed to bring in the old Avenger. However, when it comes to the film, it was unclear why it was such an obsession with the current US government.
8 Imprisonment of the Red Guardian
The first thing Black Widow and Yelena Belova had to do if they wanted to bring down the Red Room was to get Red Guardian out of a maximum security prison. It is unknown why he was there, and even the Red Guardian admitted he wasn’t sure why he was serving a life sentence, although he did mention a couple of possibilities.
However, when the time came to get out, he broke the metal doors off their hinges and tore down the barriers. Why was he there and why had he never tried to escape before?
7 Vs red keeper. Captain America
There were times in Black Widow where Red Guardian spoke about its past. While in prison, he spoke about his confrontations with Captain America and how he won those battles. When another prisoner questioned his story, he broke the man’s arm. He then spoke to Black Widow and Yelena Belova about Captain America.
Red Guardian said all of this happened in a time when Captain America was still on the ice. Was it a great story? There’s a chance Red Guardian fought a Captain America. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has shown that the United States has more than one Captain America, and there’s a chance he fought a Captain America but not Captain America.
6 Yelena sends Natasha an antidote
The film saw Yelena Belova receiving the antidote to the red powder on her face and it helped her regain her free will. She then escaped with the rest of the vials and then sent them to Black Widow. She admitted to Natasha that she sent them because Widow is the only superhero she knew, and she thought she could send them to someone to find out.
It just didn’t make sense. There was no note explaining what this material actually was. There was no message telling Natasha that the Red Room still existed and was still producing powerful assassins. Black Widow had no way of knowing what they were and what to do with them, and she wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t brought them back to Yelena, which is not what she wanted.
5 The Budapest incident
MCU fans have been waiting to find out what happened in Budapest for many years. Black Widow and Hawkeye both spoke about their time spent on their mission there, but the movies never revealed why it was so memorable. Now the fans know it.
Black Widow cemented her defection from the Budapest mission by helping Hawkeye assassinate Dreykov, the leader of the Red Room. She also caused the apparent murder of her daughter Antonia. The whole floor they were on exploded, but Dreykov walked out without a scratch and his daughter was just scarred. How a little girl escaped this explosion with only still unexplained scars.
4 Changes to Taskmaster
The reason the MCU chose to change Taskmaster is understandable. Black Widow is a film focused on women, with a director and two female lead roles. While Dreykov was the villain, having another powerful villain who was female made sense, and Taskmaster fulfilled that role.
What doesn’t make sense is why it had to be Taskmaster specifically. The MCU clearly wanted to use a recognizable character as a villain, and Taskmaster is a favorite with comic book fans. The problem is, fans love Taskmaster from the comics, and the MCU version is only the villain in name and powers.
3 What is the extent of Thunderbolt Ross’ powers?
Thaddeus Ross does everything he can to attract superheroes. He even tried to bring them in when Thanos attacked Earth, showing he cared more about his own personal vendetta than protecting the planet and his own country. That said, the ending saw the Red Room crashing to the ground and after the final fight.
Ross immediately showed up in a convoy of military vehicles to stop Black Widow. This whole scene didn’t make sense, including how they got there so quickly and what authority Ross even has here, since most of the movie took place outside of the United States.
2 Black Widow’s Final Escape
The only thing in Black Widow It was completely confusing, Black Widow facing Thaddeus Ross oncoming at the end. She stood there to accept his arrest, as she perfectly escaped in front of her with Yelena Belova and the widows. His decision to face Ross at this point was truly puzzling.
However, what made even less sense was the next scene where Natasha showed up with a new hairstyle and a jet to help Captain America get her friends out of jail. How did she escape? The film never revealed how this final scene happened.
1 Yelena works as an assassin
There was a post-credit scene that also didn’t make sense. The scene saw Yelena Belova at Natasha’s grave, mourning the loss of her sister. It was then that Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine arrived. Just as she brought in an American agent to join her organization in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, she has already worked with Yelena.
Yelena Belova finishedBlack Widow with true redemption by helping Natasha bring down the Red Room. Yelena then set out to save brainwashed widows across the country. It makes no sense that Belova ends the film with a heroic goal and then ends up as an assassin for Valentina.
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