As SJWs and fourth-wave feminists come out of the woodwork to complain about Avengers: Endgame, they haven’t realized that Black Widow’s fate actually helps their cause.
I love Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff is one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and one of the most interesting—female or male. Introduced in Iron Man 2 (2010)—and expertly played by Scarlet Johansson throughout the series—Black Widow has displayed one of the greatest character arcs besides Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark / Iron Man.
So why are SJWs and fourth-wave feminists calling her Avengers: Endgame characterization as “misogynistic” or “pushing a male-dominated narrative”? The answer is simple. Like everything else, they need something to complain about. Something to keep themselves relevant and useful. What better way to do it than to glom onto a film that’s on a trajectory to become the all-time biggest box-office earner.
WARNING: Potential spoilers ahead
The particular scene these groups are irked about deals with Black Widow’s self-sacrifice in attaining the Soul Stone—one of the Infinity Stones that will make it possible to rewind Thanos’s devastating snap. When she and Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner) arrive on Vormir, they learn—from the now phantom-like Red Skull—about the high price of the appropriately named object. And the cost ain’t in bitcoins.
With both Black Widow and Hawkeye being the heroes they are, the two simultaneously offer their own lives for the stone. Immediately, you can see where this is going. The two fight it out in a bid to save the other from this ultimate act of altruism. In the end, Black Widow “wins” and she falls to her death, allowing a devasted Hawkeye to acquire the Soul Stone.
If this isn’t the act of a strong female character, I don’t know what is. However, SJWs call this “fridging”—which is the use of a female character’s injury, rape, death, or horrific injustice to push forward a male character’s narrative. “Fridging” is a term stemming from “Women in Refrigerators”—comic book writer Gail Simone’s root concept of this perceived “misogyny.” She coined this idea after the release of Green Lantern #54 (1994) where the hero, Kyle Rayner, comes home to find the dead body of his girlfriend, Alexandra DeWitt, stuffed into a refrigerator.
If SJWs want to talk about injustice, it’s actually an even bigger injustice to say Black Widow’s death was only used as momentum for the male Avengers. Black Widow’s death puts the character’s full empowerment on display. This fan-favorite Avenger showed everyone what she was made of—her unwavering principles, strength, and skills. She made her own choice. She bested Hawkeye in a fight. And she outsmarted him to get to her goal.
Then there are those who want to complain about the driving force of Black Widow’s actions—that she was in love with Clint or she felt his life was more “valuable” because he had a family. Again, these are complaints that have no basis. Throughout the series, Natasha’s love for Clint wasn’t amorous—it was a love more akin to close siblings. Her “family” was composed of Clint and the rest of the Avengers. It’s disingenuous to say she was viewed by others as not having any worth because she couldn’t bear children of her own. The character made it blatantly clear who her family was—unless SJWs want to now redefine and narrow the meaning of “family” to be more discriminatory. How’s that for irony?
Now, what if we reversed this scene? What if Hawkeye was the one who died? I’m sure SJWs would complain just as much. They would say a myriad of things: “Hawkeye defeating Black Widow in a fight is a symbol of the patriarchy,” “Hawkeye not allowing Black Widow to kill herself is an allegory for women not allowed to own their bodies,” “Hawkeye not respecting Black Widow’s choice is a message to girls that their opinions do not matter,” etc. You get the idea. They can never be satisfied.
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As Avengers: Endgame continues to dominate the box-office and news outlets everywhere, we have only one question to ask: What actually made it so big and popular? The answer: The heroes and their resolve are why fans have faithfully stayed with this franchise. Characters like Black Widow, a protagonist without powers, inspire us to be at our best—willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the betterment of humanity. Natasha Romanoff has shown strength, courage, righteousness, and intelligence—and that’s a huge win for female characters.
For those who are still torn up about her death, you should keep this in mind: via the time-travel rules of the film, there’s the possibility of a bunch of alternate reality Black Widows out there. And let’s not forget she also has a solo film in the works.
Avengers: Endgame had a United States release date of April 26, 2019.
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