Black Widow’s “family” could be killed by Thanos - adding more context to her sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. The next Marvel Studios movie will take a step back into the MCU’s history, telling a previously untold tale of Natasha Romanoff in the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War. Natasha is now one of the world’s most wanted, and she’s forced to head to her old family for help.

The heads of Natasha’s first family appear to be Rachel Weisz’s Melina Vostokoff and David Harbour’s Red Guardian. Melina is a former Black Widow operative herself, while Red Guardian was Russia’s answer to Captain America. And Natasha’s “little sister” in this family unit is Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, another ex-Black Widow. With Natasha added to the mix, it’s safe to say the entire family are a force to be reckoned with.

But why has Marvel chosen to introduce Natasha’s first family now? As viewers know, Natasha Romanoff is destined to die in Avengers: Endgame, sacrificing herself to acquire the Soul Stone and bring back the untold billions Thanos had killed. The timing of the Black Widow movie seems pretty weird - unless it serves to add context to Natasha Romanoff’s sacrifice and sets up the Black Widow family to play a key role in the MCU’s Phase 4.

Black Widow’s “Family” May Well Survive Her Solo Movie

Most viewers have assumed Natasha Romanoff’s family all have targets on their backs and are unlikely to survive Black Widow. That’s particularly the case with Yelena Belova, who has been consistently shown wearing a military-style combat jacket - identical to the one Natasha is wearing in Avengers: Infinity War. This has led to speculation that Yelena dies, and a grief-stricken Natasha seeks solace in Steve Rogers and his Secret Avengers team, donning the combat jacket in honor of her fallen “sister.” No doubt the theory was boosted significantly by the Black Widow Super Bowl trailer, which included a shot of Yelena running away from an explosion.

But, crucially, the Black Widow Super Bowl trailer appears to be out of sequence. It also features what seems to be a shot from the film’s third act, with all four members of the family standing together. Yelena Belova’s outfit is badly singed, hinting she isn’t killed by that explosion. Frankly, it looks as though Marvel is trying to do their usual misdirect, encouraging audiences to expect characters to die when in reality they’re going to survive relatively unscathed.

Thanos’ Snap Could Explain Why Black Widow’s Family Haven’t Been Seen Since

This naturally raises a lot of questions; if Black Widow’s family are still alive, why does she leave them and join Steve Rogers? And why doesn’t she go back to her family after the Avengers’ defeat in Avengers: Infinity War? This is made all the more tricky by a line of dialogue in Avengers: Endgame in a key scene where Captain America attempted to persuade Natasha to give up on the Avengers. “I used to have nothing,” Natasha replied. “And then I got this. This job. This family.” The clear implication is she considers herself completely alone and that her non-Avengers family are dead.

But these problems are not impossible to resolve. It’s important to remember that, at the time of Black Widow, Natasha is an international fugitive, one of the most wanted people in the world. She may well decide her continuing presence puts her family at risk, and thus she chooses to leave them in order to keep them safe. That leads her - and Steve Rogers’ Secret Avengers - into battle with Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Crucially, this is a fight they lose, and Thanos erases half the life in the universe with a snap of his fingers.

It’s possible that included Black Widow’s family - that Melina Vostokoff, Yelena Belova, and Red Guardian were all “killed” by Thanos as part of the snap. This would neatly explain why Black Widow feels so very alone in Avengers: Endgame and why she clings to the Avengers; she has lost everything else, and the Avengers are all she has left. Thanos’ snap was random and arbitrary, meaning it affected some families more than others; the entire Pym family was erased, for example, and poor Hawkeye lost his wife and children. The striking similarities between Hawkeye and Black Widow would make their quiet reunion in Avengers: Endgame all the more poignant.

The Death of Black Widow’s Family Would Add New Depth To Her Sacrifice

Marvel has hinted Black Widow will indeed provide a context for Natasha Romanoff’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. This theory would work perfectly because it would retroactively add emotional depth to the entire scene. There would be a direct parallel between Hawkeye and Black Widow with both motivated by the desire to bring back specific people - the ones they love - rather than just a general desire to be a superhero. Each secretly feels themselves unworthy of a “Happily Ever After,” with Natasha remembering all the red in her ledger and Clint aware of the atrocities he had conducted as Ronin. And, of course, each decided they should be the sacrifice for the Soul Stone and not the other. The symmetry would be exact.

For Black Widow, then, her death would be subtly rewritten. Marvel has already positioned it as an act of redemption, but viewers didn’t really feel that was enough, and it was criticized for not doing justice to Natasha. Now, though, it would be positioned as an act of love for her family; Natasha would have embraced her own death in order to bring back Melina, Yelena, and Red Guardian. In a very real sense, these three characters would become the embodiment of Black Widow’s legacy.

This Theory Would Give The Black Widow Franchise A Future

Of course, this is just a theory; but it would explain why now is the right time for the Black Widow movie. In the comics, Yelena Belova adopted the identity of Black Widow when Natasha was believed dead, killed by a Captain America doppelganger who was Hydra’s newest leader. She dedicated herself to continuing Natasha’s work, beginning a brutal and successful campaign to neutralize all the Hydra forces Natasha had been struggling with. Perhaps in the MCU, Yelena isn’t the only one to make this choice; Black Widow’s entire family realize what Natasha has done and resolve to step out of the shadows and become heroes in her honor.

That would transform Black Widow. It would no longer be a coda to Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow; rather, it would be an origin story for her successors, a team of super-spies who could go on to play a prominent role in the MCU’s Phase 4. This fits neatly with the theme of “legacy,” which appears to be the driving force of much of Phase 4; Sam Wilson is inheriting the mantle of Captain America, Spider-Man is trying to live up to Iron Man’s example, and a number of so-called “Legacy Heroes” - notably Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye, and even She-Hulk - are set to make their MCU debuts. Suddenly Black Widow would make perfect sense, and this solo film could serve as the launchpad for Marvel’s new super-spy franchise.

More: Natasha vs Natalia: What Marvel’s Black Widow’s Real Name Is

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