This Black Widow Theory Suggests Natasha did not Actually Die in Avengers: Endgame

During Avengers: Endgame, to retrieve the soul stone on Vormir, Clint Barton (Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner) and Natasha Romanov (Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson) had an emotional scene where they had to decide who had to be sacrificed for the stone. After fighting and arguing, Natasha was the one who ended up trading her soul for the stone. Or did she?

Many are starting to believe that the character who died in Avengers: Endgame was actually Natasha's sister, Yelena Belova, who will be introduced in the new Black Widow movie (played by Florence Pugh).

In Captain America: Winter Soldier, there was technology introduced that has the ability to change one's appearance. Natasha used it to make herself look like one of the councilwomen, allowing her to get close to the main villain of the movie Alexander Pierce. This technology is called a Photostatic Veil. It also makes appearances in the Agents of SHIELD television show.

Because the plot of Black Widow takes place after Captain America: Civil War but before Avengers: Infinity War, this technology could easily have been used as it was introduced before the Black Widow movie takes place. And, because Black Widow herself is the one using it in Winter Soldier, she could still have access to it after this movie and could have used it during her solo film.

Many also suggest that this is why she didn't come back when the Hulk used the infinity stones to bring everybody back. He was thinking about bringing Natasha back, not Yelena, because Natasha was already still alive.

There are a few problems with this theory, one being that in order to retrieve the soul stone, the death would have had to be from someone whom the other person loved. Hawkeye loved Natasha (platonically of course), which is how he got the soul stone after her sacrifice. But, does Hawkeye love Yelena the same way? Well, this is information we do not know. We do know that when Natasha died in Endgame, Hawkeye believed it truly was Natasha, so that could explain why the stone was able to be retrieved. His love for her was still strong because to him, she was Natasha.

Another problem is that the Photostatic Veil would have had to trick Red Skull, who greets them by saying their names and a parental figure. Or he knew, but didn't want to say the real names so the soul stone would be able to get taken. We don't know what happens to Red Skull after the soul stone is taken, so there is speculation that after the soul stone is gone, he is relieved of his duties on Vormir, giving him motivation to allow it to be taken.

If this theory were to be true, what would we expect to see in the future? There would probably be a better Hulk and Natasha reunion. We'd get emotional scenes where she learns of the fates of Iron Man and Captain America. We would also possibly see her spend time with Hawkeye's family.

Many would argue that this theory would ruin the character development that Natasha's character underwent during Avengers: Endgame. By sacrificing herself, she was able to find meaning and her purpose just before her life ended. We saw a strong and almost emotionless fighter show her vulnerable side during Avengers: Endgame, and this theory would prove all that development to be a false reality.

This theory leaves us with many questions. Where is the real Natasha during Avengers: Endgame if this is true? And how long was Yelena pretending to be Natasha? Could this theory actually be true, or are people still devastated that she died and are trying to find reasons to believe that she's alive? We'll have to wait until November 6, which is the updated release date for this anticipated movie to find out the answers to these questions.

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