Why You Don’t Need To Watch ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Before ‘Black Widow
Ah, yes. The age-old question of the MCU film viewing order. I watched all of the films as they came out, though for first-time viewers who come late, I tend to recommend that they view the films in an order in which the post-credit scenes lead into the next film, more or less. The main events of Black Widow would fit neatly watching them right after Captain America: Civil War. However, there is a bit of a wrinkle with the Black Widow film. Hopefully you have all seen it by now, but if you have not, this is your SPOILER ALERT.
The film takes place between scenes toward the end of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. In fact, it plays pretty well watching it right after the film, seeing Natasha on the run due to the main events of it. For the most part, it felt like a first-time viewer could slide it in between Civil War and Black Panther/Spider-Man: Homecoming. But I knew deep down that there would probably be a post-credit scene showing Natasha’s gravestone following her death in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. And surely enough, that is exactly what happened. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe this does not mean first-time MCU viewers cannot watch it right after Civil War.
RELATED: The Best Unscripted Moments In The MCU
Think back to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In that film, Nick Fury is able to fake his death, complete with a gravestone and all. So, seeing this a few movies afterward, perhaps one might question whether or not Natasha is actually dead. And when Yelena Belova goes to the gravestone, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine tells her that Clint Barton is responsible for Natasha’s death. This would be a major shock factor. A viewer who has been familiar with Clint by this point would not imagine him doing such a thing, but there he is in the photo with his Ronin costume, which would make the viewer curious about what exactly happened to him, as well as whether he is being framed or whether he actually killed Natasha.
Once the viewer gets to Avengers: Endgame a few films later, perhaps there would be an extra layer of tension seeing Natasha and Clint paired together in the time heist. One might wonder what might happen to push Clint over the edge and kill Natasha, only to be surprised when he tries to end himself so Natasha can live and get the Soul Stone. In that moment on Vormir when the viewer would still be somewhat surprised and then realize the inevitability of Natasha’s death, while now understanding the full context of how it happens. It would still be a sad moment to see play out. Up until this point, the viewer can be in denial that she actually dies, but then realizes the truth once they witness her death here. The viewer would realize that Clint is innocent, which would now make them worried for him in the upcoming Hawkeye TV series.
So, in short, this is the order in which I would suggest watching the MCU films that are very connected to the events of Civil War:
-Captain America: Civil War
-Black Widow
-Black Panther
-Spider-Man: Homecoming
What do you think? Do you agree that this would work for first-time viewers? Let us know!
READ NEXT: Don Cheadle Gives Update On Marvel’s ‘Armor Wars’