WARNING! This article discusses the post-credits scene from Black Widow. If you don’t want to know more, click away.
The final scene of Black Widow runs after the very end of the end credits, without the customary mid-credits stinger. And it’s fairly self-explanatory on the basic points. Yelena (Florence Pugh) visits Natasha’s grave, where she also encounters Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who now also works with U.S. Agent John Walker. The sinister operative then gives her a new mission: get revenge on Hawkeye for his perceived role in Natasha’s death. This should set up the Hawkeye series on Disney Plus, and lead to a showdown with Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop. In an interview with Variety, star Florence Pugh and director Cate Shortland discussed the ramifications.
For Pugh, the immediate segue into a new project came as a surprise. “I didn’t ever really imagine that it would continue quite so quickly,” she says. But she adds it’s no surprise she’d stay in the dangerous life. “She’s going to continue what she’s good at, and despite her sister not being there, she’s back working…If you look at her costume, and you look at the way that she’s dressed herself, it shows someone that’s flourishing.”
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Originally, the scene would have been Valentina’s MCU debut, which might have left more casual fans scratching their heads. Instead, her first appearance came in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which allowed viewers at home to rewind and Google her name. (Long story short: in comics she’s a sleeper agent within S.H.I.E.L.D., ex of Nick Fury, and one-time Madame Hydra.) Director Shortland revealed that Louis-Dreyfus needed no direction to play the mysterious character. “I think I told her that I really loved her,” she said. “I think at times I just asked for really, really small things between them. But she came on as a fully formed genius. There’s not much I could have done except mess her up.”
She also revealed that the idea for Natasha’s final location came from Scarlet Johansson. “Scarlett talked to me about it: Her character would have hated a public funeral,” Shortland said. “So I felt like the fact that she’s buried in a really private place, in the boondocks somewhere, is perfect.”
Did you like that final scene? Let us know in comments.
Recommended Reading: Marvel Knights Black Widow by Grayson & Rucka: The Complete Collection
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