The Hulk’s Snap

Avengers: Endgame Easter Eggs, Callbacks and Cameos 27 IMAGES

What About Captain America Putting the Soul Stone Back?

Could Gamora Replace Black Widow?

What About Black Widow’s Movie?

Many were expecting either Tony Stark or Steve Rogers to sacrifice their life to protect the universe and defeat Thanos in Avengers: Endgame , but many were surprised to see Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff, meet her end in the fourth Avengers film.To quickly recap: In order for the Avengers to secure all of the Infinity Stones to complete their “Time Heist,” it was inevitable that one of them would have to trade their life for the Soul Stone on Vormir, and it was Black Widow who chose to pay that price. In a sacrificial act to save her friends and restore the Vanished, Black Widow exchanged her soul so Hawkeye could return to the present with the Soul Stone and reunite with his family once they were resurrected.It's proven to be one of the most discussed and divisive Avengers: Endgame moments, but is that really the end of her story, especially considering there’s a Black Widow movie currently in the works? Let’s break it down.After the Hulk snaps the Vanished back to life, he explains that he tried to also bring Black Widow back to no avail. That seems to kill the theory that someone with the Stones could just will her back to life. It seems when a soul is traded for the Soul Stone, it’s a permanent deal that not even the combined Infinity Stones can undo. It’s natural that Bruce Banner would try to resurrect her given their emotional connection, but his efforts were in vain.(We've heard some skeptics argue that Banner might have been successful and no one would know because she'd be back on Vormir, but we're going to take his comment at face value and assume Bruce realized his efforts were in vain through the power of the Infinity Stones.)At the end of the film, Captain America goes back in time to put the Infinity Stones back where they belong in the timeline. That includes returning the Soul Stone to its home on Vormir. (Crazy to think that Cap probably talked to Red Skull when he dropped it in the return slot!) One could theorize that Black Widow’s soul would be released upon returning the Soul Stone, but given there was no hint of this in the movie, it seems Vormir doesn’t do refunds or exchanges.It’s also worth considering that after the Soul Stone is put back in 2014, eventually the events of Infinity War will transpire and Thanos will sacrifice Gamora to collect the Soul Stone. If Gamora’s soul is given for the Soul Stone, would that free up Black Widow’s soul? The movie doesn’t offer much clarity on this matter, but the comics explain that the Soul Stone actually contains an entire dimension called the Soul World. We saw Thanos take a short visit there at the end of Infinity War where he was able to briefly commune with Gamora’s soul. In the comics, the Soul Stone actively desires souls and isn’t keen on letting them go, so it’s likely the same rules apply in the film. There’s no “swapping” of souls because the Soul Stone wants to grow its collection, not give them up.Black Widow’s movie is reportedly going to be a prequel set after the events of the first Avengers movie, so even though she’s dead at the end of Endgame, there’s still plenty of story to explore back when she first joined the Avengers. Who knows, we might finally learn what happened in Budapest!The Black Widow movie is being directed by Cate Shortland with a script by Jac Schaeffer. In addition to Scarlett Johansson reprising the title role, the cast will also reportedly include David Harbour and Florence Pugh in undisclosed roles.

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Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN