Man did Marvel spoil us.
Before I jump into all the things missed or feelings that were just inexpressible, first let me remind everyone to take a detour to the podcast and listen to the newest episode. Another doubleheader, we hit both Loki Episode 5 and Black Widow, so if you have not seen both make sure to watch them before going any further.
So let’s begin with Loki, as that released first. I want to address a really interesting fan theory that I came across about who might be running the TVA, or at least created it. While Taylor and I have agreed we could see Kang the Conqueror appear here, this theory actually says that it is possible that Marvel’s writing room are who created the TVA. Which, I suppose, is quite literal. But I thought it was interesting because it would mean the breakdown of the fourth wall, would solidify that our MCU is the ‘sacred timeline’, and would essentially make all the TV shows, prior to the new one’s, canon. The second point is what I find the most interesting, as it would quite literally emphasize that anything else could have happened outside the MCU movies, they just weren’t included in the sacred timeline. As mentioned in previous week’s podcasts, the TVA is too specific on what strings they pull and the stories they let play out, so I find this to be really intriguing. Not to mention, it could explode the Multiverse, as it would essentially be proving so much more is capable beyond the writers.
Something else that is fairly important to point out is that Loki has been renewed for another season. This means, that unlike all of the other shows so far, it does not need to wrap up completely. There can be a cliffhanger, although the cliffhanger does not necessarily need to be leading directly into the next season. As mentioned in the podcast, we are running out of materials for the Multiverse to open in prior to Spiderman. The likelihood of it opening in this upcoming episode and finale of Loki is high, and so there can be a massive cliffhanger due to the shows nature.
Moving to Black Widow, the movie itself was amazing. As someone who wasn’t excited about it for quite a bit of time, I really thought it was great. The opening scene was probably hands down the best opening scene any Marvel movie has ever had. Black Widow, especially in the comics, has always been one of my favorite characters. I feel that this movie finally did her background justice and, while it was not a full origin, at least really delved into the trauma her character endures in order to become who she is. But I digress, so now that it has been out, let’s discuss some of the small things missed.
For one, when we see Alexei in jail with his tattoos showing, he does in fact have Natasha and Yelena’s names tattooed. They are written in Russian and are a part of the tattoo that has roses included. It was easy to miss since a most of us don’t know Russian, but some smart fans looked it up and translated it. Something else I didn’t see until the second time I watched it was that Natasha’s one fake identity is Fanny Longbottom. At the end of the movie, Yelena addresses her dog when she goes to visit Nat’s grave and the dog’s name is Fanny. These are just some small things that I definitely didn’t realize right away. Another one would be that Loki actually addresses Drakov’s daughter in the first Avengers. They also reference Budapest, which makes it even more interesting to find out more about those two situations that were not explored before.
As amazing as it was, I will say no movie is without complaints. I do wish this would have come out when it actually was supposed to. Unfortunately, the movie had a feeling of forgottenness and that it was done just to be done. I also feel that they could have definitely done Taskmaster much better and, while it was certainly a twist to have it be Drakov’s daughter, I think it undermined how cool that character really is in the comics. Lastly, I’m pretty upset we didn’t get a Steve cameo. While I know Taylor and I talked a little bit about this in the podcast, it was disappointing to have holes remain on how she ended up in contact with him again and how they reconnected. The first end credit scene, if we can really call it that, deserved to have Steve step out of the jet or SOMETHING. But I know we can all certainly complain about anything, so if these are my only issues with the movie, I say that it means that movie had to be good.
My final words come about the final end credit scene. It is likely that Natasha is buried out in Ohio, as we hear Valentina say she is allergic to the mid-West, where Ohio resides. It is also possible her grave is with her mothers and others that Drakov killed and buried. My only thought to this was because of how he described the location of the body, it seemed fairly similar. Either way, it is likely Yelena was responsible for giving her a grave, as it said daughter and sister on it, and the Avengers do not know about Natasha’s family. I have also heard rumors Yelena was snapped, which is why Nat seemingly holds the vest at the end of Infinity War. She likely thought of her sister and in Endgame, since she doesn’t address any family, it is likely she knows her sister, at least, was one of the ones to disappear. Regardless, it ripped me to shreds to see her grave. Even writing about it now I am tearing up. As a fan of Natasha’s from a young age, Endgame hurt me really badly and seeing the finality of her grave was too much for me to handle. Some scars have not faded quite yet Marvel. I really like that this movie sets up Hawkeye, but more specifically I like HOW it sets it up. I am so ready to see Yelena go after Clint. But it also paints a much bigger picture on the organization Valentina is a part of, as Yelena will not be happy when she finds out she was manipulated. I believe we will be seeing much more of this organization appear in Hawkeye, since it is likely Yelena will turn her sights on them when she realized that Nat actually sacrificed herself.
I really do hope everyone enjoyed this movie, especially because we did wait so long for it to arrive. If you haven’t seen it yet, well I just spoiled some of it, but definitely go watch it! Also, don’t forget that the final episode of Loki is coming and brace yourself for whatever the heck we are going to see. As all this content comes out, keep up with both the podcast and the blog because Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.
Image: “Black Widow”, Brian Tallerico, Roger Ebert
Sisters Assembled 