The writers of Avengers: Endgame are here to discuss Black Widow's crucial story arc in the movie. Scarlett Johansson made her debut as Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, back in Iron Man 2. Until Captain Marvel came along, she was the face of the female heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her contributions have been huge and the character's popularity is as massive as it's ever been. And that's part of what made her storyline so surprising, which writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely feel was very justified.

Warning: massive spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. Turn back now, those who haven't seen it yet. During the time heist portion of the movie, Black Widow and Hawkeye are paired up in order to get their hands on the Soul Stone. As we know from Infinity War, getting one's hands on the stone requires a tremendous sacrifice. Clint and Natasha both know one of them needs to die in order for the greater good of the universe. Following an emotional struggle, with both of them trying to sacrifice themselves, it's ultimately Natasha who dies, which was easily one of the most shocking moments of the entire movie.

Since Black Widow couldn't be brought back by the snap, her time in the MCU is over. Or, at least we know when her time runs up in the overall timeline. Christopher Markus, in a recent interview, opened up about their decision to include this rather shocking death. Here's what he had to say about it.

"I understand she was a beloved character and none of us want our heroes to die. But that is the natural end of her journey and it is the sort of apotheosis of who she is becoming. She started out as a very dark character. Even before the movies begin, she's a spy, she's an assassin. She has red in her ledger and to take her all the way to that sacrifice point is where her character is headed. And to not let her do that seemed a disservice to her as a hero."

Indeed, Natasha maybe couldn't be much of a direct threat to Thanos. This was the way she best figured she could help save the universe. And sure, nobody wants to see these heroes die, but if nobody ever dies, do we really have any true emotional stakes? Stephen McFeely had this to add.

"Right. We couldn't be afraid to kill her simply because she was the most important and the first female character. Again, the goal with all these things is just to put these people on a journey or continue or end their journeys. Steve Rogers goes from selfless to slightly more self-interested. Tony goes from selfish to giving himself for the universe. Thor goes from obligated to letting go of that obligation. And Black Widow goes from a woman with red on her ledger to clearly wiping out all that red."

We're still going to get some Black Widow in the MCU. Scarlett Johansson will headline her own solo movie, which is set to begin filming very soon, likely for release next year. Though, given her fate in Avengers: Endgame, we're guessing this will probably be a prequel taking place sometime before we met her in Iron Man 2. This news was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.