Black Widow’s post-credits scene explained
The new movie delivers a hint about an upcoming Disney Plus series. *Contains spoilers for Black Widow.*
The movies are back! And more specifically Marvel movies, with the long-delayed Black Widow finally making into cinemas over a year after it was first supposed to be released.
And with the return of Marvel movies to the multiplexes comes the adjacent return of another fan-favourite feature – the ever-exciting post-credits scene, the ultimate teaser of Marvel Cinematic Universe projects to come and a reward for everyone who waited until the very end of the film.
So what happens in Black Widow’s post-credits scene, and what does it mean for the future of the MCU? Check out the details below, but beware – we’re delving into serious spoiler territory, so only look if you’ve already watched the full movie.
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Does Black Widow have a post credits scene?
Yes – although it’s right at the end, so you’ll have to wait a while until you see it. And there’s only one scene, with no “mid-credits” tease to enjoy before then.
You see, unusually for a Marvel movie Black Widow doesn’t have a stylised initial credit sequence – instead, once the film ends it cuts straight to the traditional scrolling credits, meaning that technically there’s no place for a mid credits scene anyway.
Instead, the stylised credits sequence appears near the beginning of the film after a short prologue, in the style of slightly older action and espionage movies.
What happens in Black Widow’s post credits scene?
But enough of that – you’re really here for what went down after the full credits scrolled.
After the 2016-set action of the main movie, the post-credits scene appears to jump forward to the “present day” of the MCU – roughly 2023, thanks to the “blip” – where Natasha’s “sister” Yelena (Florence Pugh) is walking with her dog Fanny.
As the scene continues, it becomes clear that Yelena is visiting Natasha’s (Scarlett Johansson) grave, which reads “daughter, sister, Avenger” and includes Black Widow’s fancy logo, for some reason. Anyway, while there Yelena tidies up a few items before she’s interrupted by the noisy nose-blowing of another woman, who’s quietly joined her.
“Sorry – I’m allergic to the Midwest,” that woman deadpans, as she’s revealed to be Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ returning character Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, last seen recruiting disgraced super-soldier John Walker (Wyatt Russell) in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. She’s like the villainous Nick Fury, turning up at the ends of things to tease other movies while wearing nice coats.
And clearly Walker’s not Valentina’s only new recruit. Yelena complains that she’s not supposed to be bothered on her time off, revealing that (following the destruction of the Widow programme in the new Black Widow movie) she now works as an assassin for Valentina, albeit reluctantly.
Now, she has a new target.
“Maybe you’d like a shot at the man responsible for your sister’s death,” Valentina says, passing Yelena a photograph of spy-turned-Avenger Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton, as played by Jeremy Renner. What is this, a crossover episode?
Yes, this whole thing does seem to be setting up an appearance by Pugh as Yelena in Renner’s upcoming Disney Plus series (appropriately enough called Hawkeye), and it’s not a huge surprise – she was spotted on the set quite a long time ago, with fans eager to see Clint face off with someone who blames him for her sister’s death.
Did Hawkeye kill Black Widow?
Of course, the truth is slightly more complicated than Valentina presented it. Back in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame both Clint and Natasha travelled to the planet Vormir to get their hands on an Infinity Stone (specifically the Soul Stone), only to discover that one of them had to be sacrificed for them to take possession.
Both Clint and Natasha battled over the right to be a martyr, but in the end Black Widow won the tussle, plummeting to her death and indirectly granting the stone to her old friend and teammate. So it’s true, he was sort of responsible – she was the loved one he technically sacrificed – but given how willing she was, it’s hard to hold it against him. He even tried to stop her!
Still, somehow we don’t think Yelena will see it this way – and Clint might have some more trouble dealing with this particular ex-Widow, not to mention the shadowy employers who want him removed for some reason.
Read more about the MCU's latest as we discuss the Black Widow timeline, the Black Widow ending, a possible Black Widow and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
Black Widow is in UK cinemas now, and on Disney Plus Premier Access on Friday 9th July. You can sign up to Disney+ for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
Check out our Movies and Sci-Fi pages for more news and features, or our TV Guide for more to watch.
