Was Avengers: Endgame snubbed at the 2020 Oscars? Scarlett Johansson thinks so.
In the June cover story for Vanity Fair, published on Wednesday, the Eleanor the Great director reflected on her time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically one of her last stints with the franchise in 2019’s Endgame. The film saw the death of her character, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, and she still believes the Academy snubbed the movie.
“How did this film not get nominated for an Oscar?” the Black Widow star questioned of Endgame not receiving a nom in the best picture category. “It was an impossible movie that should not have worked, that really works as a film.”
Endgame didn’t come up completely dry at the 2020 Academy Awards, earning one nod for best achievement in visual effects.
“Also, it’s one of the most successful films of all time,” she added, referencing the 2019 MCU film being the No. 2 highest grossing film ever, earning $2.79 billion. Endgame falls only behind Avatar as the No. 1 movie of all time with $2.92 billion, though the MCU film did previously pass Avatar in the ranking in July 2019.
In the profile, Johansson also asserted that “it would be very hard” for her to “understand in what capacity” reprising her role of Natasha/Black Widow “would make sense for me.” Natasha died in Endgame in the Avengers’ fight against Thanos, which is a story arc that she doesn’t “want to mess with.”
“I miss my buddies and really would love to be with them forever, but what works about the character is that her story is complete,” Johansson explained. “I don’t want to mess with that. For fans too — it’s important for them.”
Johansson previously shot down the idea of returning to the MCU as Natasha in a March interview with InStyle, affirming that “we’re going to have to let [the idea of Natasha returning] go.”
“Natasha is dead. She is dead. She’s dead. OK?” she said. “They just don’t want to believe it. They’re like, ‘But she could come back!’ Look, I think the balance of the entire universe is held in her hand. We’re going to have to let it go. She saved the world. Let her have her hero moment.”
Johansson made her MCU debut with Iron Man 2, swiftly becoming a fixture in the franchise as one of the six original Avengers in the 2012 tentpole The Avengers. Despite Natasha’s death in Endgame, Johansson returned once more to star in 2021’s Black Widow, the prequel film which shed light on her character’s upbringing while introducing Thunderbolts* stars Florence Pugh and David Harbour.
