10 MCU Characters Who Died Way Too Soon

6. Black Widow

Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) may not have boasted super-human abilities or a billion-dollar super-suit, but her Special Set of Skills nevertheless made her an indisputable cornerstone of the O.G. Avengers line-up.

Moreover, she was a pre-eminent female superhero played by one of the most famous actresses on the planet who also had a prequel film in the works - and so her demise in Avengers: Endgame came as a huge shock to fans.

While Black Widow's sacrifice in order to acquire the Soul Stone was most certainly a means to an end, did it really feel earned?

As fun as her battle with Hawkeye was, killing the character only for her to re-appear in a prequel the very next year smacks of awkwardness, if not poor planning.

In an ideal world, we would've had the Black Widow solo prequel before Endgame, to lend further context and clarity to her arc before she dies, rather than attempting to do so in retrospect.

Considering that another character could've easily been substituted instead, her death seems all the more unnecessary.

It wouldn't be that surprising to eventually see Black Widow revived through shenanigans, but hopefully not, as it would ultimately only cheapen a death that already turned out oddly underwhelming.