An alternate sacrifice for the Soul Stone in Avengers: Endgame nearly saw Hawkeye perish instead of Black Widow, according to screenwriter Stephen McFeely. In a Q&A session following a screening of the recent Avengers Endgame: Encore re-release, McFeely detailed the difficult decision-making process behind who would sacrifice themselves on Vormir.
Hawkeye's Near Sacrifice
"There was a sense of dread over the decision," McFeely stated, explaining that the script needed two characters who cared deeply for each other to make the sacrifice. Black Widow and Hawkeye were the natural pairing, having been a consistent duo throughout the Avengers' history. While the script ultimately chose Black Widow, McFeely revealed that an early version considered Hawkeye for the role. "We tried a version of Hawkeye [dying] and a number of the female employees at Marvel, when they read [the script], grabbed me in the hallway and said, ‘Don’t you do this to her. Don’t you take her heroic moment and give it to him,’" McFeely recalled. He acknowledged the validity of their concerns, noting the significance of killing off a principal female character in the MCU.
McFeely elaborated on why Black Widow was ultimately chosen. "She was, I would argue, the greater hero in some ways, but selfishly — just as part of what my job is — I want to make you feel the worst you can feel," he said. He also cited her history, noting that "she’s got red in her ledger, and she’s been trying to make up for that her entire life." The chance for her to save her found family with the Avengers was deemed a crucial narrative beat.
Despite the emotional weight of the scene, McFeely expressed regret that the film's dense plot left little room for mourning. "The sacrifice is at the end of act two, which meant there was a lot of movie left," he explained. "There was not that much time to mourn Natasha because we got to snap everybody back and Thanos has to bomb us, and the Avengers have to fight their biggest fight in the MCU... we had a lot to do."
Avengers Endgame: Encore Additions
The Avengers Endgame: Encore re-release, which premiered on September 25, 2026, includes approximately two minutes of new scenes filmed alongside Avengers: Doomsday. These additions are designed to create a smoother transition into the upcoming sequel. Notable additions include an extended ending showing Steve Rogers encountering a variant Loki, a scene where Doctor Doom abducts Bruce Banner, and a sequence featuring the Time Variance Authority detecting multiversal incursions. Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for release on December 19, 2026.