Only 1 Avenger Marvel Killed Off In Endgame Is Left To Return To The MCU

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Summary

• Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans have returned to the MCU, despite their departures in Avengers: Endgame.
• Only Scarlett Johansson is left to return to the MCU after her death in Avengers: Endgame, though her return hasn't been confirmed.
• Scarlett Johansson is working with Marvel Studios behind the scenes, but it's possible she could return as a new character in the MCU's future, too.

Several iconic heroes departed the MCU after the events of Avengers: Endgame, but only one of them is still left to return. Avengers: Endgame was the penultimate movie of the Infinity Saga, but acted as the conclusion to over a decade of stories in the MCU, as the surviving Avengers fought to reverse Thanos' destruction and defeat the Mad Titan once and for all. This epic battle culminated in the deaths and retirements of a number of the MCU's most beloved superheroes, but this clearly wasn't the end for all of them.
Focusing primarily on the MCU's original Avengers team, Avengers: Endgame marked the end of the road for Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, Chris Evans' Steve Rogers and Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff. Romanoff's Black Widow sacrificed herself for the Soul Stone, Stark's Iron Man snapped his fingers to eliminate Thanos, and Rogers' Captain America retired in the past. However, one of these actors has already returned to the MCU, and another has been confirmed for Phase 6, so the third should be brought back, too.
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1 Chris Evans & Robert Downey Jr. Have Returned To The MCU After Leaving In Avengers: Endgame Close Avengers: Endgame wrapped up Steve Rogers' journey perfectly, but this didn't stop Chris Evans from returning to the MCU in Deadpool & Wolverine. The Phase 5 movie saw Evans return as Johnny Storm's Human Torch, a role he first played in 2005's Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel. This was a hugely shocking and entertaining reprisal, but the reveal of Robert Downey Jr.'s new MCU character could be seen to be even more surprising.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and directing duo the Russo brothers confirmed that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Downey Jr. was confirmed to be debuting as iconic Marvel villain Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, marking a huge shift from his previous heroic role in the MCU. Both Evans and Downey Jr. seemed unlikely to return to the MCU, so these updates raise hopes that another lost Avengers: Endgame hero could return.
Scarlett Johansson Is Endgame’s Only Lost Avenger Waiting To Return The returns of Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. mean that Scarlett Johansson is the only main MCU actor whose character met her demise in Avengers: Endgame who is waiting to return. Johansson did appear as Natasha Romanoff in 2021's Black Widow, a retroactive solo movie set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. This movie released following the character's death in Endgame, but didn't manage to capture the audience's imagination.
Black Widow's MCU Movies
Year
Iron Man 2
2010
The Avengers
2012
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2014
Avengers: Age of Ultron
2015
Captain America: Civil War
2016
Avengers: Infinity War
2018
Captain Marvel
2019
Avengers: Endgame
2019
Black Widow
2021
There had been calls for several years for a solo Black Widow movie, especially after Avengers: Age of Ultron provided a glimpse at Romanoff's history and upbringing in the sinister Red Room. However, Phase 4's Black Widow ignored Romanoff's early life in the actual Red Room, instead choosing to show her time with her surrogate family in America, and picking up years later, exploring her family's reunion. This means that there are still many elements of Black Widow's MCU timeline that haven't been addressed.
This was the latest in a long line of insults that Marvel Studios delivered towards Natasha Romanoff's Black Widow. Despite being one of the MCU's original heroes, the first formidable female hero and a founding member of the Avengers, Black Widow never got the justice she deserved, and was then killed off before she could battle Thanos alongside all her returned friends. It would be great to see Scarlett Johansson return to the MCU, whether that be as Black Widow or someone new, and the opportunity may already be there for this to happen.
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Marvel Studios Is Working With Scarlett Johansson On A Secret Project Despite her departure from the MCU as an actor, and the subsequent Black Widow-focused lawsuit, Scarlett Johansson was confirmed to still be involved with Marvel Studios as a producer on a secret project (via The Hollywood Reporter). This as-yet-unannounced project is still in development at Marvel Studios, as confirmed by Johansson herself in conversation with Comicbook.com during last year's strikes. Very little is known about what character might be featured, and Scarlett Johansson's own role behind the scenes.

It is still happening. Yes. It is still happening, [but] not currently because nothing is happening right now. We're all sort of in this holding pattern as we wait out the writers' strike and potentially our own guild strike, and so on and so forth… Right before the strike, we were in the middle of developing it, and now everything is at a simmer.

While Johansson isn't expected to act in this project, this could be seen as her return to the MCU. There are only a handful of announced Marvel Studios projects scheduled for release in the coming years, while there are some empty slots in the MCU's Phase 6 slate. It's also unclear whether Scarlett Johansson's Marvel project will be a movie or a TV series for Disney+. While Johansson returning to Marvel Studios as a producer is exciting, this would be far outweighed by her coming back in front of the camera, joining Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.
Who Could Scarlett Johansson Be Recast As In The MCU’s Future? Close Scarlett Johansson has suggested time and again that she won't be returning to the MCU as an actor, and wouldn't be bringing Natasha Romanoff's Black Widow back into live-action. However, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans' returns could convince her to change her mind, as these two actors coming back could mean that the entire original Avengers cast could reunite in the MCU's future. Of course, Downey Jr. will be playing villain Doctor Doom, and Evans could reprise his role of Johnny Storm again, so Johansson could play someone entirely new.
With Robert Downey Jr.'s turn as a villain, Scarlett Johansson could bring a villainous Black Widow into the MCU. This could be a variant who never defected to SHIELD, perhaps still working for the Red Room, giving Johansson new avenues to explore. There is also speculation that Johansson's secret project could debut the Blonde Phantom, which would be a fantastic role for Johansson herself. She would also be perfect for the likes of the Inhuman Queen, Medusa, and Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew, but only time will tell if the final missing hero from Avengers: Endgame actually returns to the MCU.
Avengers: Endgame PG-13 FantasyAdventureAction Where to Watch stream rent buy Not available
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Director Joe Russo , Anthony Russo Release Date April 26, 2019 Writers Stephen McFeely , Christopher Markus Runtime 182 Minutes prequel(s) Avengers: Age of Ultron , Avengers: Infinity War , The Avengers Upcoming MCU Movies Captain America: Brave New World
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