Oct. 16, 2023 is a very sad day for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it's the day Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff passes away.
While Avengers: Endgame was released in 2019, the events of the film took place in 2023 following the MCU's five-year time jump established in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. Though it could be debated that time travel puts her death in 2014, Marvel fans have deduced that the fateful day when Natasha perishes is Oct. 16, 2023 and as a result, the character is trending on social media as tributes pour in. Reaching the date has many of them saying goodbye to Natasha all over again, reminded of when the heartbreaking death scene played out on-screen back in 2019.
"Natasha Romanoff officially dies today on October 16, 2023!! I’m still not over her death and I’ll never be," one fan post on X reads. Another fan post somberly stated, "happy death day to natasha romanoff. you deserved to do whatever you wanted to do, with whomever you wanted to do it with on your last birthday." Revealing a Black Widow-inspired tattoo, another fan posted, "october 16th, 2023. i am officially living in a world that natasha romanoff does not exist in. thank u for the memories."
Black Widow had been a part of the MCU since her introduction in Iron Man 2 back in 2010. Avengers: Endgame featured the death of Natasha, but the film wasn't the swan song for Scarlett Johansson in the role. She starred in the prequel film Black Widow, which was released in 2021. Johansson has since said she's now officially finished playing the character. She told Variety earlier this year, "I'm done. Chapter is over. I did all that I had to do. Also coming back and playing a character again and again, over a decade of time, is such a unique experience."
What About Tony Stark?
Of course, Avengers: Endgame featured another major character death. Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, also sacrificed himself in the hit film, but it was notably not on the same day. According to Marvel fans, the consensus is that he died on the following day, Oct. 17. Chances are the popular superhero will similarly be getting a lot of love on social media to mark that occasion as well.
For now, fans are continuing to pay their respects to Black Widow. More tribute posts for the late character can be seen below.
Source: X