Because I'm still a bit salty that the scene by the lake is meant to be a proper send-off for her character.
No. Just no.
Tony Stark had been a polarizing figure for much of his life. Lauded for his genius creations, and chastised for his indiscretions. Looked up to as a tech giant, and looked down on as a weapons manufacturer. Thanked for his philanthropy, and judged for his lavish lifestyle. Worshipped as an iron hero, and vilified by those left in the wake of his suit of armour.
But the people who could speak negatively about his sacrifice to save so many lives were few and far between, and so he was celebrated and eulogized as a hero. The public mourned the loss of Iron Man with candles, wreaths, flowers, and children's drawings laid to rest on makeshift memorials. The Avengers, his friends, and his family mourned the loss of Tony Stark with a quiet ceremony on a sunny day at the lake.
Natasha Romanoff had been a shadow for much of her life, only rising to notoriety in the darkest of circles, for all the wrong reasons. Even after she went straight and began working for SHIELD, she was only whispered about. Even after being a founding member of the Avengers for that battle in New York, she had been a footnote after the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk. The public hadn't fallen in love with her as they did the other Avengers.
Then SHIELD was taken down, and all her carefully guarded secrets were thrust into the light. The public had not liked what they'd seen in the Black Widow's history, and she'd been called to testify and explain her actions, investigated thoroughly, and judged harshly.
Black Widow had helped save the world a few times over, but it seemed to matter little to the public who could only point to her dark past and make assumptions about her loyalties. In the days following the battle against Thanos, Black Widow's role in their victory was not reported by the media, and the public did not mourn her.
But Natasha Romanoff was mourned by the people who she'd fought alongside, the people who she'd help train, and the people to whom she'd been a leader. By the people who had earned her trust, and she'd let in. By her friends, and by the family she had carved out for herself.
Steve thought it particularly cruel that the woman who had given her life because she believed so firmly that they would succeed in bringing everyone back, was given no recognition at all.
Clint thought it unfair, but that maybe it was the way Natasha would have wanted it. She'd always been private that way, after all.
Thor didn't understand why people couldn't accept that she'd been a fierce warrior, worthy of celebration, laying down her life so that others could go on living their comfortable lives.
Bruce was bitter that the Hulk, who'd been seen as a monster by so many for so long, could be embraced as a hero and celebrated, but that the woman who'd been more human than all of them, was maligned for her past and not remembered as the hero she had been.
Steve's eyes sweep over the familiar clearing in the forest, noting that somehow, the missiles that had rained destruction on everything else in the area had missed this spot. There is a fine layer of soot and dust, but the trees still stand tall, and the vibrant colours of the flowers are pushing through the darkness as the sunlight sneaks through the leaves above.
It wasn't often that she could be convinced to leave the Avengers facility and leave behind the various scanners and communication devices that were her links to the world. But when she did leave, he always found her in the clearing. It had become something of a comfort to her, for reasons Steve had never understood and she'd never explained.
Yes, he thinks, this is perfect.
He brings Clint to the clearing and tries to explain its significance to Nat. He tells him how she had always looked just a little less burdened after some time there, and how they used to spend hours talking about the people they'd lost in an effort to honour them. He describes how she retreated there when another possible lead would fizzle out. He explains how this place seemed to be the only real semblance of peace she had found in those five years. He tells him that while he never understood why, he knew it was special to her, and that he thinks it would be a fitting place to remember her.
He asks if Clint wants to host the funeral at his farm...she'd been a part of the Barton family before the Avengers, after all.
Clint looks around the clearing and shakes his head. "No," he says, "Here. Let's have it here."
Steve and Bruce talk at length in the days leading up to the funerals about how to honour her, and what she would have wanted. They agree that a plaque is too insignificant for what she'd contributed to their lives, but that a monument isn't a fitting tribute given how private a person she had been.
It's Wanda who suggests planting a tree on the Avengers compound grounds. She explains with a sad smile that it was very Nat to have a monument hiding in plain sight, only known to those who she wanted to know of it. Okoye and T'Challa hear of the idea, and offer a tree from Wakanda known for its vibrant red blooms, and for its hardiness and longevity. They all agree it's a perfect fit, and after assurances that it will thrive in New York weather, the sapling is flown over from Wakanda.
And so, while the public still mourns for Iron Man, the Avengers gather in the clearing and celebrate the woman who'd sacrificed herself, betting her life that they would succeed in bringing everyone back. Some people speak a few words, some stay quiet and bow their heads, and some leave tokens of remembrance and honour at the base of the newly planted tree.
Clint looks around at everyone who has come to pay their respects, and a watery smile spreads across his face. She'd come into his life with no friends, no connections, and no desire to change that. And yet here she was, being celebrated by all these people whose lives she had touched in some way over the course of her life.
Laura, who loved Nat like a sister and welcomed her into their lives with open arms.
Lila and Cooper, who knew her only as Auntie Nat, the woman who had always had time to play or to read, and who always offered to listen to their gripes about their parents.
Nathaniel, who had known her briefly, but knew that he was named after her - the bravest woman his father had ever known.
Her last name may have been Romanoff, but she'd been a part of the Barton family for as long as they could remember, and they were mourning the loss of someone they had loved so very dearly. Her sacrifice had brought them back together, but left them with a gaping hole in their hearts.
Nick Fury and Maria Hill, who had been there from the very beginning. They'd watched as she had grown from a master assassin and spy to an Avenger and a leader. Nick may not have given her the warmest welcome in the beginning, but she had won him over and he'd become something of a father figure to her. Her circle of friends had grown over the years, but at the start it had been small and Maria had been one of the first to join it. They mourned the loss of a colleague who had defied and exceeded all expectations, and a friend who had been loyal to them with every fibre of her being.
T'Challa, who had witnessed firsthand the fierceness of her loyalty, come to respect it, and had counted her as an ally. Shuri, who hadn't known her personally but knew without her sacrifice she would still be dust. And Okoye, who had forged a friendship with a fellow warrior as they fought to pick up the pieces of the shattered world after the chaos of the snap. They mourned the loss of a fierce warrior, a kind leader, and a loyal friend.
Carol Danvers, who had only known her after her world was ripped apart. She respected the woman who had lost so much but still worked so fiercely to protect what was left and find a way to fix what had been done. She mourned a colleague, a friend, and a woman she knew unequivocally had been 'one of the good ones'.
Scott Lang, who'd known her only briefly, but had appreciated her enthusiasm to work on his outwardly ridiculous time travel idea. He knew that she had given up her chance at being with her own family to let everyone else get their loved ones back. And he would never forget that.
Sam, who'd spent years on the run with her. She'd trained him, fought alongside him, and saved his life more times than he could count. He respected the hell out of her, and was mourning the loss of a woman he counted among his closest friends.
Nebula and Rocket, who had worked with her in the years following the snap to protect what was left of the world. Her sacrifice had made it possible to bring back their ragtag family, and that was not by any means insignificant to them. And Quill, Mantis, Drax, and Groot, who knew that she had been a friend to their family when they couldn't, bowed their heads in respect of a hero.
Bucky, who had tried to kill her more than once during his time as the Winter Soldier. He had understood her more than anyone else ever could, given the similarities in their experiences of brainwashing and conditioning. She'd given up her freedom to let him and Steve go in Germany all those years ago, and he'd been grateful ever since.
Peter Parker, who had once fought alongside her in Germany. He had been starstruck meeting her for the first time, but had felt a sort of kinship with her...they were both spiders after all... He knew without her sacrifice, he wouldn't be standing where he was, and he would forever be in her debt for that.
Rhodey, who'd known her for longer than most. He'd watched as she took charge in the days following the snap, doing everything in her power to find a way to locate Tony, and to try and bring peace to a world thrown into chaos. It had been an awful time, but there was no one he thought more qualified and worthy of leading the Avengers than her. His heart was heavy with the loss of Tony, but he mourned the loss of her too; she had been a friend.
Pepper, who had seen her espionage skills up close and still decided to let her into her inner circle. They'd forged a friendship over the years, commiserating in their mutual hatred of Tony's antics, and finding solace in each other in an otherwise testosterone-filled Avengers Tower. Losing Tony meant she had lost a part of her family, but losing Natasha meant she'd lost a friend too.
Stephen Strange, who had looked forward in time and seen her death as a part of the one outcome in which they would win. He didn't know her personally, but honoured her role in saving the world, knowing that her sacrifice let the world go on living.
Happy, who had been embarrassed by her in their first meeting, but had shrugged it off eventually. They hadn't had many interactions in the time since, but he was grateful to her for watching Tony's back during Avengers missions. He knew that without her sacrifice the world wouldn't be what it was today, but that they were all of them the lesser for having lost her.
Wanda, who had been privy to some of Natasha's darkest memories in their first meeting. Despite their rocky start, Nat had welcomed her into the New Avengers. Training and mentoring Wanda had become her personal mission, and all the time they spent together eventually translated into a close friendship. Wanda mourned the loss of the woman who had become her big sister.
Thor, who had come to see Natasha as an equal warrior in her own right. He trusted her judgment, and enjoyed watching her confound and overwhelm enemies who assumed her smaller size and the fact that she was a woman made her a pushover. She'd been a friend to him, even though his brother had corrupted the mind of her best friend. He mourned the loss of yet another person that he had come to count as a confidante and friend.
Bruce, who had grown so close to her through the lullaby and exploring their feelings for each other. While they had never really gotten a chance to see where they could have gone, they'd found common ground in a tumultuous time. He had never been bitter that she had forced him to become the Hulk in Sokovia, just as she never held it against him that Hulk had taken off into space. She had sacrificed herself believing that they would succeed, her faith in her family never wavering, a fact which prompted a sense of pride in him. He had loved her, in his own way. She had been one of a kind, and he was certain that he'd never meet another woman like her.
Steve, who had spent years battling alongside her, and become her closest friend besides Clint. Her friendship had been a balm to his tortured soul. She'd helped him acclimate to the new century, and had been an unwavering and steady hand beside him as they took on darkness and evil. She may have teased him for being an old man, but she never thought less of him for his supposed outdated perspective on things. People liked to point to him as the heart of the Avengers, but he knew that it was Natasha that had held them together, with her tension-breaking humour, keen ability to know how to play on people's strengths, and her never-ending desire to just keep trying.
And Clint, who had been the first person to get to know Natasha Romanoff. He had helped her pull herself out of the dark cloud that the Red Room had left her mind in, and showed her that life didn't have to be cruel and painful all the time. He had always been impressed by her strength and her sheer force of will, but it was her heart that he loved most of all. They had taken everything from her, carving away at her innocence and her soul until all that was left was what they felt they could mould into a weapon. But she had broken free and had worked tirelessly to build herself back up, and she had clawed and fought for every ounce of the person she had become. She'd always wanted to be a better person, but never thought she could achieve it. He wished, more than anything, that he could have made her believe that she'd been the best out of all of them. That she had become a good person, and was worthy of being loved, admired, and cherished by her family and friends. That she was worthy of being remembered as the hero she truly was.
This was certainly cathartic to write, I tell ya. More in the pipeline, because that movie has too many loose threads and unexplored moments to let lie.
Thoughts, comments, etc...if you're so inclined. :)