This chapter was pretty difficult to write, for obvious reasons, so I hope you all enjoy it.
Jinero: Yep, Stan Lee is a man who changed comics forever. At some point, I will write a sequel, I'm just not sure when. Yes, I remember, I don't blame you.
Nora-11: Indeed.
Guest 1: Yeah, I know, I've seen it.
Guest 2: Well, he's an actor, not a writer, so I guess I can forgive that. You're right, thank you for pointing that out.
Guest 3: Yes, it was.
Guest 4: Sorry, it really doesn't make much sense, due to how Tony would be feeling watching that scene.
Guest 5: It's certainly possible, but I don't think Loki would have gone along quietly and would have escaped in a matter of days.
Guest 6: Sorry, I like to do watch it fics with a point to it and I really just don't see a point to that.
In Sanctuary II, 2014 Nebula threw 2023 Nebula down in disgust. 2023 Nebula told Gamora she could stop this as she wanted to. She asked if Gamora knew what Thanos did to her to get the Soul Stone. 2014 Nebula shut her up by kicking her down, saying she disgusted her.
"She was a monster," Sam said, all of them disturbed by how sadistic this Nebula was.
"If this is what she like just a few ears from our time, she's come far," Steve said as they all nodded.
2014 Nebula then said 2023 Nebula wasn't useless as she took out her knife and cut off some armor plating. She later walked to Thanos on his throne, the armor plating now on her as she asked how she looked as she held out the Pym Particle for him.
"Shit shit shit," Clint swore as the past Avengers all tensed.
"He's gonna send her back in our Nebula's place," Tony realized as he paled.
"And then bring him to our time," Steve said grimly.
"You mess with time, time fights back," Parker said grimly.
Natasha and Clint arrived at Vormir. The pair looked out the window of the Benatar as Clint said it would be awesome under different circumstances.
"Totally awesome," Clint said as he and Natasha both smirked.
"It would be," Natasha agreed.
They trekked through Vormir as Natasha complained the raccoon wouldn't have to climb a mountain. Clint said he wasn't a raccoon technically.
"He eats garbage, he's a raccoon," Natasha dismissed.
Natasha countered by saying he ate garbage.
"Don't repeat yourself Romanoff," Tony quipped and Natasha rolled her eyes good naturedly.
Then the Red Skull appeared, announcing, "Welcome. Natasha, Daughter of Ivan. Clint, Son of Edith." They took their weapons out in defense.
Natasha nearly started at this, only her training as both a member of the KGB and an agent of SHIELD preventing her from doing so. Instead, she merely filed the information away for later use.
Natasha asked who was Schmidt said he was their guide for the Soul Stone. Natasha said he could tell them where it was and they'd be on their way. He whispered something in German before revealing his face, saying if only it were that easy.
Clint felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him as the denial faded and the realization hit him.
"No, no," Clint said in a choked voice as he looked over at Natasha in a panic as she simply looked at him calmly before he looked at Parker and Scarlet pleadingly. "No."
Scarlet's pained look and Parker's grim stare was all the proof he needed. The pieces all fell into place as everyone stared at Natasha, shock, horror and grief hitting them along with the realization of what was about to happen. Clint slumped back into his chair, a hand over his face as Natasha looked at him sadly, knowing he wouldn't take this well. None of them would, Natasha mused as she looked around at her friends, her family.
"What you seek lies in front of you...as does what you fear," Schmidt said as he led them to the cliff. "The Stone is down there?" Natasha asked. "For one of you. For the other..." He trailed off as Natasha and Clint realized what he was saying. "In order to take the Stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul, for a soul."
"That thing is pure evil," Scott said in disgust and thinly restrained anger. "What king of tradeoff is this?"
"One no one would take. Almost no one. The price was demanded so anyone making it would understand the power of the stone," Scarlet said gently.
"That's bullshit," Steve said roughly, his eyes shining with unshed tears.
Natasha was sitting down later as Clint sarcastically waved to Schmidt. He told Natasha Schmidt was making this shit up but she said he was right. Clint asked if it was because he knew her daddy's name but she said she didn't know it either.
"You didn't know?" Peter asked softly and Natasha shook her head.
"I never knew either of my parents' names," Natasha said.
Natasha remembered Thanos had left with the Soul Stone but not Gamora which couldn't be a coincidence. "Whatever it takes," Natasha said remembering Steve's words earlier as she looked across at Schmidt.
"No," Clint moaned, his voice cracking.
"Whatever it takes," Natasha repeated and Steve flinched.
"Not that," Thor said gruffly.
"It's too high a price Nat," Steve said roughly. "We don't trade lives."
"We have to, or billions of people will stay dead," Natasha argued.
Steve flinched, the situation settling on them all. None of them were willing to give up just yet, but there was truly no other way.
"Damn logic," Tony said in a gruff voice.
"Damn it all to hell," Rhodey agreed gruffly.
"Whatever it takes," Clint said too. Natasha walked to him and said billions of people would stay dead if they didn't get the Stone. Clint said then they both knew who it had be. Natasha said they did and as they held hands, Clint realized they meant different people.
"You really think I'd let you die?" Natasha asked softly.
"You think I'd let you?" Clint said gruffly.
Natasha nodded, conceding his point. She knew neither of them would let the other go without a fight. Remembering Barton's haunted eyes as he told her he'd failed her, Natasha's throat tightened as she looked at Clint, worried for him.
"For the last five years I've been trying to do one thing: Get to right here," Natasha told Clint. "That's all it's been about. Bringing everybody back." "Oh, don't you get all decent on me now," Clint said. "What, you think I wanna do it?" She asked. "I'm trying to save your life, you idiot."
"Yeah, well I don't want you to!" Clint shouted angrily.
"I said the same thing to you when you tried to recruit me," Natasha remembered and Clint looked at her pained. "This is the way it has to be Clint."
Clint put a hand to his face, looking like he was about to start crying at any moment. He wasn't the only one. Steve looked like he was trying to remain strong as Tony stared ahead, an iron mask hiding his true feelings. Thor looked solemn as Wanda looked to be holding back tears. Sam, Rhodey, and Scott seemed to be in similar states to Wanda as T'Challa and Vision simply looked sad. Peter looked like a kid who'd suddenly found out on his heroes was dead.
"Yeah well, I don't want you to, because I..." Clint trailed off. "Natasha, you know what I've done. You know what I've become."
"Compared to what I was when we first met, you're a saint Clint," Natasha said, desperately trying to keep her voice even.
"I don't judge people on their worst mistakes," She said to him. "Maybe you should," He told her guiltily. "You didn't," She reminded. Clint said she was a pain in his ass as they held hands and touched their heads. He said she won.
"You're just gonna let her go, just like that?" Scott asked his voice on the edge of breaking.
"Not on your life," Clint said roughly.
They were like that for a few seconds before he suddenly flipped her to the ground and said, "Tell my family I love them."
"You can tell them yourself," Natasha said gently, knowing Clint would be able to see his family again.
Clint didn't answer, simply staring ahead at the screen, a single tear running down his cheek.
Natasha flipped him down and said, "You tell them yourself." She fired her Widow's Bite, sending shocks through him and ran off.
"Damn you, why'd you have to be so stubborn!?" Clint exploded, his shoulders shaking as he fought not to break down.
"I learned from the best," Natasha said with a weak smile.
Then Clint recovered and fired an explosive arrow next to her, a small explosion knocking her down. He threw off his bow and ran to the cliff, jumping off. At the last moment, Natasha grabbed onto him and used a grappling hook, attacking it to Clint, leave them both hanging. Clint grabbed her hand, stopping her from falling to her death.
Everyone stilled, knowing what was about to happen next.
"Why couldn't you just let me go?" Clint said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
"You know why," Natasha said, managing to keep her voice even barely.
And he did. He knew she was trying to get him back to Laura and the kids. Part of him even loved her more for it. But another part of him hated her for it.
"Damn you!" Clint whispered as he held onto her. Clint tried to lift her up but realized he couldn't without killing both of them. "Let me go," She whispered.
By this point, there wasn't a single dry eye in the room. Everyone was Either fighting a losing battle to the tears or just not caring as the tears fell down their cheeks and they stared, knowing what was about to happen, wanting to look away but unable to do so.
"No," He begged. "Please, no." She whispered in an assuring tone, "It's okay."
"No it's not!" Steve snapped in a way that uncharacteristically rough of him. "It's not."
"Nothing about this is okay Nat," Tony said hollowly.
"No, it's not," Natasha agreed. "But it's the job."
"This job sucks," Peter muttered.
"Which is why not everyone can do it kid," Natasha said with a sigh.
"Please..." Clint begged when Natasha pushed herself off the wall, yanking her hand out of his. "NAT!" He screamed in horror. Clint looked away, unable to watch before hesitantly looking back. Natasha's broken and bleeding body was shown at the bottom of the cliff.
There was an unhuman scream that echoed throughout the room. It took everyone a moment to realize it had come from Clint. In that moment, the calm, strong Hawkeye was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a broken man who had just seen his best friend die. Clint had his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed. And he wasn't the only one.
Steve stared ahead, looking as though the will to fight had left him. Tony looked like he had when Thanos had snapped in the recordings, grief written all over his face. Wanda looked to be on the verge of tears as Peter looked shocked that the Black Widow, who had always seemed larger than life, was dead. Sam placed a hand on Peter's shoulder as he looked at Natasha sadly, unshed tears in his eyes. Vision looked solemn as Scott, Rhodey and T'Challa simply looked shocked by what had happen.
But it was Thor's reaction that was the worst. Thor clenched his hands into fists, grabbing his pants legs so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Outside, the people on the street looked up as rain clouds suddenly came out of nowhere, covering the sky as powerful lightning bolts struck above, causing people to run in panic, try and find somewhere safe.
Inside, everyone heard the lightning and tuned to Thor, who was shaking as he sobbed.
"Thor," Natasha said softly as she stood up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm still here. You need to calm down. People are in danger."
Thor didn't want to. He wanted to let his emotions run wild, to let his power lay waste to this horrible future. But a voice that sounded suspiciously like his mother told him that was the grief talking and he'd regret it later. So, with great difficulty, Thor stomped on his emotions, managing to restrain his power as, outside, the sudden storm stopped, the lightning and clouds dispersing as the people outside stared in bewilderment.
For a moment, it was silent as everyone tried to process what they'd seen. Then, a voice spoke up.
"You knew; you knew you were going to…" Steve trailed off, his voice gruff as Natasha nodded. "How?"
"When?" Tony asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
"Since after the first recording," Natasha admitted. "Barton, he wouldn't look at me. I followed him to Steve's office and overheard a conversation between him and Lila. I asked him if I was dead here and he admitted it. The moment he got up to leave… I knew what was going to happen."
"It should've been me," Clint muttered but they all heard him loud and clear.
"Don't you dare say that," Natasha snapped as she made her way over to him. "I wanted you to see your family again. And I'd do the same thing now if I had to."
"The essence of heroism is to die so others may live," T'Challa said softly as he looked at Natasha sadly. "This timeline owes you a great deal Ms. Romanoff."
"More than they'll ever know," Tony said gruffly, fighting not to break down.
"I'm sorry," Clint said brokenly.
Natasha's only response was to kneel down and bring him in for a hug. Clint clung to her, sobbing into her shoulder like a child.
In the living room, Barton and Lila heard all the commotion from outside and exchanged a glance.
"Looks like they saw what happened to Auntie Nat," Lila said softly. "You ready to go back in?"
"No," Barton said, dreading the prospect of facing them all now that they knew. "But I can't hide out here forever, can I?"
Inside the viewing room, Clint let Natasha go; wiping his eyes once he gained control of himself. The mood in the room was solemn as they looked at Natasha. Suddenly, the doors burst open and Barton and Lila reentered the room. As they looked at him, Barton made no attempt to hide the look in his eyes anymore. They could now clearly see the haunted man he was.
Some of them wanted to say something, to confront him, blame him, maybe even console him. But they were just too numb from what they had just seen. Not a word was said as the pair retook their seats and Natasha sat back down. Baton held his hand out and Scarlet silently handed him the controller. After a moment, he unpaused the recoding.
A bright light shone and later, Clint woke up in water. He sat up and looked around, panting heavily before noticing the Soul Stone in his hand.
"I hate that damn thing," Clint muttered as he glared at the screen.
"I've hated it every day for ten years," Barton said gruffly.
No one else said a word, still too numb from what they'd seen.
Seeing that, he sobbed bitterly, hitting the water angrily.
Everyone returned through the Quantum Realm to the Compound and took off their suits as Bruce realized they had got them all and Rhodes was shocked that it worked.
"The price was too high though," Rhodey muttered.
Then Clint fell to his knees, the following thump making everyone look over at him. Bruce asked Clint where Nat was. Clint's expression was all everyone needed to know as Bruce gasped softly while Steve and Clint exchanged a look and Steve lowered his head, trying not to break down. Bruce fell to his knees and angrily punched the Quantum Tunnel.
Steve, Clint, Thor and Tony looked away, the sight too emotional for them right now, the wound still fresh. Barton simply stared at the screen, feeling hollow as Lila took his hand and Scarlet placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to offer him some sort of comfort even as they both felt tears pricking at the corner of their eyes.
Later, the other five original Avengers stood on a dock near the water, trying to come to terms with Natasha's death. "Do we know if she had family?" Tony asked in a voice that was barely a whisper. "Yeah," Steve said softly. "Us."
"Thank you," Natasha said softly as she looked around at them. "Before I met you guys…I never had a family. The closest thing I had was a few people in the Red Room I was close to and they would've killed me without a second thought if they were ordered to. Thank you…for being my family."
The Avengers, both past and future, struggled to contain their emotions. Clint, Steve and Wanda struggled to contain their tears and Barton, Lila and Scarlet weren't much better. Tony and Thor both had wounded looks on their faces as Sam and Rhodey looked at Natasha sadly.
"What?" Thor asked as he walked to Tony. Tony said, "I just asked him a question..." Thor, still in disbelief, cut him off, "Yeah, you're acting like she's dead. Why are we acting like she's dead? We have the Stones, right? As long as we have the Stones, Cap, we can bring her back, isn't that right? So stop this shit. We're the Avengers, get it together." Clint said sadly, "We can't get her back." "Wha- what?" Thor slurred. Clint let the harsh reality sink in for both himself and told Thor, "It can't be undone. It can't."
"An everlasting exchange," Steve said darkly.
"We tried to bring her back with everyone else and when the stone was returned. Didn't work," Parker said sadly.
Thor laughed. "I'm sorry. N-No offense, but you're a very earthly being. Okay? We're talking about space magic. And "can't" seems very definite don't you think?" Thor asked "Look, I know that I'm way outside my paygrade here," Clint started. "But she still isn't here, is she?" "Now that's my point," Thor started, "It can't be undone," Clint said again before snapping angrily. "Or that's at least what the red floating guy had to say. Maybe you wanna go talk to him? Okay? Go grab your hammer, and you go fly and you talk to him!"
"Never seen you that pissed off before," Natasha noted and Barton smiled darkly.
"I'd lost you, I felt like I lost part of myself," Barton said hollowly. "It felt like part of me jumped down that cliff with you."
Thor and Steve could relate, Thor thinking of seeing Loki killed by Thanos and Steve thinking of seeing Bucky falling to his supposed death during World War Two. You never knew how much the person closest to you defined part of you until you lost them.
Thor looked guilty as Steve looked up with a tear rolling down his cheek. "It was supposed to be me," Clint cried.
"Don't say that, never say that," Natasha said, holding back her own tears as she placed a hand on Clint's shoulder and looked to Barton. "Tell me you don't feel that way now."
Barton was silent as Lila flinched. Her father had never been quite the same once he came back from fighting Thanos. Hearing him tell them that Natasha was dead was probably the worst memory of her life.
"She sacrificed her life for that goddamned Stone. She bet her life on it," Clint said. Bruce angrily ripped out a bench and threw it into the water.
Steve closed his eyes, fighting back tears as the gloomy atmosphere increased. Tony, Wanda, and Thor also looked like they were going to break down at any moment. Clint just looked ahead solemnly, feeling numb.
Turning around, Bruce said, "She's not coming back."
Steve desperately wanted his shield in that moment; to throw it at the screen, break something. From the look on Clint's face, he could tell the archer shared the sentiment. He never thought he could hate someone more than Hydra, but Thanos had found a way to surpass Steve's hate of even the Red Skull.
Bruce told everyone, "We have to make it worth it. We have to." Steve got up, recovering himself and masking his emotions said, "We will."
"We won't let your sacrifice be for nothing," Steve promised Natasha gruffly, his eyes filled with unshed tears.
"I know," Natasha said, trying to smile but it just came out as a grimace.
Later, Tony, Bruce and Rocket worked together to make the bots attach the Stones to the newly made Nano-Gauntlet. Tony still looked like he was trying to stop himself from crying. Soon, the Stones were assembled together in the Nano-Gauntlet.
"Well, we did it," Scott said but he didn't feel the sense of victory he'd thought it would.
"It only cost everything," Sam said bitterly.
"Boom!" Rocket said, startling the other two and then chuckled mischievously.
"I'm really starting to dislike him," Tony muttered.
Later, all of them stood together as Rocket said the Gauntlet was finished and the question was who snapped their fingers. Thor stepped up, saying he would do it as Steve and Tony tried to stop him, saying they hadn't decided who was gonna put it on. Thor asked if they were waiting for an opportunity, saying staring at the thing won't bring everyone back. "I'm the strongest Avenger, okay?" He said. "So this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty." Tony tried to talk him down and Thor angrily snapped at. "Just let me. Just let me do it. Just let me do something good. Something great," Thor begged.
"You're not exactly in peak condition pal," Tony pointed out.
"It was my fault, I let Thanos win by not going for the head," Thor said firmly. "I need to make up for my mistake."
Tony said the glove was channeling enough energy to light up a continent and he was in no condition to do it. Thor asked what he thought was flowing through his veins right now. Rhodes jokingly asked if it was cheese whiz.
"Okay, seriously, what is with you being a jerk in this recording? Usually, that's my job," Tony said and Rhodey shrugged.
"Not sure. Sorry Thor," Rhodey apologized and Thor nodded, although he looked at Rhodey oddly, as did everyone else.
Thor said it was lightning when Bruce said, "Lightning won't help you, pal. It's gotta be me. You saw what those Stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive." Steve asked, "How do we know you will?" Bruce walked to the glove and looking at it said, "I don't. But the radiation's mostly gamma. It's like...I was meant for this."
"So, because it's giving off Gamma Radiation, he thinks he can survive it?" Steve asked and the future Avengers nodded.
"Kind of weak motivation though, isn't it?" Tony muttered.1
"Beggars can't be choosers," Lila said with a shrug.
Outside, 2014 Nebula walked to the Quantum Tunnel and using her cybernetics, hacked into it.
"And she's still here," Rhodey muttered.
"And we're so caught up in our grief we don't realize anything's wrong," Steve said grimly.
"Not until it's too late," Barton sighed.
Bruce looked at the glove as Tony reminded him to bring back everyone Thanos had snapped 5 years ago and not change anything else. "Got it," Bruce said. Steve raised his shield as Scott and Rhodes shut the visors on their suits while Thor put an arm in front of Rocket to protect him and Tony put on his Iron Man Armor: Mark LXXXV. He also formed a shield, putting Clint behind him. "Friday, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol will you?" "Yes, boss," FRIDAY said as all the doors and windows were shut and barred. Bruce looked at the Gauntlet and said, "Everybody comes home."
"It all comes down to this then," Tony said as they all tensed.
"Please work," Peter begged.
Bruce then slowly put on the Gauntlet, which expanded to fit his hand and he immediately screamed in pain as energy surged through him. Thor told him to take it off as Steve asked if he was all right and Tony asked to talk to him. Bruce assured he was okay.
"He doesn't look like it," Sam pointed out worriedly.
"The fact that he's still standing while wearing it is impressive on its own. A normal human would be on their knees just from putting it on," Parker explained.
Outside, 2014 Nebula pressed some commands and a gateway was opened from 2014. The Sanctuary II flew through the Quantum Realm at atomic size before flying out, enlarging to its regular size as it shattered the ceiling above.
"He's here," Wanda whispered as they all paled.
"Here we go again," Steve said grimly.
Bruce panted heavily and yelled before raising his hand and snapping his fingers.
No one made a sound, too tense to even celebrate, not daring too move in case something had gone wrong.
Bruce fell down as the Gauntlet fell off his hand and Clint kicked it away while Tony used his suit's mechanism to cool down Bruce's now charred arm.
"Shit," Clint muttered as they all saw Bruce's arm.
As the doors and windows started opening, Bruce asked if it worked and Thor said they weren't sure but told him to take it easy. Scott walked to the window when Clint heard his cell phone vibrate. He walked to it and was shocked to see Laura's picture on the screen.
"Laura," Clint breathed, hope filling his heart for the first time since he and Natasha had arrived on Vormir.
Clint picked up the phone and said in a choked voice, "Honey?" "Clint?" She asked. "Honey?" He said again.
"It worked!" Peter cheered as Clint laughed, almost delirious.
"It worked," Clint said in a bit of disbelief.
"Oh thank god," Scott said in relief as Tony nearly passed out from relief.
"I'm getting too old for this shit," Tony quipped and everyone laughed, the gloomy atmosphere leaving for a moment at the joy at bringing everyone back took over.
Scott noticed birds chirping outside as the sun shone a bit brighter and he said, "Guys…..I think it worked!"
"We brought everyone back. Now we just have to keep it that way," Steve said firmly, glancing over at Natasha. "We didn't get to this point just for Thanos to undo it."
Then Bruce looked up to see the Sanctuary II as it rained fire down on them. Scott was sent flying off but shrunk just as the blast hit him while Rhodes, Bruce and Rocket were thrown down when the floor below them shattered. All of them were thrown around as the entire Avengers Compound was blown to bits, the only thing left of it being rubble.
"Son of a bitch," Tony said as the original and new Avengers all paled.
The Compound had begun to feel like home to all of them. To see it destroyed so brutally and senselessly was not easy to see.
"Like Stephen Strange said, we're in the Endgame now," Vision noted.
"And we're not gonna let Thanos win this time," Steve said, glancing over at Tony, who nodded. "Whatever it takes."
Natasha's death is arguably the most tragic moment in the entire MCU and part of me will always be a little upset about it. With that said, and I know I'm probably gonna upset some of you by saying this, from a writing perspective, her death works. This isn't like Oliver Queen's death in the recent Arrowverse crossover where it happened because the writers have an unexplained and irrational hatred of Natasha. It actually fits the character Arc that Natasha has gone through since the first Avengers movie. Natasha has been a character who is defined by her need to feel redeemed. She doesn't need redemption in the eyes of the world or even her friends; she needs to feel redeemed in her own eyes, to wipe the red out of her ledger as she puts it. By giving her life to save her best friend, reunite him with his family as well as ensuring that everyone Thanos wiped out of existence is brought back; Natasha is able to give her life with the feeling that she is finally redeemed. And it just doesn't have that same weight to it if Clint makes that jump; we don't share the grief of the characters the same way, the emotional weight added to the story is not the same. It's the culmination of Natasha's entire character Arc and I honestly don't think she could've been written out any other way.
1: I've looked at it from every angle and, no matter what, I reach the same conclusion: Bruce doing the snap does not work. Bruce is the character affected least by the Decimation. He didn't lose anyone close to him with the arguable exception of Betty but given how the writers seem to want us to forget Betty ever existed, it's unlikely Bruce even knew about that. Bruce is also the only character who seems 100% content in a post Thanos world. His only real motivation for snapping, aside from basic morality, is that the stones give off Gamma Radiation. Essentially, it's like if in the first Thor movie, when Thor breaks into the SHEILD compound to get Mjolnir, he succeeds in lifting it. It's not a satisfying conclusion, because neither character has gone through the development needed make it meaningful.
If anyone is interested, a Youtuber called ThorTalk gives a very in-depth analysis about how having Thor do the snap is better not just for Thor, but Bruce as well in a video called 'Fixing Endgames' two worst characters'.