Avengers 4 Endgame: HUGE Soul Stone plot hole – THIS devastating death does not make sense

Only US audiences are still waiting for Avengers 4 to hit the big screen. With many major territories including the UK already enjoying the emotional end of the Avengers saga, some major issues are starting to surface. There is no question that the Russos has achieved yet another cinematic triumph, but it is not quite as perfect as Infinity War and suffers from some glaring plot holes. Obviously, this article contains MAJOR SPOILERS beyond this point.

As predicted by most fan theories and the early on-set photographs, much of the movie concerns a dash through time to try and obtain the Infinity Stones before Thanos gets his big purple hands on them. The remaining Avengers and their new teammates split up and jump to various points in the past.

Hawkeye and Black Widow have the task of travelling to Vormir to face the Red Skull and obtain the Soul Stone. Faced with the shock revelation that one of them has to sacrifice someone they love, they then start a desperate (and slightly ridiculous) struggle to sacrifice themselves. Black Widow succeeds and her death allows Hawkeye to obtain the orange jewel.

Although it was cleverly foreshadowed in the Avengers Soul Stone poster featuring Hawkeye, there are three massive, major problems with this scene.

AVENGERS ENDGAME FULL PLOT SYNOPSIS HERE

Firstly: Why didn’t they know beforehand what would happen?

The shrine of Vormir is shrouded in secrecy but Nebula knew that Thanos and Gamora travelled there together and only he came back. The implication was that he sacrificed her. Surely there would have been some sort of discussion or attempt to discover the truth before they set out?

Secondly: The implication is that you have to sacrifice someone you most love. 

Red Skull told Thanos “To ensure whoever possesses it understands its power, the stone demands a sacrifice… In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. A soul… for a soul.”

This film had sneakily started linking Black Widow and Hawkeye earlier on when she tracked him down in Japan.

Even so, for such a  great prize surely you would have to give up the person you most treasured? In Thanos’ case it was only ever Gamora, since he didn’t love anyone else, and Hawkeye has already lost those dearest to him, his family. But is he really the person Black Widow most loves? Do they actually love each other that much? It seems a stretch. 

If anyone, it would have been much more emotional (and powerful) if the choice had come down to Natasha and Bruce, but their deep love was rather ignored in Avengers 4.

Other fans theories suggested Tony Stark might sacrifice Captain America or even Pepper. These would have been unbearable choices but worthy of the whole idea of the terrible way the Soul Stone works, but all the other character combinations were locked into other storylines.

Even so, it is the final issue that threatens to completely ruin this hugely emotional scene.

Thirdly: Hawkeye did not sacrifice Black Widow.

This is the real problem. The whole point is someone has to willingly and actively give up the person they love. Our two heroes both utterly missed this point. By sacrificing herself, Black Widow took away Hawkeye’s choice. Therefore, surely, he does not deserve the stone since he did not make the sacrifice himself?

Yes, it can be argued it is semantics. He still lost that which he loves and a sacrifice was made, but that feels like a clever way to wriggle out of the true devastating concept which underpins the Soul Stone. The be blunt, it robbed the scene of its soul.

AVENGERS ENDGAME IS OUT NOW