Especially because of their mediocre box office numbers, it’s a shame that two original Avengers had one of their biggest MCU storylines cut short. The original core Avengers are all iconic in their own right, each leaving a lasting legacy on the franchise. However, some tended to shine more than others.

The Avengers films are about the heroes working together, but each character still has their own individual arc. For Hulk and Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron, their storyline centered on a shared romance. It was already a questionable storyline to begin with, but it was eventually cut short, further proving how little significance it had in the franchise.

The MCU’s Original Avengers Have A Wide Range Of Box Office Results

Several Solo Films Crossed $1 Billion

Among the original Avengers who have had solo movies, they’ve had varying levels of box office success. Iron Man, being the first ever MCU film, makes its eventual $585 million global box office all the more impressive, already putting it in the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2008. Iron Man 3 even managed to cross the $1 billion mark.

The first two Captain America films also did well considering how early on they were in the MCU, and Captain America: Civil War also hit $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The Thor movies have always had consistently good numbers across four films, with even the lowest-rated Thor: The Dark World raking in $644 million.

The Hulk & Black Widow’s Box Office Results Make It Even Sadder The MCU Cut Their Joint Story Short

Their Romance Was A Rough Plot From The Start

On the other hand, both the Hulk and Black Widow’s box office results are on the lower side, not just for the studio but in general. Although it’s easy to forget about The Incredible Hulk, it is still MCU canon. The 2008 film only made $265 million worldwide, which came nowhere close to Iron Man’s numbers.

Black Widow only made $379 million worldwide, though its box office numbers were largely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since it was the first MCU film after lockdown, the film had a rocky release due to it simultaneously streaming directly on Disney+. Even before Black Widow’s box office results, though, she already had a storyline cut short.

Avengers: Age of Ultron introduced a romance storyline between Bruce and Natasha. It was generally poorly received, and rightfully so, considering how rushed and forced it felt. It’s a shame that their time to shine in the film was reduced to that, but even if Marvel didn’t want to continue their romance, they should’ve leaned more into their friendship.

The MCU Can Still Redeem Black Widow & The Hulk’s Stories

Natasha’s Legacy Lives On In Yelena

The MCU wasted so much potential with Black Widow and the Hulk. They set up a connection that could’ve been capitalized on from a purely platonic standpoint, as Natasha was shown to be one of the few people who could get through to Banner in his Hulk form. Doing so would’ve at least paid off their Age of Ultron stories.

However, there is still a way for the MCU to redeem this wasted potential with legacy characters. Yelena will be Natasha’s successor, and the Hulk is still active somewhere. Having Yelena and Bruce address the connection he had with Natasha would give closure to the Avengers storyline, and it wouldn’t be hard to make happen either.