Many people might think Black Widow is the weakest and most useless Avenger. That may be so in terms of physical strength. However, Black Widow possessed something far greater — one that St. Paul names as one of the triune godly virtues: Hope.
Black Widow was a character that knew nothing but suffering for her entire life. At a young age, she was taken by the KGB and harshly indoctrinated into the arts of assassination and spycraft. Her training was intense and brutal. Pain was an old friend for her. She was also sterilized, which denied her the joy of ever becoming a mother. Even in love, Black Widow never got the man she wanted.
What kept her going through all of that? What gave her the motivation to survive and plough through the grind of daily life? It was Hope.
Her Hope shone brightest after Thanos snapped his fingers and ended half of all sentient life. For 5 years, she single-handedly took over operations and led the Avengers. She was the only one who ‘carried on the mission’. Even Captain America urged her to call it quits just before Ant-Man came knocking.
Hope was the strongest attribute Black Widow had because she believed in something, even when all seemed lost. Her friends fell into despair and the world had gone to the dogs. Logically speaking, there was nothing left to fight for. But Black Widow still harbored hope. She hoped for something to happen — ANYTHING that could possibly help the situation. Even she did not know what could turn this around, which made it all the more beautiful. It was her Hope that opened the gateway for the Avengers to later reunite for a final mission to reverse the snap.
We all face difficult moments of darkness and anxiety when things become difficult. We may become disillusioned with life and fall into despair. However, let us remember that God has placed in each of our hearts too, the desire and longing for true happiness: that is Hope. We must never lose it, or we will lose our humanity too.
Black Widow also had much Hope for her friend, Hawkeye. So much so that she chose to sacrifice her life for his. Hawkeye was the logical choice to die for the Soul Stone. He already became a monster. Not looking upon his sins, Black Widow hoped for Hawkeye to repent and reunite with his family, despite all he had done. Hawkeye wanted to sacrifice his life to redeem his guilt, but Black Widow did it out of Hope for her friend and for the world.
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1 thought on “Black Widow & Hope”
We all need this kind of hope today.