Marvel Studios
- "Avengers: Infinity War" ignores the most absurd subplot of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and the movie is better because of it.
- In "Age of Ultron," Black Widow and Bruce Banner have a romantic relationship.
Spoiler warning: Don't read if you have not seen "Avengers: Infinity War."
2015's "Avengers: Age of Ultron" is ridiculous for many reasons, but the most absurd aspect is the unlikely romantic relationship between Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Fortunately, "Avengers: Infinity War" pretty much ignores it.
In "Age of Ultron," it's unclear just how much Romanoff likes Banner - she is, after all, a spy who is a master of deception - and the relationship is mainly used as a plot device whenever the Hulk needs to be calmed down.
"Infinity War" makes sure to ignore that subplot. The two have an awkward and very brief encounter where they say 'hi' to one another and that's it. The move is satisfying. The relationship is acknowledged, but quickly left in the dust.
With so many characters and storylines already in the movie, it makes sense to leave that one on the cutting room floor - especially since it was so ludicrous in the first place.
Earlier this year, while talking to reporters on the set of "Infinity War," Ruffalo said that Banner and Romanoff were "star-crossed lovers, so it'll be something they're dealing with for the rest of their lives. Whether it's requited or unrequited, I don't imagine that's gonna go away any time soon in one iteration or another."
If there's anything still between them, we're glad it at least went away for the duration of the movie.
"Age of Ultron" isn't the best-reviewed movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has a 75% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, which isn't bad, but it's far from the score for "The Avengers," which has 92%.
"Infinity War" is also doing well among critics and has 84% as of Friday.