'Black Widow' Movie: Prequel May Reveal the Avenger's Budapest Mystery

A missing, possibly steamy piece of Avengers history may be revealed in Marvel’s Black Widow standalone movie. An otherwise nondescript Instagram photo taken by the movie’s costume designer in Budapest has fans buzzing that Black Widow, which is all but confirmed to be a prequel to the Avengers movies, may reveal what went down between Natasha and Clint during an unknown mission that was first referenced in the original Avengers film.

On Wednesday, costume designer Jany Temime posted a rather breathtaking photo of the Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest, a five-star Hyatt hotel in Budapest, Hungary. “Beautiful hotel in an amazing location closed for 2 years, during the building of the hotel,” Temime wrote as a caption along with several hashtags.

One of them is newsworthy: “#filmonlocation.” Temime is currently at work on Black Widow, as some of her posts, which include selfies with Florence Pugh and Natasha herself, Scarlett Johansson, confirm her involvement.

As a result, fans on Temime’s Instagram connected the dots and deduced that Black Widow is shooting scenes on location in Budapest. This suggests the film will actually explore the S.H.I.E.L.D. mission that both Clint and Natasha hinted at in several of the Avengers movies.

Back in The Avengers in 2012, during the invasion of New York, Black Widow and Hawkeye referenced a piece of their history fans have yet to see: “Budapest.” Says Hawkeye, “You and I remember Budapest very differently.”

Years later, during the course of Avengers: Endgame, the two of them reference Budapest again on the way to Vormir. Speculation over what happened in Budapest heated up when (spoilers!) the Red Skull told them the price of the Soul Stone is to sacrifice the one they love the most. Clint and Natasha fought to sacrifice themselves, on the basis that they both loved each other. This is despite the fact Clint is a married man with kids at home.

So what happened in Budapest? It’s a piece of mystery lore Marvel fans have spent years speculating over, some even projecting their “shipping” desires into fan fiction. But no movie, TV, or tie-in comic has ever confirmed what happened. All fans know is that Hawkeye was involved, and as of now, it is unlikely that actor Jeremy Renner is also starring in Black Widow. The actor is gearing up for his own Hawkeye series on Disney+.

The events of Avengers: Endgame left many Marvel fans devastated, especially fans of Johansson’s character. But after years of fans demanding a Black Widow movie, they’re finally getting their wish with “Phase 4” of the MCU. Marvel’s upcoming movie slate has yet to be formally revealed, but fans will know soon enough.

Black Widow is expected to arrive in theaters in 2020.