As the opening credits droned on with a bleak cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit, I was worried that small segment would act as a mission statement for the entire film - and I was completely right. Some of the worst editing this series has ever produced and an unbearably incoherent third act that did nothing to honour one of the OG Avengers, this is absolutely not the way you want to start a new phase of your franchise. The post credit scene basically being a follow up to Marvel’s worst miniseries and simultaneously teasing their next leaves a bitter taste in the mouth and proves that no single entry in this series can stand on it’s own as a character moment and has to act as another cog in the plot machine. I’m sick of being breadcrumbed to the next thing or needing bridges between films, and I don’t think it’s wrong to want to just spend quality time with characters who have been kicking around for the better part of a decade. What should’ve been a heartfelt send off for Nat ends up being Yelena’s origin story (of course a film can do both but Black Widow just doesn’t even try) and it feels like a bit of a slap in the face for all ScarJo has done for this franchise. Florence Pugh and David Harbor try their best though.