Black Widow received positive reviews from fans and critics, but there was one part of the movie that just didn't seem to work for many people. We are, of course, referring to that awkward jump at the end when we go from seeing General Ross and his men closing in on Natasha Romanoff to her suddenly being free and clear with a new haircut (and absolutely no explanation).
Director Cate Shortland previously offered an explanation by saying, "That was intentional, because we wanted to leave the question of how she would get away, rather than allow the audience to get exhausted by another fight. We wanted to leave you guys on a high with the question of how did she use her ingenuity? I would say, she bargained her way out of that situation. But I don't know."
Well, now we do know thanks to a deleted scene from the movie that has found its way online.
Ross arrives and learns that Natasha took down the Red Room all by herself before placing her into custody. However, in this ending, Red Guardian, Yelena Belova, and Melina Vostokoff didn't bring Taskmaster with them and she's instead taken by the General. This feels a lot like a Thunderbolts tease, and it was previously rumoured that Ross might go on to assemble that team.
Marvel Studios might have changed course on that front, but we do later learn how Black Widow managed to escape from Ross. Why this ended up on the cutting room floor is hard to say.
Check out the deleted scene below: