'Avengers: Endgame' Directors Explain Decision to Kill One Character Over Another [SPOILERS]

This story includes spoilers for 'Avengers: Endgame.'

Avengers: Endgame was jam-packed with shocking moments, but maybe the most surprising was the death of Black Widow. Unlike Tony Stark, whose death was almost guaranteed coming into the film, fans had no reason to expect Natasha Romanoff's demise.

The former assassin-turned-Avenger sacrificed herself in order for Hawkeye to retrieve the Soul Stone as part of the Avengers' effort to gather all six Infinity Stones and repair the past.

Despite her death ultimately saving trillions of lives, many fans believe Black Widow's sacrifice wasn't necessary.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Endgame's directors, the Russo Brothers, explained why they killed off Black Widow rather than Hawkeye, who was also more than willing to sacrifice himself for the Soul Stone.

"We open the movie on [Hawkeye's] family," Anthony Russo said. "She reminds him of it in the scene. They both may have the mission in that moment where, 'I'm not going to let you kill yourself,' but Hawkeye has mixed agendas there, which I feel takes the edge off his focus in a way that she doesn't."

"To me it's one of the sadder scenes in the movie because it's really putting two people in a Sophie's Choice, putting two people in the position where do you let your friend die or do you die?" Joe Russo added.

Many fans were disappointed that Black Widow wasn't given a proper funeral, unlike Tony, whose funeral was the climax to the film.

But despite not giving her a funeral, the Russo Brothers still believe Natasha had a very honorable death, and epitomized the hero's role of sacrificing themselves for the greater good.

"The theme of the movie is, can you change your destiny, and what does it cost to do it? And are you willing to pay that cost," Joe said. "It's a resounding yes from the Avengers in Infinity War they said, 'We don't trade lives,' and there was a desire to protect. And in this movie, there's a desire to sacrifice in order to accomplish the goal. I think that's the natural progression, right? Well, the first thing we're going to do is protect everybody.' And then when you realize it can't work that way, then true heroes step up and are willing to sacrifice or the greater good."