WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Black Widow, now in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access.
One of the most contentious points of Black Widow is the authenticity and sense of love embedded within Natasha's (Scarlett Johansson) spy family. Sure, they're all fake agents, planted by Russia in the '90s in order to infiltrate America, but when they reunite, the façade is dropped as we discover they genuinely care for each other. Interestingly enough, after the job gets done and the Red Room is shut down once more, there's a scene that easily stands out as the film's most heartwarming moment. But unfortunately, it was left on the cutting room floor.
The deleted scene, titled "Kiss," comes after Dreykov's airship crashes to the ground and Nat's family decides to head off with the Widows freed from the villain's brainwashing. It's a very endearing moment in the aircraft which Alexei and Melina are using to escape with the women following the destruction of the project.
They're battered and bruised, but safe and sound in the cockpit, with Melina lamenting her injuries. She says, "Oh, my left leg is broken," sentimentally reminding Alexei how vulnerable she can be. He sees her as a superwoman of sorts, being an elite soldier and genius scientist and whatnot, but this is them in their most basic, raw and exposed forms.
It leads to a mental lock as they stare into each other's eyes, with Alexei caressing Melina's face and tracing the bridge of her nose. It culminates in them kissing in a very passionate, cathartic moment that reiterates what they truly mean to each other, whether or not they're entrenched in a world-saving war or not. This shapes a romantic, emotionally-charged moment where all of their baggage, on display for most of their scenes, simply fades away.
This lip-lock, while reminding viewers that they're still in love, also clears up a misconception of their relationship earlier on. It did feel like Alexei lusted over Melina at the dining table and what they had was more physical as opposed to real and emotional, especially as he was tossed in prison by Dreykov for some mysterious infraction and she continued with her mind-control projects.
But this confirms that they really did consider each other husband and wife, even if they couldn't show it to themselves or their 'daughters.' They knew duty came first and trying to free each other would have been too tedious and painful, especially with the odds stacked against them. Luckily, all those shackles are removed as they flee the scene of the crime, alleviating so many heartbreaking moments where love and family did seem like an illusion as they all did their job for Mother Russia. Here, with a new life ahead, they can be themselves again; soulmates who are grateful that fate brought them back to each other to help change the world in a redemption arc as heroes.
From director Cate Shortland, Black Widow is now in theaters and streaming on Disney+ with Premier Access.