In the final of the 50th season of Saturday Night Live, Scarlett Johansson brought his unmistakable charm and his wit on the stage, offering a memorable performance together with the music guest Bad Bunny. One of the most salient moments was the exhilarating sketch "Please Don't Destroy", in which Johansson made fun of the box office collections of the Avengers films, while faced a chaotic first-class flight scenario that turned into a comic turbulence.
The sketch saw the trio of "Please Don't Destroy" - Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy - to which Johansson's character gave first-class airline tickets as an end-of-season gift. Initially, the group enjoyed luxury, and then launched into a Lonely Island rap on the advantages of their luxurious experience, with Johansson joining them wearing a glamorous suit and launching a bar with ease. The atmosphere changed when Johansson randomly mentioned their destination: Newark-Liberty International Airport, sadly known for recent air traffic control problems and delays. This revelation triggered the panic between the three, amplified by the real reports on Newark's operational difficulties, including chronic cancellations and interruptions.
While the sketch precipitated in chaos, the navigation screens of the plane darkened and the pilots lost contact with the control tower. The emergency signals flashed and the cabin trembled, pushing the passengers to confess their regret. Johansson pronounced the final joke with perfect impassive humor: "It might seem trivial, but the only thing I potted is that Avengers has not collected more at the box office". The joke was a joking arrow to the huge, but perhaps not enough, collections of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for his character, a black widow, referring to the cultural giant that he collected billions globally with films such as Avengers: Endgame.
To aggravate the absurdity, Bad Bunny made a cameo in the role of a novice flight controller who tried to drive the plane towards salvation through harmonized instructions, merging his musical talent with comic timing. The sketch focused on the exaggerated anxiety of flying to Newark, showing Johansson's ability to balance a conscious humor with an exaggerated premise. His alchemy with the Please Don't Destroy and Bad Bunny team enhanced the scene, making it the highlight of the episode.
Johansson's mention at the Avengers' box office was not his only time in the final. The episode opened with a cold opening with James Austin Johnson in the role of Donald Trump and included a musical monologue on the notes of Billy Joel's "Piano Man", in which Johansson led the cast in a tribute to the 50th season of Saturday Night Live. Subsequently, the notorious exchange of jokes of the Weekend Update saw her husband Colin Jost and Michael, who exchanged brutal arrows with Johansson, who previously said he was shocked by the daring jokes that on her during the episode of December 2024 conductor seven times and darling of fans.
The sketch on Newark airport also reflected SNL's ability to merge current cultural references with the absurd comedy. The real problems of Newark's air traffic have provided fertile ground for exaggeration, while Johansson's joke about Avengers drew on his long history in the MCU, where he played Natasha Romanoff from Iron Man 2 of 2010 to Black Widow of 2021. Although he firmly affirmed that Natasha is "dead" and will not return after the endgame, his playful tone as a Franchise added a touch of irony, given the record success of Avengers' films.
Bad Bunny's involvement added further emphasis on the sketch. Fresh from the announcement of his residence in Puerto Rico for no me quiero Ir de Aquí, the Reggaeton superstar has shown his comic qualities, equal to the energy of Johansson and strengthening his growing status as a "friend of the show" of the SNL. His role as flight controller was an intelligent tribute to his musical roots, while inserting himself perfectly into the chaotic atmosphere of the sketch.
Ultimately, the sketch Please Don't Destroy was a microcosm of Johansson's abilities as a presenter: acute, self-confident and without fear of making fun of her own Hollywood inheritance. The combination of his arrow to the Avengers, the topicality of Newark, and the unexpected Cameo of Bad Bunny made the closure of the epochal season of SNL memorable. Fans on social media praised the absurdity of the sketch and the playful attitude of Johansson, with a Reddit user who commented: "Scarjo's ability to play that beaten at the box office was a poured gold: he is a real champion to exploit it".
While Johansson continues his post-MCU career with projects such as Jurassic World Rebirth and Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme, his appearance at Saturday Night Live reminded his comic versatility to the public. Whether it's rapping on first-class misfortunes or jokes on a franchise by billions of dollars, it remains a force of nature on the screen, showing that she can achieve the joke perfectly even in a turbulent sketch.
Source: Deadline