Is Marvel Planning A Black Widow Prequel Film?

There’s been talk of a solo Black Widow film from Marvel ever since she first appeared in Iron Man 2. Kevin Feige has repeatedly stated that he’s open to the idea, and Scarlet Johansson’s portrayal of the super spy has been well received by audiences. So, what’s the big holdup?

Feige recently suggested that the studio was “too busy” at the moment to greenlight a female-driven film, but that sentiment may change now that Sony has announced their own female-led spin-off of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise tentatively slated for 2017. Feige took quite a bit of heat from fans with his recent comments, so announcing a Black Widow film sooner rather than later would be a great way to save face while showing that Marvel is keen on keeping up with the competition.

Fan chatter about a Black Widow film started anew this week, when Disney Pictures released a new deleted/extended scene from this year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was meant to take place near the end of the film, when Natasha Romanoff disables the security protocols at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ and dumps the entire organization’s dirty laundry on the internet. Not only does it incriminate S.H.I.E.L.D. and the HYDRA agents secretly operating there, but it makes all of Black Widow’s secretive past public knowledge as well.

The extended version of the scene features a few key hints at what that past may contain. Robert Redford’s character mentions Budapest, Osaka, and “the Children’s Ward.” Could these little hints be a tease at some further explanation of Black Widow’s history, through a prequel film or Marvel One Shot short film?

This is all speculation, of course, but it’s an interesting idea. Marvel hasn’t done a prequel before and if anywhere deserves one it’s Black Widow. The studio has kept her backstory intensely mysterious thus far while giving her bigger parts to play in each subsequent appearance. We heard about “Budapest” during The Avengers, and know that the mission somehow involves Hawkeye. I’m not the first fan to suggest that Marvel tackle a Budapest prequel that serves as a Hawkeye and Black Widow team-up, but will do so again here.

The “Children’s Ward” could refer to the Red Room Program, a Soviet/KGB super-science division dedicated to creating super spies. In the comics, Natalia Romanova was one of the spies who came out of the Red Room. Additionally, the 2004 comic Black Widow Volume 2 Issue #1 featured a mission set in Osaka, Japan that could likely lead into something larger if need be.

The potential for a Black Widow solo film is definitely there, and the fans are interested in seeing it happen. Personally, I’d love to see a prequel film that explores some of her backstory and origin. That would not only be interesting to see, but it would be a good change of pace for the MCU and could explore some more of the grounded, spy-driven aspects of the universe that we witnessed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 

Tell us, would you like to see a Black Widow solo film or prequel? What comic book storylines would you like to see explored? Check out the deleted scene below, and let us know your thoughts in the comment section.