Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had been clamoring for years to see a Black Widow solo movie, but they unfortunately had to wait until she’d been killed off in the main timeline to get it. There was widespread disappointment that Natasha Romanoff wasn’t given a grander sendoff given how attached people had become to the former S.H.I.E.L.D. operative during her decade as part of the franchise, but such grandiosity was never exactly one of the character’s hallmarks.
The delayed prequel is finally set to arrive in November though and as well as delivering the blockbuster action that we’ve come to expect from the MCU, Black Widow also looks set to start putting some big pieces for Phase Four into place. Director Cate Shortland recently confirmed the speculation that Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova will take up the mantle, and the post-credits scenes are rumored to have massive implications for the future of the series.
However, Black Widow is still Natasha Romanoff’s story, and in a recent interview, Scarlett Johansson admitted that it will give fans a sense of closure over the ultimate sacrifice that she made in Avengers: Endgame, and having the story take place following Captain America: Civil War will retroactively give her arc a much more emotionally satisfying conclusion.
“There was no reason to do a Black Widow standalone film unless we could dig deep and be brave. I’m very happy with all the work we’ve done on the Marvel Studios films. I felt that Avengers: Endgame was so satisfying I wanted to make sure Black Widow would be so satisfying, not just for the fans, but also for myself, artistically and creatively, after a decade of playing this character. This film gives the opportunity for some sort of healing and understanding as to why Natasha decides to make that ultimate sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame.”
The Avengers may have become her surrogate family over the course of her tenure in the MCU, but Black Widow will see Natasha connecting with some other important people in her life, which already promises a much deeper dive into the character than we’ve previously seen. And having given her life to save the universe in Endgame, her long-awaited solo outing looks set to deliver the fitting end to her story that fans have been waiting for.
