Scarlett Johansson Explains Why Black Widow Couldn’t Have Happened Earlier

You could easily make the claim that Black Widow is the MCU movie fans have been waiting to see for the longest time. Scarlett Johansson first appeared as Natasha Romanoff way back in 2010’s Iron Man 2, and she made an immediate impression on audiences. Despite a bunch of supporting roles in Avengers and Captain America films in the interim, though, it took until Phase Four for her to get her own solo vehicle.

Some feel that it’s come too late, but ScarJo herself believes that Black Widow only makes sense to do post-Avengers: Endgame, where the heroine sacrificed herself for the good of the universe. “If we had made a Black Widow standalone back then, it would be such a different film to this one,” the actress said. She then explained that “Natasha’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame” gave her “a totally different perspective on who she is.”

“Before, I don’t think I would have been able to show people who Natasha really is, what drives her and show her emotional core,” Johansson continued. “I don’t think we’d be able to cut that deep back then.”

If BW had happened after Iron Man 2, the actress thinks it could only have “scratched the surface” of what they were able to achieve with the pic that was made.

“It would have probably been much more of a straight-up spy thriller that maybe would have been a lot flashier in a different kind of way and just scratch the surface of what we do in this movie,” Johansson said.

That’s all well and good, but unfortunately we’ve had to wait an additional year on top of the previous decade to get to see Nat in her own movie. Black Widow was due to hit theaters last May, but has ultimately been pushed back to next May in the wake of the pandemic. Marvel Studios seems set on a theatrical release, then, though there’s been chatter that it could still arrive on Disney Plus Premier Access.

Whatever happens, we’ve definitely got most of the waiting behind us and Black Widow will finally come our way in just over six months time, with it currently scheduled for May 7th.