Scarlett Johansson’s finally getting her own solo vehicle in the MCU with the upcoming Black Widow movie. The project was officially announced at Comic-Con last month, even though we all knew it was happening long before that – production beginning back in May probably didn’t help. Now that the film is officially on its way, though, we’re slowly getting a clearer picture of what Natasha Romanoff’s solo movie will be like.
Screenwriter Jac Schaeffer spoke with Inverse about penning the Black Widow script and was on hand to tease where the story would take the super-spy. The interview clarified that the movie will take place, at least partially, following the events of Captain America: Civil War. Specifically referenced is the major battle between the Avengers over the Sokovia Accords at Leipzig Airport. After this conflict which tore the group apart, Schaeffer says Nat is “very much on her own and over the events of the Black Widow movie, she has to reckon with some of the red in her ledger.”
From what we can gather, then, it sounds like Black Widow will mostly take place in 2016, but also flashback to Agent Romanoff’s time as a Russian assassin and then possibly her defection to S.H.I.E.L.D. The footage shown at SDCC, which hasn’t been officially revealed but has naturally leaked online, also promised that the oft-mentioned “Budapest” incident will be explored, too. So expect Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye to turn up for a cameo.
Nat won’t be the only Red Room graduate in the movie as the character will be joined by two other Black Widows. Florence Pugh’s Yelena will act as a sister figure to Romanoff, while Rachel Weisz’s Melina will be an antagonistic character, likely linked with David Harbour’s Red Guardian. Then, of course, there’s enigmatic villain Taskmaster to consider, who we’ve glimpsed in set photos.
Black Widow will drop into theaters on May 1st, 2020. In the meantime, tell us, are you excited to see how the movie fits in between Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War? Sound off in the comments section down below.