One of the most important things for both Kevin Feige and Walter Hamada to keep in mind as they introduce the multiverse into their respective shared mythologies, is that using it as a storytelling crutch might be the easiest option, but it’s far from the best one. The MCU and DCEU are going all-in on fractured realities and alternate timelines, but leaning on it too heavily could ultimately impact the narrative and dramatic stakes of both franchises.
For example, now that Scarlett Johansson‘s Black Widow, Chris Evans’ Captain America and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man are out of the picture, there’s plenty of scope for new heroes to be introduced and familiar favorites to step up to the plate. If one of the aforementioned three is brought back, as has been relentlessly rumored ever since Avengers: Endgame faded to black, it affects the emotional climax of the entire Infinity Saga, causing a knock-on effect that could lessen the heft of Phase Four.
Of course, nobody really stays dead in comic books or their live-action adaptations with the exception of Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben and Batman’s parents, so it’s hardly a shock to hear Kevin Feige coyly tease in a new interview that we may not have seen the last of Agent Romanoff after all.
“Maybe there will be more down the road, is the answer comics have taught us. Anything could be the answer to that question.”
Scarlett Johansson is calling Black Widow her goodbye to the MCU after over a decade as the saga’s resident super spy, so you’d have to imagine the ball is firmly in her court when it comes to any potential comebacks down the line. The rumor mill isn’t going to stop churning, though, especially when the floodgates of the multiverse are set to burst open in spectacular fashion through Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home.