Summary
- Scarlett Johansson firmly states that Black Widow is dead and should stay that way for narrative impact.
- Fans speculate Johansson’s absence is due to past legal issues, but it likely isn’t the reason.
- Returning the original Avengers, including Black Widow, may be detrimental to the MCU’s trajectory.
Black Widow has been gone from the MCU since her solo project following the character’s ultimate sacrifice during the climax of the Infinity Saga, and as far as Scarlet Johansson is concerned, that’s the way it should be.
Black Widow was a key figure in the original Avengers lineup, featuring prominently in the entirety of the MCU’s first major saga until her death and giving fans one of the best femme fatales in modern movies despite the MCU’s family-friendly tone and approach to character building. Fans got to see her move further and further away from her past training and reprehensible actions to ultimately become a selfless hero that gives her own life to save half of all life in the universe. After this point, fans would get one more ride with the Black Widow solo film that served as a prequel to Avengers: Infinity War, thereby falling earlier in the timeline than the character’s death.
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Since then, Johannson hasn’t been seen in the franchise and fans of the characters haven’t been big fans of that decision. While fans have spent years now coming up with new approaches to how Scarlett Johansson could return to the MCU as Black Widow to no avail, that speculation has gotten the red light from the starlet herself. In a recent interview with InStyle, Johansson was pretty clear about where she stands on that issue. “Natasha is dead. She is dead. She’s dead. Okay? They just don’t want to believe it,” Johansson said, referring to MCU fans. “They’re like, ‘But she could come back!’ Look, I think the balance of the entire universe is held in her hand. We’re going to have to let her go. She saved the world. Let her have her hero moment.”
That statement is pretty clear, and suggests that the character’s death has to be real for narrative reasons. Some fans think that Johansson’s past legal battles with Marvel over the Black Widow solo movie could be the real reason the actress hasn’t returned, that’s likely not the case for either party. Business is business, and if those legal proceedings didn’t get in the way of Johannson’s work behind the scenes at Marvel Studios, it’s unlikely that they would stop a ridiculously profitable on-screen return that both parties would benefit from. The truth of the matter is that Black Widow’s sacrifice (and by extension, Gamora’s sacrifice and Hawkeye’s resolve) only really means anything at all if she really did die and stays that way. With her death set in stone and not undercut, that sacrifice means everything. Johansson is right to say that fans need to let the character stay dead to let her have her hero moment.
One thing that’s been clear since the MCU pivoted away from the Infinity Saga is that the original Avengers returning is bad for the franchise, and that includes the Black Widow. With Robert Downey Jr. returning to be the MCU’s Dr. Doom and rumors circulating that Chris Evans could also be returning to play a different role, there’s a chance that Johannson could also be eyed to return as someone other than Natasha in the MCU.
Black Widow is available to stream on Disney+.
Black Widow
7/10
- Release Date
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July 7, 2021
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Source: InStyle