Shortly after Scarlett Johansson made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Iron Man 2, fans started clamoring for a Black Widow solo film. While Marvel has previously acknowledged that desire, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige sounded more receptive to the idea heading into Captain America: Civil War.
In a very interesting interview with Deadline, Feige said “Of the characters that you’ve just mentioned I would say certainly the one creatively and emotionally that we are most committing to doing is Black Widow…We think she’s an amazing character. We think Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of her is amazing. She’s a lead Avenger and has amazing stories in her own right to tell that we think would be fun to turn into a stand-alone franchise.”
Well, there’s no time like the present, Kevin! Black Widow’s popularity has never been higher and Johansson’s role in Lucy proved that she can anchor an action film by herself. Now that Feige reports directly to Disney Studios’ Alan Horn, he may have a free hand to finally make a Black Widow movie a reality. He’s referenced possibly maybe sometime doing a Black Widow movie before, but has tended to hedge his bets when questioned on specifics–this statement may still be vague, but it’s a lot less vague than usual.
However, Feige stopped short of actually announcing a Black Widow film, so don’t get too excited just yet. As Feige noted in that interview, Marvel has nine movies lined up through May 2019. But that didn’t stop Marvel from slotting in Spider-Man: Homecoming or Ant-Man and The Wasp. More tellingly, Marvel’s Inhumans has dropped off the schedule entirely, leaving a slot open for later in 2019. Surely Marvel could schedule a Black Widow movie there…if there is truly a willingness to make that film.
But which Black Widow story is worthy of the big screen? We’re partial towards the first Marvel Knights Black Widow miniseries that pit Natasha Romanoff against Yelena Belova, Russia’s new Black Widow. The rivalry between Natasha and Yelena could even carry over into potential sequels. George Perez’s “Web of Intrigue” storyline from Marvel Fanfare’s ’80s run was also a great spotlight for Black Widow, but it would need to radically updated for a modern retelling. The current storyline in Marvel’s latest Black Widow comic book series by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee also has a lot of  promise, as Natasha is currently on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D. after seemingly betraying the organization.
Given the bizarrely frosty relations between Marvel Studios and Marvel TV, it’s unlikely that Johansson’s Black Widow will ever cross paths with Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, despite the long relationship that both characters had in Marvel’s comic book universe. But if there were ever a chance to see Black Widow and Daredevil team up in a movie, she’d probably be the one with top billing this time!
Which Black Widow story would you like to see as a movie? Declassify your thoughts in the comment section below!
Image: Marvel Studios
