Fans have been asking for a solo Black Widow movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a long time. Despite being delayed three times, pushing it back over a year, and its primary release being on a streaming service, the film is set to come out very soon. The wait is finally almost over!Black Widowmarksthe first film in Phase 4 of the MCUand is the 24th film in the franchise. Though of course, the film isn’t out yet, there’s a lot of hype and anticipation. There is also, however, some criticism for its timing.
The development that has gone into givingScarlett Johansson’s Black Widowher own film, is pretty extensive and complicated. She was one of the first characters introduced to the franchise, making her first appearance inIron Man 2, and discussions about her having her own movie started all the way back then. That’s over 10 years ago. Unfortunately, the focus of the Marvel executives at that time was to focus on the upcomingThe Avengersfilm, and that required introducing some more characters and the film just never got made because it wouldn’t have fit in with what the MCU was doing at that time.
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The film wasofficially announced at Comic-Conin 2019 for a May 2020 release, but of course, was delayed to July 2021 due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.Black Widowis a film that has been a long time coming, and after all of the delays, it’s hard to worry that there will be a decrease in relevance and quality. Especially when upon an MCU rewatch, it’s clear where a Black Widow movie would fit perfectly.
The introduction of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow inIron Man 2, is very well done. She’s portrayed in a super intriguing way, they don’t reveal too much about her story but they give viewers enough of her character that she’s likable and doesn’t ever feel like a throwaway. It feels like a movie focusing on her, her story, and what her role is would be coming next. Unfortunately, that never came. Not releasing a solo Black Widow movie afterIron Man 2was a missed opportunity. Her character has been a fan favorite throughout the franchise, and fans have always wanted more from her. Giving her a solo movie right after her introduction could have provided that.
Black Widowis a prequel, set after the events ofCaptain America: Civil War. It of course has Scarlett Johannson as its lead,but also introduces Florence PughandStranger Thingsstar David Harbour as family figures to the character. It’s clearly delving into her past and giving some real backstory to the character, which is a good thing, but some are thinking that it’s maybe too late. The character has already died in the franchise. While many people still care about her and are excited for this film, there are also many who have moved on. Giving her a film when it was originally in talks to happen, right after her introduction, people obviously still would have been interested.
The service that the MCU has given to their female characters has been highly criticized. Unfortunately, Black Widow is not so far an exception to this rule. Though she was a main character, an original Avenger, and important to the series, she got little to no character development before she died. Her effective introduction ended up just falling kind of flat because it didn’t really go anywhere.
There were hints to her experiences and small flashbacks and scenes of her doing her thing and showing what she’s about, but it pales in comparison to the attention other characters got when it came to their backstories. The first female solo film was of courseCaptain Marvelin 2019 and even thenthe character had almost no personality. It really shouldn’t have taken that long, and it should have been Black Widow to be the first.
Black Widowhasn’t come out yet, so it’s unfair to criticize at this point or say that they missed their chance. But with how wastedthe amazing introduction of the character inIron Man 2seems, it’s hard not to feel that way. Hindsight is 20/20 and it’s entirely possible that they didn’t want to commit to a solo project for the character after her introduction because they weren’t sure what her audience reception would be.
Knowing now that she is actually very prominent and a fan favorite, it seems a bit dumb that they neglected to makeBlack Widowthen but at that time maybe it didn’t seem that way. It was also a different time in 2010, though it doesn’t seem long ago. There wasn’t as much of a push for strong female characters and female empowerment. So maybe for society,this is the perfect time forBlack Widowto come out. In terms of her story though, it does kind of seem like they’re late to the game.
Black Widowwill be released in theaters where open as well as Disney Plus with Premier Access on July 06, 2025.
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