In the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow was one of the only female characters to be featured in the franchise, especially in big-name movies likeThe Avengers.Having made her first Marvel appearance in 2010 duringIron Man 2, it took just over 11 years before Natasha Romanoff was finally given her own movie.
As one of the original Avengers not to have their own solo project, MCU fans were excited to see their favorite spy-turned-hero get her own film, especially since they thought they’d seen the last of her inAvengers: Endgame.Although a bit of an unusual decision to releaseBlack Widowafter the titular character was killed off in a previous film, viewers still had high hopes that the movie would be an excellent way to say goodby to one of the last remaining Phase 1 heroes.
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Unfortunately,Black Widowfell short in more ways than one and didn’t give Natasha Romanoff the send-off she deserved. After over-sexualizing her character in the early phases, neglecting to give her a funeral like Tony had inAvengers: Endgame,and a pretty average solo project, it’s clear that the MCU has fumbled Natasha’s storyline more than once.
That’s not to sayBlack Widowwas a bad movie. It scored a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes and has a 6.7/10 on IMDb, which is decent as far as movie ratings go in general. But when comparing it to the likes of other MCU solo projects, likeBlack PantherorShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,Black Widowwas incredibly average.
The film started off strong by establishing its place in the MCU timeline immediately after the events ofCaptain America: Civil Warand flashing back to Natasha’s childhood. Shortly after came the intense opening credit sequence, which was truthfully the most moving part of the entire movie.
Black Widowcreated a dark, ominous vibe by depicting the horrific human trafficking events of the future Red Room Widows, set to Malia J’s haunting cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” But that chilling tone ceased to exist beyond the three-minute sequence and the movie quickly dissolved into a more traditional Marvel storyline. After taking the time to create such an impactful introduction, the rest of the film simply failed to live up to the high expectations set by the opening credits.
In a lot of ways,Black Widowseems like it was created just to set up Yelena Belova as the new Black Widow. Since Natasha was dead by the time Marvel got around to giving her a solo project, there was already a need to fill the spotScarlett Johanssonleft behind whenBlack Widowcame out. Yelena was clearly the best choice to take up the mantle, but it happened pretty quickly.
Yelena was featured in theHawkeyeseries just a few months afterBlack Widowand will be playing a pretty big role in the upcomingThunderboltsfilm. Obviously, Yelena will be important to the franchise moving forward, which isn’t a bad thing, since she’s certainly a great new addition to the franchise. Finding a way to bringFlorence Pughinto the MCU was also a major plus, but the timing of the transition feels a little off.
Instead of waiting to make aBlack Widowmovie until after Natasha was dead, the MCU should’ve found time earlier in Phases 1-3 so that they could focus strictly on Natasha’s journey. Sure, Yelena would’ve likely still been a major part of that, but creatingBlack Widowso late in the game makes the film feel like a stepping stone, rather than a tribute to the firstfemale superheroin the MCU.
What’s even more frustrating is that Tony Stark and Steve Rogers both had movie trilogies dedicated solely to their individual storylines. Thor has had four different solo films, and the end ofLove and Thunderhints at the possibility of there being a fifth on the way.
Clint Barton had his ownHawkeyeshow, which was good enough to warrant a 92%Rotten Tomatoesrating and Bruce Banner was written into multiple projects, likeThor: RagnarokandShe-Hulk. Additionally, rumors of aWorld War Hulkfilm being developed are currently circulating the internet, meaning Bruce Banner has plenty more screen time to come.
All that goes to show Natasha Romanoff’s character hasn’t been given the same level of care and attention as the rest of the heroes that starred inThe Avengers. With so much potential backstory to explore, it’s truly a shame that Marvel has managed to mess up so many opportunities to tap into that, especially during theBlack Widowmovie.
As it stands, Marvel’s bestBlack Widowaccomplishment was editing such an intense opening credit sequence.
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