Ever since she was introduced all the way back inIron Man 2, fans have been eagerly waiting for Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, to get her own solo movie. Despite her death inAvengers: Endgame, fans will finally be getting their wish with this summer’sBlack Widow. The movie will explore Natasha’s past and an important mission she was on before her death, and it may start a new trend of prequels within the MCU.
According to Slashfilm, Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed that other characters in the MCU could get similar prequelsafterBlack Widow. He explains, “Certainly this film and this story is a particular case for Natasha. But the notion of exploring the past, present, and future of the MCU is certainly in the cards for all of our characters.”
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With the complicated timeline of the MCU, there have been some movies that have taken place before the events of others. Some notable examples includeCaptain America: The First Avenger, which took place mostly in the 1940s, andCaptain Marvel, which took place in the 1990s. However,Black Widowis the first time Marvel Studios will look into the past of an established character and explore their backstory after they have already been introduced to the MCU, as bothThe First AvengerandCaptain Marvelmarked the first appearance of their respective titular heroes.
InBlack Widow, Scarlett Johansson returns as Natasha Romanoff directly after the events ofCaptain America: Civil War. On the run from the authorities, she will go back to her former home of Russia, confront the broken relationships she left behind, and face her painful past. The movie is directed by Cate Shortland andalso stars Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour.Black Widowis the first movie to be released as part of the MCU’s Phase 4.
The idea that the MCU is willing to start exploring prequels with some of its characters opens up endless possibilities. Much like how the Disney Plus shows are allowing some secondary characters to be explored, these prequels could answer some questions about certain heroes that haven’t been addressed in the movies. And much like with Natasha, prequels would allow characterslike Iron Man to return to the MCU.
Of course, there is still the possibility that these prequel stories will not carry the same weight as the bigger MCU projects. After seeing Natasha go into space to defeat Thanos for wiping out half the universe, the idea of watching her in a more grounded spy thriller feels a little like a step backward. It seems like the success ofBlack Widowwill dictate just how much Marvel is willing to invest into these prequel stories.
Black Widowwill hit theaters and Disney Plus on Jul 01, 2025.
