"Black Widow" should've been well in our rearview by now, alongside several other MCU Phase
4 flicks. But the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the film, leaving us with a big-screen drought.
But now the movie's new release date is finally fast approaching. Here's everything we know
about "Black Widow" so far.
"Black Widow" had an original premiere date of May 1, 2020, but it was pushed back three
times as theaters remained closed across the globe. The Scarlett Johansson-led flick was
moved to November 9, 2020, then again to May 7 of this year. Fans were further disappointed
when it was announced this March that "Black Widow" would be delayed one more time – this
time to July 9.
The movie isn't expected to shift again, as things are finally looking up regarding the
ongoing global health crisis. Most theaters in the United States have reopened, and mask
mandates are being lifted as millions of Americans are getting vaccinated.
For those still feeling unsafe about heading back out to the movies, "Black Widow" will
also be available to stream on Disney+ the same day that it's in theaters. Subscribers
to the platform will have to shell out extra cash to watch the movie, as it will only be
accessible via Premier Access for $29.99.
"Black Widow" is a prequel story for Natasha Romanoff, taking place between the events
of "Captain America: Civil War" and "Avengers: Infinity War."
We know that some of Team Cap are on the run from the United States government at this
point in time after Steve Rogers broke his pals out of the Raft prison. While Natasha
was famously on Team Iron Man, she eventually found herself in the middle, as she aided
Steve and Bucky in their escape from the airport battle in Germany. Unfortunately for her,
Black Panther told Secretary of State Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross about what Natasha did,
forcing her to leave the Avengers and go on the run.
Then, in "Avengers: Infinity War," we learn that she eventually linked up with Steve and
Sam Wilson, and the trio helped rescue Wanda Maximoff and Vision at the train station in
Scotland. As for the 2021 film, "Black Widow" is expected to explore the missing chunk of
Natasha's life between these two films, which eventually sees her join up with Steve and
Sam.
Natasha Romanoff will link up with some of the most important people from her past in
"Black Widow." This will include her surrogate family members Yelena Belova, played by Florence
Pugh; Melina Vostokoff, played by Rachel Weisz; and Alexei Shostakov, aka Red Guardian, played
by David Harbour from Stranger Things. From the trailers, it looks like Yelena is going
to be the biggest supporting character of the bunch, serving as Natasha's "sister" who
was also trained in the Red Room.
Yelena is a spy just like her sister, and she's also gone by the Black Widow moniker
in the modern era of Marvel Comics. Many are suspecting Pugh's character will become a
bigger presence in the MCU after "Black Widow," given her character's rich history in the
comics and due to the fact that she's set to appear in the upcoming "Hawkeye" series
on Disney+, according to The Direct.
Melina and Alexei are mother and father figures to the girls, but they aren't their biological
parents. Both are also highly trained and skilled in combat, which was apparent in the
trailers, despite Alexei putting on a little bit of weight since his glory days.
But as for what we know about their comic book origins, Red Guardian first showed up
in 1967's "Avengers" #43, where he was the Soviet Union's answer to Captain America.
Weirdly enough, he was originally Black Widow's love interest, although that's obviously changed
for the film.
As for Vostokoff, she goes by the name Iron Maiden in the comics, and she made her first
appearance in 1983's "Marvel Fanfare" #11, where she was incredibly resentful of Black
Widow's legend and eventually became her sworn enemy.
There are a few other stars who've joined "Black Widow" in some pretty noteworthy roles.
For example, Ray Winstone will portray Dreykov, a name MCU fans might remember from "The Avengers,"
when Natasha Romanoff is trying to lure information out of Loki while he's imprisoned on the Helicarrier.
"Can you wipe out that much red? Dreykov's daughter?"
The mention of the name makes Natasha go wide-eyed, instantly letting viewers know the mystery
man is bad news from her past. And from the "Black Widow" trailers, we've learned Dreykov
is the superior of Taskmaster and oversees the notorious Red Room.
Additionally, O-T Fagbenle will be playing Rick Mason, someone we assume is pretty important
given he was honored with his own character poster for the film. Rick is one of Natasha's
only allies, and he apparently has a romantic interest in her. Anything else we can expect
from Rick in the movie is a mystery, but Fagbenle commented on the character in an official
"Black Widow" movie book, saying,
"Mason is a finder for people who aren't so affiliated with armies, like people who are
part of the underworld. He can find anything you need as well. He's had a relationship
doing that work for the Black Widow, and they have a bit of a vibe going on. There's a sense
that there's more to their relationship than it being purely work-related, so that's always
in the mix."
The talent behind the camera on "Black Widow" is just as impressive as the talent in front
of it. The MCU film is directed by Cate Shortland, who's mostly known for her films "Berlin Syndrome,"
"Lore," and "Somersault." "Black Widow" is easily Shortland's biggest feature to date,
given its $200 million budget. Plus, Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson make up the writing team of
"Black Widow," marking the second official MCU project for Schaeffer. The writer famously
penned all nine episodes of "WandaVision," which was praised by critics and fans alike.
"Black Widow" marks Benson's first project with the MCU, and it's the newest addition
to his rather short Hollywood resume. The writer is mostly known as the scribe and director
of "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby."
While we know the aforementioned Dreykov is going to be playing an important role in "Black
Widow," the movie's true villain is Taskmaster. Somehow, after leaks and multiple release
date changes, the identity of Taskmaster is still a mystery, but fans definitely have
their theories on the masked baddie's real name.
"Who the hell is that guy?"
First appearing in "Avengers" #196, Taskmaster was a former SHIELD agent turned assassin,
whose birth name was Anthony "Tony" Masters. Taskmaster has the ability to mimic any opponent's
combat skill, which almost always gives him the upper hand in a fight.
However, we're not expecting the "Black Widow" Taskmaster to be Tony Masters, but rather
someone Natasha already knows. This person appears to be some sort of Russian agent who's
also in charge of the Red Room, and we're suspecting it's someone we've already seen
in the MCU or possibly one of the newcomers we meet in "Black Widow." Is it Rachel Weisz?
Could it be O-T Fagbenle? We'll find out soon enough.
So, Taskmaster's whole thing is mimicking the moves of other superheroes, like this
cool Spider-Man web swing, and by watching the trailers, we've discovered that the big
baddie has been doing his homework.
In one of the trailers, we watch Taskmaster wield a bow and arrow, kinda like a certain
Avenger we all know and love. He's even got Black Panther's claws! It also looks like
he's learned a few moves from Captain America, with lots of shield work on display. Taskmaster
also mimics a famous Natasha move, flipping up on one hand and one knee from a supine
position. How he learned her move is a mystery, but Natasha definitely has her work cut out
for her if she's essentially fighting herself.
Based on the trailers, we know Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross will be showing up in "Black Widow."
William Hurt appeared to be de-aged in his brief trailer appearances, which makes sense
given the last time we saw him was at Tony Stark's funeral in "Avengers: Endgame," which
was set in 2023. Given the timeline of "Black Widow," Ross will be around seven years younger.
What exactly his role is in the new movie remains to be seen, but he could be trying
to track down Natasha after the events of "Captain America: Civil War."
Tony Stark is also expected to make an appearance in "Black Widow," based on a report from Deadline
back in 2019. Downey's cameo in the movie is expected to be just that, so fans shouldn't
expect much of a storyline from the now-deceased hero.
Someone else we expect to show up in "Black Widow" is Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine,
who we met in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," played by Julia Louis Dreyfus. According to
Vanity Fair, Valentina was first set to appear in "Black Widow," but with premiere dates
being pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, things had to change. Whether Val will appear
is still a mystery, but we know Marvel Studios does have big plans for her moving further
into the MCU.
With "Black Widow" constantly being delayed over the last year, in an effort to keep fans
interested, Marvel Studios gave us additional trailers, sneak peeks, and featurettes. All
of these were majorly dissected as fans did their best to spot all the Easter eggs they
could. And there were definitely quite a few moments, people, and objects that stood out
in many of the clips we were shown, some of which might hint at the movie's biggest reveals.
One of the cityscape shots in the trailers was that of Budapest, a famous city in MCU
lore that we've never visited before in the franchise. The Marvel fandom knows the Hungarian
capital well, solely based on comments from Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton in "The
Avengers" and "Avengers: Endgame." We know the friends have a history in Budapest, but
just what went down between them — or whatever mission they might've been on — is still
a mystery.
We also got our very first sneak peek at little Natasha Romanoff, which saw her alongside
a young Yelena Belova and their adoptive father, Alexei. This was well before the girls went
to the Red Room, which we learned about in "Avengers: Age of Ultron." It looks like we
might see the terrible moment where the young girls are sent off to be mind-controlled against
their will.
Eagle-eyed fans have also noticed that a vest Yelena Belova is wearing in the trailer is
the same one we see Natasha sporting in "Avengers: Infinity War." This suggests that "Black Widow"
could directly lead into the third "Avengers" film, with not much time in between the two.
When it was announced that "Black Widow" was going to be a prequel, some fans were disappointed
since it might not bear any weight in the MCU. But remember, this is the first movie
in Phase 4, and you can expect it to introduce us to new characters who will stick around
moving forward. We're fully expecting Yelena Belova to be Natasha Romanoff's replacement
in the MCU, much like we saw Anthony Mackie become the new Captain America in "The Falcon
and the Winter Soldier."
We're also expecting a little more backstory on Clint Barton, but still aren't sure about
a possible cameo. Taking us to Budapest is almost a confirmation that Hawkeye will at
least be mentioned in the movie, especially if Taskmaster has memorized his fighting style.
This is all a great tease as to what we'll also see in the Disney+ "Hawkeye" series.
And while just a rumor at this point, "Black Widow" could also very well set up the Thunderbolts
in the MCU. Both Baron Zemo and Thaddeus Ross have ties to the group of reformed super-criminals,
which is currently led by Taskmaster in the comics.
"Black Widow" is going to be so much more than a prequel, and fans of the Marvel Cinematic
Universe should be extremely excited for the film we've waited far too long to see.
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