Disney+ Celebrates Black Widow Release With Solo MCU Movie Posters
In celebration of its release in theaters and on Disney+ this week, the streaming service replaces the posters for every MCU film featuring Natasha Romanoff with a solo Black Widow poster. Scarlett Johansson has played the former super assassin and SHIELD agent since Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even before becoming a founding member of the Avengers in the 2021 team-up movie, there was talk of a Black Widow solo outing. That never came to pass, and in Avengers: Endgame (2019), Natasha sacrificed herself to save half the universe.
Now, Black Widow is getting a prequel-esque solo adventure taking place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Expected to be her swan song/final MCU appearance, Cate Shortland’s Black Widow will explore the untold stories of Natasha’s past; including her experiences with the Red Room training program and that infamous Budapest reference. The film will also introduce several new characters in fellow Red Room trainees Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), Russia’s version of Captain America in Red Guardian (David Harbour), and the enigmatic villain, Taskmaster.
In honor of Johansson’s lengthy tenure with Marvel Studios and the release of Black Widow—the first MCU movie in over two years—Disney+ (via Reddit user Samoht99) has changed the main posters for seven key films in the universe. Every film in which Natasha Romanoff appears now displays a solo poster of her relating to her look in that film. Check them out below:
As seen above, Johansson’s Widow has changed a lot since 2010; evolving dramatically in both appearance and characterization. From being hyper-sexualized in Iron Man 2 to a gritty outlaw in Avengers: Infinity War and leader in Avengers: Endgame, Black Widow sees Johansson on the other side of her character’s metamorphosis. It’s a wonder why it took seven films to earn a solo outing; Black Widow could’ve easily entered production and been released as part of Phase Three. However, the blockbuster will now look to the past and future simultaneously—which could be advantageous to everyone.
Natasha and Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) were the only founding Avengers without their own movies/franchises. Black Widow and Disney+’s upcoming Hawkeye series look to make up for lost time. Black Widow’s mantle is expected to pass to Natasha’s surrogate sister, Pugh’s Yelena, who will be reprising her role in Hawkeye. Johansson doesn’t plan to return as her character, but Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, has expressed a desire to keep working with her in some capacity. As evidenced by the Disney+ posters, she’s more than just a supporting player.
Source: Disney+ (via u/Samoht99)