Resurrect Black Widow? Marvel Is Reportedly Doing Exactly That
Is Marvel planning to resurrect Black Widow for the next phase of the MCU?
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Resurrect Black Widow? It seems like a bold move but a recent rumor is reporting just that. With the Black Widow solo film on the horizon, Marvel is supposedly considering bringing Natasha Romanoff back from the dead. In fact, this rumor says Scarlett Johansson has already signed the deal to return.
It certainly isn’t that big of a deal as far as comic book storytelling goes. Characters in the Marvel universe have died and come back to life multiple times and readers usually just roll with it. But doing the same thing with a feature film character might not go over as well with mainstream audiences. To resurrect Black Widow after her heartbreaking sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame might seem a little crass.
A lot of this likely depends on the success of the Black Widow solo film. That feature has been a decade in the making and is finally releasing this November. Depending on how box office business goes, it is even possible that Black Widow could skip theaters and head straight to Disney’s streaming service, Disney+. Will the Mouse House want to resurrect Black Widow if her solo film ends up going straight to streaming?
There is also another angle to consider here: what if the plan to resurrect Black Widow isn’t exactly going to involve bringing her back from the dead? Black Widow director Cate Shortland has pretty much confirmed that Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova will be taking on the Black Widow mantle in future endeavors. So, does this mean that Scarlett Johannson could return in some sort of prequelized form?
It is unlikely that Disney would commit to a number of prequel movies with Scarlett Johannson, but this rumor could actually have to do with a future television series on Disney+. They don’t need to literally resurrect Black Widow in order to bring her back. This rumor might actually have to do with a potential Black Widow prequel television series, much like ABC tried to do with the television series Agent Carter. Is this the plan to “resurrect Black Widow” as opposed to an in-universe resurrection?
Maybe! This is all speculation at this point as Disney has yet to make any kind of official confirmation. Again, any plan to resurrect Black Widow in some form will likely hinge on the success or failure of the Black Widow feature film. If Disney is feeling bullish about its prospects, it is possible that they have already committed to bringing Johannson back in some way.
Putting any additional focus on Black Widow after killing her off in Avengers: Endgame definitely feels like an odd choice, but if audiences show that they want more of Johannson as Black Widow, Disney will respond by resurrecting Black Widow in one way or another. Whether that is in feature films or some kind of television series on Disney+, we will have to wait and see.
Black Widow is scheduled to open in theaters on November 6. It is going to be very interesting to see how its performance affects Scarlett Johannson’s potential future with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
