Almost a year after the release of the first film in the highly anticipated Phase Four lineup, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is taking fans back in time to look deeper into the origin story of one of the O.G. Avengers.
Black Widow will explore the family dynamic of Russian assassin Natasha Romanoff. Scarlett Johansson will reprise her role as the super spy in the film, with its titular hero reluctantly returning to her roots in Russia.
Romanoff’s storied past as a Russian spy catches up with her as soon as she touches down, and she’s confronted by the people that she abandoned in her dogged pursuit of justice as an Avenger. Not only that, but our heroine is forced to take down the Red Room — the very institution that made her. Organised by a mysterious but powerful figure widely known throughout the country as Taskmaster, Romanoff sets out to liberate the Red Room's victims with the help of her makeshift family.
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"At some point, we all have to choose between what the world wants you to be and who you are," she says in the trailer. "I made my choice. I'm done running."
Where does this film fall in terms of the MCU timeline? Black Widow picks up shortly after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016). It’s a prequel, and a belated one at that; the character was introduced in the first Iron Man (2010) film and appeared in numerous Avengers-related projects after. As you remember, Romanoff was killed off in Avengers: Endgame last summer, sacrificing herself in exchange for the all-important soul stone in a last ditch effort against intergalactic supervillain Thanos.
Directed by Cate Shortland (who joins Anna Boden and Chloé Zhao as the MCU's only female directors), Black Widow will be Johansson’s final appearance in Marvel lore, marking a decade of playing the superhero. "Very few actors can say that they've worked on a character for 10 years and then suddenly have this chance to delve deep into the inner workings of this person," the actor shared in a Marvel featurette. "We've created something that is a different flavour for the Marvel universe."
Black Widow hits theaters on Friday, May 1st. Check out the explosive final trailer below.