In 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Natasha Romanoff almost takes the position of co-lead – working alongside Steve Rogers to uncover corruption at the highest levels of S.H.I.E.L.D. We discover a little more about her murky past, as she sacrifices something of her anonymity to bring down those within the organization that serve nefarious purposes. We also see a glimpse of her personal investment in S.H.I.E.L.D, with her reaction to the supposed death of Director Nick Fury.
2015’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Natasha has apparently begun to fall in love with Bruce Banner, and has the responsibility of calming the Hulk down as a result. More detail about her time in the Red Room is revealed, and the villain – Ultron – somehow manages to capture her and imprison her in a castle. Even though she’s Black Widow, she’s somehow unable to find a way out of her incarceration, and instead finds a way to send a signal. She’s then rescued by Bruce Banner. Not the Hulk, but the non-superpowered scientist. By the end of the film, she’s bereft because her potential boyfriend (Banner) has disappeared.
In 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, Natasha officially allies herself with Iron Man’s view supporting the signing of the Sokovia Accords – but quietly breaks ranks to help Rogers and Barnes escape. She has little else of any consequence to do, other than hold some intense conversations with T’Challa, also known as Black Panther.
When we look at the movies in this way – paying attention only to the aspects concerning Black Widow – we have a deeply frustrating situation. Whereas, in the comic books, Natasha Romanoff has carved a thrilling path for herself through over fifty years of stories, her use in the MCU bears little resemblance to her actual character – beyond her red hair, and the occasional allusion to her training as an orphan.
Her romances, relationships, and early status as a villain are gone, in favour of a more simplified version of events that puts her firmly in the role of support for the Big Hitters – Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. The result is that there’s an honest-to-goodness superhero in our midst whose story has yet to be properly explored, despite her having already been in five highly successful Marvel movies.
Instead, she’s become a literal token for audiences – for a time, the only woman on the Avengers team; then, the only Avenger that could calm The Hulk; on occasion, the only Avenger that can reason with the headstrong Captain America; always, the only Avenger with the ‘big picture’ in mind. She was the route into S.H.I.E.L.D for each of her initial superhero colleagues and, when it all came crashing down in Captain America: Civil War, she was the one to cross party lines and help out a friend.
This only adds to the frustration. This functional use of her as a character within the stories means that she’s become the Avenger to whom the audience looks for decisiveness in the most critical moments. What counsel will she have to offer? What will her plan to escape look like? Who will benefit from her loyalty in this situation? Though she’s been constrained by the ranks of ‘supporting character,’ it’s her character that draws the attention in the movies because of the quiet power of her position in the team. She’s a supporting character whose very nature means that she’s destined for more. In other words, Black Widow is a supporting character whose time for promotion is way past due.