Scarlett Johansson bid farewell to the role of Natasha Romanoff in Marvel Cinematic Universe prequel Black Widow, which was a bittersweet moment for fans. Sure, they got to see the longtime favorite headline her own solo movie at last, but it came after Avengers: Endgame had killed her off in the main timeline.
On top of that, the film’s success was instantly overshadowed by Johansson filing a breach of contract lawsuit against Disney after the company failed to update the terms of her deal to reflect the Premier Access hybrid release. The battle was eventually settled, though, with fences between the two parties beginning to mend.
Johansson has just become the latest recipient of the American Cinematheque award, where many of her peers and former collaborators were there to shower her in adulation, including Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige. As per Deadline, the architect of the MCU teased a “top secret Marvel Studios project” with the two-time Academy Award nominee, which he said had nothing to do with Black Widow.
While that was as vague as we’ve come to expect from Feige, we can bet the rumor mill is set to go into overdrive over how Johansson will make her surprise return to the MCU, without reprising her role as Agent Romanoff.