Black Widow finally gets her own solo movie this coming May, but it’ll be bittersweet for fans as instead of marking the beginning of a standalone franchise for Natasha Romanoff, it’ll be more like a final hurrah. The film, set after the events of Captain America: Civil War as well as flashing back to her origins, comes after Nat died in Avengers: Endgame. So, don’t expect Scarlett Johansson to stick around for multiple movies.
That said, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a Black Widow 2. This is Marvel we’re talking about, after all, so of course there are plans for a sequel. At least, that’s what we’ve heard from our sources – the same ones who told us Taskmaster would be the villain in Black Widow back in March. According to them, the studio hopes to make a BW2 but ScarJo won’t be the lead. Instead, it’ll follow Yelena Belova, as played by Florence Pugh, and will be set in the present-day.
Of course, Pugh’s Yelena is expected to be the co-lead of the first film, as the plot will see Nat taking her under her wing and forming a sisterly bond with the fellow graduate of the Red Room and the Black Widow training program. Yelena is the second most prominent Black Widow in the comics, too, and has a history with HYDRA and AIM. So, there’s definitely room there for a second film starring the character.
Plus, Black Widow will set up its own mythology surrounding the program and Russia’s own superheroes and villains. David Harbour is joining the franchise as Red Guardian, for example, the communist answer to Captain America. We’ve also heard that Marvel wants him to stick around for future movies, too, so expect him in Black Widow 2 if it goes ahead.
Looking closer to home, though, and ScarJo’s final bow in the MCU arrives on May 1st. While we wait to learn more about it, tell us, do you like the idea of further films with Florence Pugh in the lead? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below.