Black Widow: Scarlett Johansson Explains Difficulty Of Nailing Natasha's Story

Black Widow's poster

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a behemoth force in the entertainment industry, but there was a time when projects like The Avengers were a major risk. Scarlett Johansson was there early with Iron Man 2, and she’s finally getting a solo movie with Black Widow. But she recently explained the difficulty with telling that particular story for Natasha.

Cate Shortland’s Black Widow is set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. The story will do a deep dive into the character’s dark past, while also hopefully giving closure after her death. Scarlett Johnasson spoke to why nailing this part in the timeline was tricky, saying:

It gave us the opportunity to really show her when she's kind of off her game, you know? Because of that, anything was possible. You're trying to map out all of this...which is actually extremely stressful because there's no guidelines.

This certainly sounds like a fun new side of Natasha Romanoff. Because while we’ve always seen Scarlett Johansson’s character when she’s cool and collected, it looks like we’ll see the Avenger in a far more imperfect state. This should seemingly allow the fandom to get much closer to the character’s POV after all these years.

Scarlett Johansson’s comments come from Total Film Magazine (via Twitter), promoting the long-awaited release of Black Widow. While diving deep into how the solo flick will be a unique experience to the MCU, she revealed that the rudderless nature of Natasha made the job that much harder.

Marvel fans can re-watch Scarlett Johansson’s time in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

As stressful as it might have been to make, it certainly looks like Black Widow is going to be a thrilling moviegoing experience. Fans have been calling for the solo movie for years, so it’s been a long time coming. And after Scarlett Johansson’s hero sacrificed herself in Avengers: Endgame, the blockbuster offers the opportunity for some much needed closure.

While the secrets of Black Widow are being guarded, the limited information and footage have been helping to buoy anticipation for the project. Director Cate Shortland was tasked with giving the title character an appropriate ending, while also introducing us to Nat’s first chosen family.

Fans are also wondering if Florence Pugh’s character Yelena might end up taking on the mantle of Black Widow, with solo flicks and crossover moments to come. Only time will tell, but moviegoers are ready to finally be treated to another Marvel movie.

Black Widow will arrive in theaters and on Disney+ July 9th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.