NAT’S LANDING

FOR NATASHA ROMANOFF (AKA BLACK Widow), finally getting her solo cinematic day in the sun has been a long time coming. The character, as played by Scarlett Johansson, was first introduced 11 years ago in Iron Man 2 and went on to become a primary player in six more Marvel Cinematic Universe films (including all four Avengers instalments). For pretty much that entire time, audiences were asking for Romanoff’s own showcase movie that might shed some light on the enigmatic, Russian-trained spy/assassin who gets the job done without the benefit of superpowers.

A Black Widow movie became a reality by 2018, with a first-pass script in hand and a very broad search for the studio’s first solo female director to helm it. At San Diego Comic Con in July 2019, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige formally announced Johansson, director Cate Shortland, and a supporting cast including Florence Pugh, Rachel