Black Widow was first introduced towards the beginning of the Infinity Saga, in Iron Man 2 during Phase 1, but she never got her own origin movie. Over the years, the fans’ call for the MCU to make a Black Widow solo movie grew louder and stronger. Despite this, the MCU still did not release a solo movie for the hero.
The only female character who has gotten their own solo film in the franchise at all so far has been Captain Marvel in her self-titled film from 2019. Black Widow is finally set to receive her solo movie over a decade after her first introduction. Unfortunately, though, for many fans, Black Widow’s solo movie is too little, too late.
10 Most Of The Original Avengers Team Got Origin Movies In Phase 1
The original six Avengers were almost entirely fleshed out before they were united in The Avengers in 2012. Tony Stark had two movies, Iron Man and Iron Man 2, while Steve Rogers, Thor, and Bruce Banner each got one —Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk, respectively.
Unfortunately, though, Hawkeye and Black Widow didn’t get any such origin movies. At least Hawkeye got to be Hawkeye in Thor when he was first introduced. Black Widow was incognito during her introduction during Iron Man 2, and so the character never got a proper origin. It’s been over a decade now, and so it’s definitely far too late.
9 Black Widow’s Solo Movie Is A Prequel — Over A Decade After Her Introduction
The fact that Black Widow died in Avengers: Endgame surprised many fans. Not only was Hawkeye the more obvious choice to make the final sacrifice, but Black Widow still had not received her solo movie. When Black Widow was finally announced, the MCU said the film would be a prequel.
Fans then began expecting the movie to be about Black Widow before the events of the MCU, but the movie just takes place after Captain America: Civil War. The universe has to go back in time, but they weren’t willing to commit to going all the way back and actually retroactively giving Black Widow her own origin.
8 Everyone Is Already Speculating The Movie Will Be Used To Set Up A New Black Widow
While Black Widow is meant to be a movie about Natasha Romanoff, who has been the only Black Widow in the MCU up until this point, fans are already speculating that there will be much more to this movie. Black Widow will not only be featuring Natasha, but also Yelena Belova —one of the other Black Widows from the comics.
While she could simply be another character in the film, all signs seem to be pointing to Florence Pugh’s Yelena taking over the title of Black Widow from Natasha in the movies. This could be great, as Florence Pugh is incredible, but it is unfortunate for Natasha as a character.
7 Fans Were Calling For A Black Widow Solo Movie Years Ago
The MCU seemed to almost start playing a game with Black Widow at one point. There were frequent teases for a possible Black Widow solo movie, but never any actual concrete plans. It wasn’t until fans actively began giving up on pursuing the movie that Marvel and Disney panicked and rushed it out.
Of course, this came after Black Widow was already dead in the MCU. If the franchise had actually started making the movie when fans started calling for it, it would still be relevant. However, their weird game and long wait inevitably mean that the movie, upon release, will ultimately be completely irrelevant.
6 The MCU Has Had A Problem Showcasing Women From The Beginning
It has been evident from the very beginning that the MCU has had a problem showcasing their female characters. The women in the MCU have always taken a back seat to the men, and this has been true from the very first film. The Avengers was the first movie to have a female hero in a starring role.
In fact, a female hero didn’t even get her name in the title of an MCU movie until Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018 —the twentieth film in the franchise. The MCU has never cared all that much about their non-male characters, and the Black Widow movie coming into play this late is just more evidence of that fact.
5 Marvel Is Indulging Fans More Than Actually Telling A Story
The fact that it took so long for the MCU to bring in a movie about Black Widow is actually indicative of multiple things. Not only does this make it obvious that the MCU doesn’t care much for their female characters, but it’s also clear that this movie is not so much about the story itself than it is about satisfying fans —or, at least, pretending to satisfy fans.
For a while, viewers wanted to see a Black Widow movie out of interest in the character. Once fans realized that Marvel was holding back on purpose, and they started to get rightfully angry, Marvel rushed out Black Widow. While getting the film is exciting, the movie taking this long to come out actually makes it obvious that Marvel is more interested in shutting fans up than actually telling a good story about Natasha.
4 Black Widow Has Consistently Been Placed In The Background Of Everyone Else’s Stories
The MCU is expecting audiences to be grateful for the incredibly performative action of releasing Black Widow now, but the way the franchise has treated her over the years proves how little they truly think of her.
While she’s been in many of the movies in the MCU since her introduction, she has never actually starred in any of them. She’s been a supportive teammate, a helpful spy, and a romantic interest, but never the star of her own story. Her getting her own solo movie after never being considered a star in the first place is insulting.
3 Joss Whedon Started A Pattern That Decimated Black Widow As A Character
After Joss Whedon was tapped to finish up Justice League after Zack Snyder had to step down, he completely destroyed the film. Many little bits of information came out about the filming of the movie afterward, including the fact that Joss Whedon continuously referred to Wonder Woman as “Natasha.”
He clearly never saw Natasha as her own character, but more a projection of everything he felt about women —which were mostly negative feelings. From the beginning, she wasn’t written well, and that established pattern has continued through the entire MCU.
2 This Movie Takes Place Midway Through The Existing Timeline
Inexplicably, Black Widow takes place halfway through the existing MCU timeline. As previously mentioned, Black Widow’s plot will be following the events of Civil War as Natasha finds herself in hiding and without her Avengers teammates.
She has to return to old relationships, but the movie didn’t even go back far enough to introduce those relationships. The movie’s placement in the saga makes little retroactive sense. Black Widow should have come out before Doctor Strange even did to make chronological sense, but, again, the MCU did too little, too late.
1 Black Widow Died Before She Got Her Solo Movie
Of course, the ultimate bit of evidence proving that Black Widow’s solo movie is too little, too late is the fact that Black Widow has already died in the MCU. While characters like Tony Stark were practically the star of the franchise before they made their sacrifices and passed away, Natasha had no such chance.
Even after she passed away, Iron Man got his own huge memorial, and Black Widow got nothing at all. The MCU killing Black Widow before they’d willingly give her a movie is too little, too late —and they will honestly never be able to go back and fix it.