The MCU's Black Widow has been delayed for several months but fans are now gearing up for the eventual release of the Marvel project; whether it's in theaters across the world or available exclusively on Disney+. The future of the franchise is definitely unclear to fans.
The trailers and promotional material have teased two types of films. One is a team-up movie, with the potential for the Winter Guard to be added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The other seems to be a flashback origin film, alongside a solo adventure finally giving Natasha Romanoff the attention she deserves.
10 Go Solo: Finally Getting The Spotlight
Black Widow is one of the few core Avengers who has never experienced her own solo movie. Despite proving herself time and again the character has been left on the sidelines for too long.
Now that her opportunity is there, it would be a shame to use it as a platform to focus on a different set of characters. If this is a Black Widow movie then the focus shouldn't be the Winter Guard.
9 Winter Guard: Intriguing Comic Group
The Winter Guard is quite the intriguing group to explore further. Over the years it has had an extremely diverse roster, from a Russian Iron Man copy to a giant bear.
With the Winter Soldier and Black Widow both associated with the group, it would certainly add to the MCU and be a really complex team to create a narrative arc around. It also adds an international flavor to the MCU's very American centric stories.
8 Go Solo: More To Explore
There's so much more about the Black Widow character to explore that adding the Winter Guard to the film could make it a lot bulkier. The comics have countless stories that could be woven into the MCU adaptation of the character.
The films have already had a little look at the character's origin, but there's very little explored about her father and her relationship with Russia itself. A solo story is a much better method to develop all of these details.
7 Winter Guard: Expanding The Universe
An easy way to expand the universe further into comic book territory is by bringing in a unique team. The Winter Guard manages to bring a number of mythologies together effectively.
The idea of a Russian Avengers is already quite appealing. Linking this to various backstories such as the lineage of the Red Guardian and there's a lot of compelling storytelling ideas that come along with the group.
6 Go Solo: Worked In A Team For Too Long
Black Widow has really been defined by her partnership with the Avengers. Moving her from one team to another really doesn't help the character very much in terms of her own personal development.
It could create the implication that she cannot work alone, which obviously isn't true. Her interactions are certainly interesting to watch but could be at the cost of her only ever becoming a good team player.
5 Winter Guard: Characters Established In Trailers
Some of the characters of the Winter Guard have already been established in the trailer for Black Widow or indeed elsewhere in the MCU. Asides from the Black Widow and Winter Soldier, the trailer adds a couple of other members.
An iteration of the Red Guardian already has fans excited, as does the Iron Maiden, who could perhaps be the traitor of the film. Yelena Belova is the newest Black Widow as well, rounding out an exciting team.
4 Go Solo: Higher Stakes
The stakes are always higher when a character is going solo. With no one else to turn to or rely upon, its dangerous territory whenever a hero is going into a situation that requires a lot of firepower.
It would definitely increase the tension of this Marvel project and create quite a unique atmosphere. It's rare to see a character with their back up against the wall and with no allies in this universe, due to so many crossovers!
3 Winter Guard: Long Term Potential
Whenever a new group of characters is added into the MCU it creates a lot of long term potential. Down the line, there could be Disney+ spin-offs or even films of their own.
The Winter Guard has the potential to play into all kinds of stories. They have sometimes taken a back seat in the past in the comics but could become a central feature of this new Marvel universe.
2 Solo: Passing The Torch
A solo movie gives Black Widow the last opportunity to finish and leave the universe on her own terms. The passing of the torch is very much the completion of that journey.
It appears a new version of Black Widow will be taking over and a solo film manages to create that dynamic better than a project that involves many different personalities vying for attention.
1 Winter Guard: Unique For The MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe relies on other teams very rarely. The two premium groups of the franchise are the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Defenders and Revengers can get a mention as can the Runaways, but these are all lesser groups. It's time to show that teams can become a focus of the MCU, perhaps leading the way for the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Sinister Six, and other such teams.