WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Black Widow, now playing in theaters and available for streaming through Disney+ Premier Access.
After numerous delays, Marvel's Black Widow is finally here. Given that it was originally set to be released in May of 2020, the film's trailers have been out for quite a while now. The first teaser was released in December 2019, followed by an official trailer in March 2020. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, the release date was pushed back again and again in the hopes that when the movie did come out, fans would be able to watch it on the big screen. Finally, another trailer dropped in April 2021, three months before Black Widow was actually released and almost a year after its initial release date. Needless to say, fans have had a long time to watch and analyze these trailers.
As with many blockbuster movies, there are a few things from the Black Widow trailers that didn't make the final cut. Here are the trailer scenes that were altered or removed from the movie.
Thunderbolt Ross Confronts Black Widow
Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross helps kick off Black Widow by going after Natasha Romanoff following the events of Captain America: Civil War. He then reappears near the end of the movie, after Natasha destroys the Red Room and tells her family to escape without her. In the first teaser, there's a shot of Ross arriving with a group of soldiers and a caravan of trucks that appears to be part of this ending sequence. In the finished film, however, the scene ends before Ross and his crew reach the crash site to confront the Black Widow.
Natasha and Yelena Reunite
Although the reunion between Natasha and her sister, Yelena Belova, plays out much the same as it does in the trailers, with the two sisters engaging in a fight before calling a truce, there are a couple differences. After their fight ends, Natasha says, "It's good to see you too, sis," while Yelena asks what brings her home. These lines are not heard in the movie, and in Yelena's case, the omission makes sense. The safehouse where the scene takes place is in Budapest, which isn't exactly home to either of the sisters.
Yelena Explains Taskmaster's Role
In multiple Black Widow trailers and TV spots, Yelena has a voiceover where she explains to Natasha who Taskmaster is. She claims that Taskmaster controls the Red Room and its army of Black Widows. In this moment, it also appears as though Natasha is deciding to go after the villain. In contrast, the actual scene in the movie doesn't even mention Taskmaster by name, and Yelena never says that Taskmaster is the one controlling everything. Instead, Yelena confirms that General Dreykov is the villain in charge and it's later revealed that his daughter, Antonia, is Taskmaster. Thus, it seems these trailer lines were just a red herring.
Yelena's Version of Natasha's Story
While talking about the birth parents they never knew, Yelena explains that since her birth certificate was destroyed and she knows nothing, she made up her own backstory based on their undercover mission in Ohio. She tells people that Natasha moved west and became a science teacher, is married to a man who renovates houses and has a son. In the trailers, Yelena adds to this story by saying, "You're thinking about moving but you're gonna wait until the interest rates go down." This amusing detail did not make the final cut.
Red Guardian Fights His Way Out of Prison
Black Widow finds Alexei Shostakov in prison, until his two pseudo-daughters break him out to help with their search for the Red Room. While Alexei does get to show off his super strength in this sequence, he has a bit of trouble once he gets outside, as he's followed by a mob of both guards and prisoners. Conversely, the trailers show him going up against some guards in a fight that doesn't appear to be in the film.
Alexei Flexes His Muscles
After the family is reunited at Melina Vostokoff's house, Alexei goes to the bathroom to change into his Red Guardian costume. Before he gets dressed, the trailers show him posing and flexing his muscles in front of the mirror, a moment that didn't make the finished film. Additionally, once he does get dressed and presents himself to his pretend wife and children, Melina comments on Alexei's weight gain. His response that "it's mainly water weight" is cut from the movie.
Melina Explains the Plan
In the Black Widow TV spot titled "Fight," Alexei and Melina have escaped their cells in the Red Room and Alexei asks her what her plan is. Melina explains that "we only had time to plan this far," implying that they've already proceeded past their initial scheme, much to Alexei's surprise and confusion. In movie, however, the scene cuts away to a flashback, in which it is revealed that Melina and Natasha did come up with a plan and this was all part of it.
Black Widow Is Done Running From Her Past
Multiple trailers included a voiceover of Natasha saying, "I'm done running from my past," a sentence signaling that fans were finally going to find out more about the Black Widow's backstory. While it does deliver on that front, Natasha never actually says this line in the movie. Since it was a key part of the marketing, the line may have been recorded specifically for the trailers, or maybe it was just cut for time.
Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, O-T Fagbenle as Mason and Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff. The film is in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access now.