Credit: Marvel StudiosMarvel just gave fans a very interesting Black Widow (2021) update!
In the leadup to The Avengers (2012), most of the heroes got their own solo movies to introduce the character to audiences worldwide. Fans met Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in Iron Man (2008), Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and so on, but two Avengers were noticeably overlooked. Both Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), though introduced in other solo movies, didn’t get their own time to shine until much later.
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Both premiering in 2021, the Hawkeye series on Disney+ and Black Widow gave the characters time to get a little more development than they had previously. In his series, audiences saw Clint Barton (Renner) as much more human, making it all the more impressive that he is able to keep up with superheroes, billionaires, and a deity within the Avengers.
Black Widow went even a little further. The film gave fans a glimpse at Natasha Romanoff’s (Johansson) tragic backstory with the Red Room and more that, until this point, had only been alluded to in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Audiences were also introduced to some key figures for the upcoming Phase from Marvel Studios: Romanoff’s (Johansson) surrogate family, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and the tragic villain Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko).
Many fans thought it was strange to give Natasha (Romanoff) her own movie so late in the game, let alone after the character had passed, especially since the other characters all got multiple solo movies. Now, it seems one of the movies planned for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be acting as a sequel to the Black Widow movie after all.
According to an Instagram post reported by The Direct Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts (2024) may have more in common with Black Widow than expected. The post, from Marvel Studios Director of Visual Development Andy Park, teased the movie in promotion of an upcoming book release:
“Here’s the back cover portion for the wraparound cover I got to illustrate for THE ART OF BLACK WIDOW! Get your copy today! Taskmaster, the Red Guardian, Yelena AND Valentina Allegra de Fontaine will be returning in the upcoming THUNDERBOLTS film. It’s like these movies are connected or something! 😉 It’s gonna get interesting 😬”
While odds are that audiences won’t see Natasha (Johansson) returning for Thunderbolts, it is interesting that the film will definitely have more of a focus on her surrogate family than initially expected. On top of that, it will be intriguing for fans to see the new dynamic between a Task Master (Kurylenko) who has now been woken from her brainwashing, and Yelena (Pugh) and Red Guardian (Harbour)
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Thunderbolts is scheduled to release in theaters on July 26, 2024. The film stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/US Agent, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Val and Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus Ross.
What do you think about Thunderbolts acting as a sequel to Black Widow? Let us know in the comments below!