Scarlett Johansson appeared as Black Widow in a staggering eight Marvel films, which began during the events of Iron Man 2 (2010). Since then, the beloved actress has become a superstar, leading to her solo Black Widow (2021) movie. Though the Black Widow became her final time as Natasha Romanoff, the actress revealed her feelings towards the epic legal battle against Disney and the effect of that battle.
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Nobody would argue against stating that Johansson is one of the most important Avengers. She is arguably the biggest star on the team next to Chris Evans (Captain America) and Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man). Fans lined up to see Johansson’s fantastic portrayal of Marvel’s greatest assassin, which led to many of her other roles gaining the same traction—for instance, Lucy, which secured $459 million at the worldwide box office.
Scarlett Johansson has turned herself into a household name, deservedly so, as her acting prowess has always been on point. She was nominated for two Academy Awards in 2020. One for
Though the actress has been in show business since the mid-1990s, she has become one of the most powerful women in Hollywood. This was the case, as Johansson had the impossible task of taking on Disney in 2021 when Black Widow was released.
During the film’s initial release, Scarlett Johansson had struck a deal with Disney for the MCU entry to be released exclusively in theaters. However, as the pandemic continued, Disney decided to release the film in theaters and on Disney+. This led to the actress pushing the studio to compensate her adequately for the millions of dollars she would forgo due to the film being streamed.
What made things worse is Disney CEO Bob Chapek also used the film’s popularity on Disney+ as a tool to boost stock prices, saying it generated more than $60 million in Disney+ Premier Access global sales.
Scarlett Johansson Fights Back
Scarlett Johansson would then tighten her grip on Disney, stating they were in breach of her contract. This led to the studio firing back, including slanderous comments like the actress’s “callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” They also indicate they paid her a $20 million salary up front to warrant some sort of sympathy towards the actress appearing to be greedy.
Johansson recalled reading the scathing reports from Disney. She told Variety, “I was sad and disappointed. But mostly sad. It was such a surreal moment because we were all isolated and just sort of emerging a little bit. I was also really heavily pregnant, too, which in a weird way was amazing timing. Suddenly, your entire attention is drawn to this miracle of life. So, I had the most wonderful distraction in the world and soon after had a beautiful baby.”
Johansson’s agent, Bryan Lourd, convinced the actress to allow him to fight back against a seemingly impossible battle. Lourd stated, “She and I were very much in lockstep about what this was. And she had the conviction to let me fight back. A lot of people wouldn’t do that. And part of the reason she did it is because she thought, in the position she’s in, she had a responsibility not just to herself but to other people who were being confronted with this change.”
The distraction of her second-born child and the fight from Lourd was enough for Scarlett Johansson to win against Disney. The rumored sum is around $40 million, though the actual number has not been disclosed. Johannson recounted her win against Disney and said she couldn’t walk through a restaurant without someone approaching and saying, “Good for you. Stand up for yourself.”
Related: Actress Who Replaced Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow Quietly Makes Live-Action MCU Debut
Her huge win is something that the industry has paid close attention to, especially when it always seems like those battling something as big as Disney is a near-impossible feat. Thankfully, Scarlett Johansson and Disney share no bad blood over the lawsuit. She is still set to star in the Tower of Terror adaptation that Taika Waititi is allegedly directing.
We may never see her as Black Widow again, but she still swears her loyalty to Disney, and so do they.
Do you think Scarlett Johansson was brave in fighting Disney? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!