After a long campaign from comic book and film fans alike, everyone’s favourite Russian assassin is finally getting her own movie. Scarlett Johansson will reprise her iconic role yet again in 2020’s Black Widow, the next film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first entry to kick off Phase 4 of the MCU.
As this will be Black Widow’s first film, there’s a great deal of anticipation and a ton of information to unpack, especially thanks to the various trailers that have aired for the film, including the most recent Super Bowl spot which unveiled some juicy new plot details.
So, before you can snap that infinity gauntlet, let’s dive right in to the latest news.
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Black Widow release date
Marvel Studio’s Black Widow will be released in cinemas on May 1, 2020, in both the US and in the UK. Black Widow will be the first MCU film since Spider-Man: Far From Home (and is likely to reference the cataclysmic events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame in some capacity).
Black Widow will be one of two MCU movies released in 2020, with the other being The Eternals, a brand new series which is slated for release on November 6, 2020. This marks a change of pace for Marvel Studios, which usually puts out three movies a year.
Black Widow latest trailer
At the 2020 Super Bowl, Marvel fans were treated to the latest (and likely final) trailer for Black Widow, also known as the Big Game Spot. Being only 30 seconds long, the trailer doesn’t give away too much, but it goes give us a few glimpses of the film’s new characters including Red Guardian (David Harbour), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), and Nelina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz).
The trailer opens up with Black Widow explaining that the Avengers weren’t her first family – giving the impression that we’ll see an entirely new side to Natasha Romanoff, alongside some much needed context to the rarely discussed history of the Black Widow program.
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Of course, if you want a proper look at the film ahead of its release, we recommend giving the first Black Widow trailer another watch. There’s a lot more to dissect here, as it appears as though Romanoff will be returning to her homeland to team up with past members of the Black Widow program. From the fact that Romanoff and Belova immediately begin fighting, we can only imagine that getting these trained killers to work together is easier said than done.
It could be said that the film seems to be striking a tone closer to that of Captain America: The Winter Soldier – an ode to classic spy films and one that prominently featured Black Widow alongside the titular Avenger himself.
When is Black Widow set in the MCU?
There’s no way of answering this question without delving into some serious spoiler territory, so unless you’ve watched Avengers: Endgame, skip over this and jump to the next section – you’ve been warned.
In the quest to find all the infinity stones and bring back the MCU’s lost heroes, Black Widow perished on Vormir, sacrificing herself and giving Hawkeye the chance to return to Avengers headquarters with the soul stone in tow.
For obvious reasons, the Black Widow film won’t be taking place after Avengers: Endgame, but rather, the film will be set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. At this point in the MCU timeline, Romanoff will be on the run from the American government, having sided with Team Cap in the latter half of Civil War.
Black Widow Cast: Who is directing Black Widow?
Aside from Scarlett Johansson in the titular role, Black Widow will also star David Harbour, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and O T Fagbenle. William Hurt will also reprise his role Thaddeus Ross.
Rumour has it that Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr will be making some sort of an appearance in Black Widow. Whether his appearance takes the form of a flashback to a previous film, or a whole new scene entirely, remains to be seen.
Cate Shortland has directed Black Widow, an Australian director who is best known for her work on Lore, Berlin Syndrome and Somersault.
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Who is Taskmaster – Black Widow’s villain?
Fans of Marvel Comics will be more than familiar with Taskmaster, a long-established villain who has been a serious pain for several Marvel heroes including Spider-Man and Daredevil – although he has been known to be an anti-hero from time to time.
Recognisable by his skull face mask and signature cloak, Taskmaster is an advanced swordsman and fighter, one who benefits from a photographic memory which, in turn, allows him to mimic almost flawlessly, the fighting styles of his opponents. It almost goes without saying that Romanoff and the rest of the Black Widows will have their work cut out for them.
Interestingly, no casting decisions have been revealed regarding Taskmaster, so the jury’s still out as to whether or not the villain could be portrayed by a woman in Black Widow.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
