Marvel's ¡®Black Widow¡¯ Seems Four Years Too Late As It Bids Farewell To Natasha Romanoff

Black Widow has now been released directly for streaming on Disney+-Hotstar. The movie which was released theatrically and on OTT faced constant delays due to the pandemic. There was a major hype around the film as it meant bidding goodbye to another one of the original Avengers and was probably a much-earned entry for Scarlett Johansson.

Since the trailer promised a peek into the character¡¯s past, it felt that it would establish a lasting legacy for the Black Widow moniker while paying an ode to Romanoff. Now, after watching the film, it can be said that the film did manage to carry forward the character¡¯s legacy but somehow couldn¡¯t give Natasha a proper farewell.

Black Widow [Marvel Studios]

Being the last film to feature Natasha Romanoff (unless the studio decides to bring her back in some capacity in the Marvel Multiverse), Black Widow was layered with several subplots which included new characters as well as those which were mentioned earlier in the franchise.

Being a prequel and the first Phase Four entry, the narrative played on the character¡¯s path and simultaneously tried to establish grounds for the future of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though the film did well on Marvel¡¯s benchmarks as it excelled in action sequences, camera work, stunts, and visual effects; however, there was an incompleteness left as it ended which could have been avoided if Marvel had planned a solo Black Widow film a bit earlier.

What¡¯s Black Widow About?

Acting as a direct sequel to Captain America: Civil War and a prequel to the events of Infinity War and Endgame, the film follows Natasha Romanoff after she ran off the States to avoid capture after she sided with Steve Rogers¡¯ faction that discarded and disbanded the Sokovia Accords. Being alone and on the run from the authorities, Natasha decides to remotely settle down before she¡¯s drawn back to her past, a time before she was an Avenger, and is forced to reunite with the life she thought she had left behind.

Black Widow [Marvel Studios]

Starring Scarlett Johansson in the lead, the film also features David Harbour, Florence Pugh, and Rachel Weisz playing significant roles.

Introducing New Widows

Black Widow took the audience back to Natasha¡¯s time in the Red Room where she was trained as an assassin. Since The Avengers, we have heard of stories of Budapest shared by Romanoff and her best friend Clint Barton and have had a glimpse into that past in a sequence in Age of Ultron.

When Marvel Studios decided to make a solo movie based on the character, it had to cover that part of her life. And in the process, the writers subtly included new characters in the franchise that have supposedly existed in the vast cinematic universe for a long time.

Black Widow [Marvel Studios]

Yelena Belova and Melina Vostokoff, two integral characters from the Black Widow comic books, were revitalized for the film. The characters share a rich history with Romanoff and their inclusion, especially of Yelena, helped in establishing a legacy for the character and moniker of Black Widow.

Black Widow [Marvel Studios]

As shown in the trailers, the film also features Widows from the Red Room, an extension of the Leviathan program which we learned about in the series Agent Carter. The sequence is a major hint at how extensive and far-stretched the program is. But this part of the film lacks the depth it needed to become significant to Romanoff.

Black Widow Hushes To Bid Farewell to Scarlett Johansson

Black Widow has mixed up two different subplots; delving into Natasha's past in order to bid her farewell, and transferring the Widow mantle further to carry on the character in future MCU films.

Black Widow [Marvel Studios]

If this film had been truly an appreciation for Johansson's portrayal of the character in the last decade, then it should have focused on her. There's an important section of her life we've heard about tons of times - Hospital Fire, Dreykov's daughter, Budapest, Clint Barton sent to kill her; all of which are hinted at in the film as well, however, unfortunately, none of it is covered in-depth. It's there in the discussion which does clear up things for the audience; but none of it "really" explored, which leaves the film incomplete and unsatisfactory.

Black Widow [Marvel Studios]

The characters of Dreykov and Taskmaster, the mysterious antagonist of the movie, are not fully developed or realized and don't seem to feel as relatable to the entire storyline as they should be. This means they don't seem like characters that have shaped Natasha¡¯s life as an assassin and pushed her to defect to the States and eventually join the Avengers Initiative.

The film, while creating a fight or say, a revolution for Natasha to undertake, also tries to create a new bunch of characters that would become the future of this next era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ultimately jumbling up everything and making Black Widow an unfortunate mess. It felt as if Marvel just wanted to make a film to not really honor Natasha Romanoff but as a medium of kickstarting Phase Four and pushing MCU into a new era, which they knew would be a success being part of its cinematic universe. There wasn¡¯t much to dig deep into the character¡¯s life besides subtle hints to the other films she has featured in and learning what she was up to for a short while before she ended up back with Rogers and his faction which was declared a bunch of fugitives post-Civil War.

An Amusing But Dissatisfactory Introduction of Red Guardian

The film also features Red Guardian, a Soviet counterpart to Captain America, and the nation¡¯s first successful attempt at creating a super-soldier. But David Harbour¡¯s portrayal of the character was actually the weary one, who has spent years in prison and has lost touch of a super-soldier, and has hazing abilities, possesses low endurance, and has forgotten combat skills. There could have been a better representation of the character even in his less brutal form, but he is left as comic relief in the film, at last, leaving nothing to take from him as an audience, and as an MCU fan.

Black Widow [Marvel Studios]

Maybe it was always a plan to make Red Guardian a supporting character and not give him a prominent role for now given it was already focusing on Black Widow and the Red Room storyline; but when you introduce a new superhero to a franchise of superhero films, you do wish to have some kind of action at his center. Once again, the discussion around the character in the film has subtly hinted at a huge set of characters and Soviet superhero counterparts that further stretches the MCU to the Eastern Hemisphere, but there¡¯s nothing more than that to take from it. The one combat sequence between Red Guardian and Taskmaster also remains incomplete, as it is interrupted due to a really disagreeable progression towards the film¡¯s climax.

Why Black Widow Would Have Made More Sense If Released Earlier?

As stated, the film was more of a filler between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, focusing on what Natasha was up to when she was being chased around by Thaddeus Ross. If Marvel had realized the significance of a solo female-centric superhero film before it took inspiration from the success of DC¡¯s Wonder Woman, and had planned this film right after Civil War, it would have made more sense. Firstly, given a continuation, and not a prequel, the film would have had more connection with the audience, as they had not known the ultimate fate of Natasha in the MCU. Plus, that would¡¯ve explored the potential of the succession of Black Widow moniker at a more suitable time that would¡¯ve given time for the character of Belova to grow off-screen and then get reintroduced into the franchise with Hawkeye as it is planned now.

Black Widow [Marvel Studios]

The film in that case wouldn¡¯t have felt as rushed as it did cause there had been an ample amount of time between itself and Natasha¡¯s final film, which is Endgame. And for the argument that being released after Endgame helped Natasha get the farewell she deserved is quite arguable as the filmmakers have not done a good job at bidding her goodbye properly. Instead what they¡¯ve done is passed the Black Widow mantle to a second character which Marvel plans to grow in the forthcoming series and films of Phase Four, that shall shape up another crossover in the future.

Black Widow [Marvel Studios]

Black Widow Release Delay Further Created Issues

It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the film came a few years too late, which was further delayed due to the pandemic. This extended its release to the point that it came after MCU had progressed through WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki. Furthermore, by the time Black Widow was released, Marvel Studios had released trailers for both Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, as well as of Eternals, which gave another in-depth glimpse at what the next phase of MCU would look like. Knowing it was a prequel, audiences¡¯ interest and passion towards Black Widow, which was supposed to be the first entry of MCU Phase Four was lowered down.

Black Widow [Marvel Studios]

And to add to those troubles, Marvel Studios released the film on Disney+ Premier Access, which led to an unfortunate lawsuit Johansson filed against the studios as the digital release hampered the payment she was supposed to get out of the film¡¯s theatrical release profits. And it¡¯s really bad reception that this lawsuit is the most talked-about thing concerning Black Widow. The lawsuit has reportedly pushed The Russo Brothers, the director-duo behind Endgame and Infinity War, to rethink their stance with the studio on any future projects they might be interested to be a part of.

Black Widow [Marvel Studios]

Black Widow does stand tall when it comes to fulfilling the action and adventure aspects of a superhero film, especially the one that comes from Marvel Studios; however, it lacks the depth that character developments in films require and is blended imperfectly with multiple subplots it tries to deal with simultaneously. While trying to be a prequel, an origin story, and a legacy story, the film deliberately messes itself up. Since it¡¯s an MCU entry, you¡¯re definitely going to watch it as it has become mandatory to view any Marvel film to understand the next installments. But, unfortunately, Black Widow won¡¯t be amongst the likes of Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, and Infinity War of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, something which a film based on Scarlett Johansson¡¯s Natasha Romanoff deserves.