‘Black Widow’ Sequel Is Still Possible, But Without Scarlett Johansson (Obviously)
Following the demise of Natasha Romanoff inAvengers: Endgame, the upcomingBlack Widowmovie has to turn back time for a story set betweenCaptain America: Civil WarandAvengers: Infinity War. But that doesn’t mean aBlack Widowsequel should be ruled out in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. DirectorCate Shortlandconfirmed that aBlack Widowsequel is possible, but there’s a catch. Thankfully, there’s already a way to work around it.
Before you read any further, you should know that this post has to dive intoBlack WidowSPOILERS, so proceed with caution.
Speaking with theRadioTimes, Cate Shortland was asked ifBlack Widowcould have a sequel sometime down the road, and she responded, “I think following a different character, yes.” Shortland added:
“I think Scarlett is really happy that she’s leaving the party, you know, and she’s not the last to leave. She decided she wanted to go. And I don’t think she would want to come back at the moment.”
The end ofBlack Widowleads directly to the events ofAvengers: Infinity War, so there’s not much room for another adventure with Natasha Romanoff during that time period anyway. There’s always the possibility that another movie could dig into her past even more with another mission, perhaps one where she was teamed up with Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) while working for SHIELD. But withoutScarlett Johansson, that probably won’t happen. But there’s a much better way to continue theBlack Widowfranchise.
Yelena Could Be the New Black Widow
Even though Black Widow is the moniker adopted by Natasha Romanoff as an assassin and an Avenger, it’s also a more general name given to any of the female assassins who have been recruited, manipulated, and trained by the Red Room. That means Natasha’s adoptive sister Yelena (played byFlorence Pugh) is also a Black Widow, and since she’s left alive at the end of the movie, she can easily step into her sister’s shoes.
Furthermore, there’s aBlack Widowpost-credits scene that certainly sets the stage for what we’ll be seeing Yelena doing next in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, since the movie doesn’t arrive in theaters until next week, we’re waiting a little while before we dig into the details of that scene. But suffice it to say, that there’s plenty of room for Yelena to have a future in the MCU, and she could easily lead her ownBlack Widowmovie at some point.
For her part, Cate Shortland said she would be happy to come back for another round. The director said, “All the beautiful fights and the spectacle, and I think just creating something really fun and joyous is pretty addictive. So yeah, I would do it again. Yes.”
Black Widowarrives in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access starting onJuly 9, 2021.
