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According to GiantFreakinRobot, Scarlett Johansson, who played Black Widow in the MCU from 2010 to 2021, is rumored to be appearing in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Johansson played Black Widow in eight MCU films. She first appeared in Iron Man 2 and reprised the role in the next seven films, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
She then last essayed the role in her eighth and eponymous solo film, which hit theaters and Disney+ with Premiere Access in July 2021. The film, which was released during the COVID-19 pandemic broke multiple box-office records and grossed over $379.8 million globally.
The film garnered a lot of positive reviews from critics, but not so much with some of the fans and audience. The latter felt that the film should have come out much earlier and that it was not worth the wait. They also believed that the film was more of a set-up for Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and less of a farewell to Johansson's Natasha.
Scarlett Johansson to return in Avengers: Secret Wars? How will it happen?
According to some trusted sources of the outlet GiantFreakinRobot, Scarlett Johansson is set to appear as Black Widow in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Johansson's rumored inclusion only adds to a list of other rumored inclusions like the following:
- Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man
- Josh Brolin's Thanos
- Hugh Jackman's Wolverine
- Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their respective Spider-Mans.
This has not been verified, however, and must be taken with a grain of a salt.
For those who wonder whether Scarlett Johansson will be playing the same Black Widow, she will not. This is much like how Downey Jr. will not be playing the same Iron Man, given the character's sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. According to sources from GiantFreakinRobot, the roles will be a variant from across the multiverse.
Marvel is currently diving headfast into the Multiverse Saga and as such are introducing or have introduced the concept of Variants, who are basically alternate versions of beloved and established characters.
It is currently unknown as to what Black Widow or her variant's role in the film will be. Here are three options in which she can be depicted.
One, she is a heroic variant from across the multiverse who joins forces with MCU heroes and other heroes from across the multiverse. They all join hands to stop the Beyonder and other alternate evil versions of Kang the Conqueror. According to a fan @TheMadameWebTheory this version could be the one from the animated series What If...?.
Another possibility would be that Scarlett Johansson is essaying the role of another heroic version of the character that audiences and fans are yet to meet.
Yet another option would be Scarlett Johansson portraying an evil variant of the character who is recruited by the Beyonder to fight the MCU and other multiversal heroes. This evil version could be joined by evil versions or variants of other established characters such as Iron Man and Captain America.
Nonetheless, whether she is a variant or not, Natasha Romanoff's appearance could certainly strike several emotional chords in her best friend, Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton (Hawkeye) and her sister Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova. It would be so if and when they happen to meet (or fight) her. Both the characters have dealt with Natasha's loss in different but emotional ways.
Scarlett Johansson's upcoming Marvel film and other upcoming projects
Kevin Feige, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, confirmed that he and Johansson are working on an untitled non-Black Widow Marvel film where she will serve as an executive producer.
"We are already working with Scarlett on another non-Black Widow related top-secret Marvel Studios project with her as a producer,"
He then added, praising the Black Widow star:
"Scarlett is one of the most talented, versatile, and beloved actors of our time. It has truly been a pleasure to work with someone of her caliber, from the epic training sessions preparing for the hallway fight in Iron Man 2 to the around-the-world press tour for Avengers: Endgame to partnering with you as a producer on Black Widow. Working with you, Scarlett, has truly been one of the most memorable and rewarding collaborations of my career."
Feige also revealed that Scarlett Johansson was the first actor to produce a film for Marvel Studios. Stating how he she had her own vision for Black Widow's story during their meetings.
"From our very first few meetings, it was clear she had a vision for this movie, how to tell this story,"
As for her other upcoming projects, Scarlett Johansson is confirmed to star in Wes Anderson's romantic ensemble film, Asteroid City. She is then slated to appear in Kristin Scott Thomas' directorial debut, My Mother's Wedding.
She will then appear in two films for Apple TV+, Bride directed by Sebastian Lelio and Project Artemis, where she will star opposite Channing Tatum.
