Scarlett Johansson made her debut in the MCU way back in 2010’s Iron Man 2, and fans have been asking for her to get a solo movie ever since. It finally happened early this year when Jac Shaeffer was hired to begin work on a script, so for obvious reasons we haven’t heard much about where the film would fit into the larger Marvel Universe. Would it take place after the events of Avengers 4? Assuming the character survives, of course. A new rumor has emerged that claims to have the scoop on the Russian Avenger’s film.
The rumor comes from That Hashtag Show, and you know how I feel about them. Once again there’s no sourcing for this one so don’t take it as gospel, but they say the film will be a prequel that will have Black Widow crossing paths with the Winter Soldier…
“The film will find Natasha living in the United States 15 years after the fall of the Soviet Union! That timeline places the film firmly in the mid-2000s, meaning we’ll meet up with Nat prior to the events of Iron Man 2. That time frame opens up plenty of options, and while many fans seem to want a Black Widow/Hawkeye team up in Budapest, we’ve been told that early discussions about the film involved Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier.”
Makes sense in a way. Black Widow and Winter Soldier have a ton of history in the comics, with her being trained by him and the pair becoming lovers. Their shared experience as government-trained assassins makes them natural rivals on the big screen, as well.
What doesn’t make sense is that this info would emerge in this way, with no sourcing, when there is no shortage of Marvel folks out there giving interviews and spilling the beans on everything. Seems fishy to me, but then I’m naturally skeptical.