With Marvel having focussed primarily on the cosmic side of things in recent years, there is something to be said about the lack of semi-realistic (he says, hesitantly) films in the studio's filmography. Not realistic in terms of believability, but in terms of the actual concept itself. Those other-worldly storylines are great fun to watch, but there is something to be said about those smaller, more down-to-Earth stories as well.
The comics themselves manage to get the right balance, and while Black Widow works in both of those contexts, the character lends herself more to that grounded side.
The kind of style we've seen in Winter Soldier, Jessica Jones and Daredevil would benefit the character in a plethora of ways, especially if any story featuring Nat is character-driven and does what Marvel do best by placing its biggest personalities at the forefront of its narrative.
Scarlet Johansson's Black Widow has deserved so much more from the MCU. Hopefully a solo film can go a long way in making up for lost time.
What do you want to see in the Black Widow film? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
