Marvel Cinematic Universe Theory: Black Widow Is A Skrull
2. The Black Widow Solo Movie's Curious Timing
In January 2018, it was reported that screenwriter Jac Schaeffer had been tapped to write the script for a solo Black Widow movie, the first major step forward the project has ever taken, and really, the first official confirmation that such a movie is even in development.
While fans have been asking about a standalone Widow adventure for years, nothing has ever been official. Sure, MCU mastermind Kevin Feige and star Scarlett Johansson have expressed interest in the past, but the hiring of Schaeffer is the first real bit of movement the Black Widow movie has ever seen.
And the timing of this is very interesting, especially if you assume - like we are - that Natasha is a Skrull.
If this is the case, the grand reveal is likely to happen in either Captain Marvel or Avengers 4, which come out in March 2019 and May 2019, respectively. Hiring Schaeffer to begin writing the script in January 2018 means that the Black Widow movie will not be ready until after those two movies launch - realistically, it will be a late 2019 or early 2020 release, at best.
And this is exactly why Marvel have only just started moving forward with the Black Widow movie - they couldn't start making it until they were closer to the Skrull reveal, close enough to ensure that the film would only be ready to go after said reveal had occurred.
Imagine this: Natasha is revealed as a Skrull in Avengers 4, and audiences go crazy, desperate to learn more. Fortunately, her solo movie is ready to roll out at the tail-end of 2019, and it explores how she struggles to adapt to her assassinating/Avenging lifestyle after being imprisoned by the Skrulls for so long.
Alternatively, the movie could be a prequel that shows us exactly how she came to be a Skrull. Or, it could be a prequel that explores her earlier days with Hawkeye, or her time spent in the Red Room. Either way, the revelation that Natasha is a Skrull would be the perfect jumping off point for her solo movie to fill in some of the blanks about her past, present or future.
And one more thing: the best time (business-wise) to make a Black Widow movie would've been soon after Lucy - the ScarJo-starring action-thriller - turned a tidy profit, and not in the aftermath of her Ghost In The Shell adaptation, which was a huge failure. Marvel must have a reason for making it now, right? Because that reason ain't how hot Johansson currently is at the box-office.