MCU Theory: Will The Black Widow Prequel Introduce A New Version Of The Character?

4. What We Know About The Story So Far

Given previous reports (as well as the more obvious evidence provided in Avengers: Endgame), Black Widow looks nailed on to be a prequel. It could feature non-linear elements to tie things into the present, but this is still Natasha's story, and needs to be about her and her alone, especially after Endgame took only tentative steps to reflect on the character's passing.

According to reports, the film will be set in the early 2000s, years before Romanoff would join S.H.I.E.L.D. and be assigned to keep tabs on Tony Stark in Iron Man 2. That's... literally it, so far, but the castings of Pugh, David Harbour and potentially Rachel Weisz all intimate that we're in for something different, and unlike what we've come to expect from the series so far.

'Distinctly different' was the promise made for Phase Four, and though the MCU has featured two prequels now, Black Widow is set to be a proper espionage thriller. With THR having said that Nat will come up against her "moral opposite", there's potential the film ventures into darker territory, although of course without sacrificing the standard PG-13 rating Marvel have become so accustomed to.

Captain America Winter Soldier Bucky — Marvel Studios

Whatever the tone, or the story, Black Widow will have to tie into the present as well as the past. There is a legacy to reiterate here now, and out of the two other female co-leads cast so far, Weisz seems the more likely to be the antagonist. Harbour could be set to portray Weeping Lion (a principle enemy in Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's Black Widow comic), but while those are likely to make their one and only MCU appearance in Black Widow, Pugh is a rising star, and one Marvel would be wise to retain for the foreseeable future.

Apart from that, there have been rumours that the Winter Soldier could be involved too. We know the pair had history together before the second Captain America film ("bye bye bikinis"), and given Bucky's involvement with Russian intelligence and Hydra, it's certainly possible Sebastian Stan could feature.

Ewan Paterson

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.

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