Marvel Studios’ Black Widow cast and creatives chat about Natasha’s solo film

It’s no spoiler alert at this point that Natasha Romanov aka Black Widow from the Avengers does die sacrificing herself to save the world in “Endgame.” But like many stories, there are usually more stories left to tell.

“There’s lots about Natasha we didn’t know yet, especially between “Civil War” and “Infinity War,” said Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige. That’s when the Avengers split up and essentially disappeared before coming back together to defeat Thanos. Feige continued, “We talked more with Scarlett and found a good narrative that would also dive deeper into Natasha’s backstory.”

We only got to see glimpses of Black Widow’s backstory in previous MCU films with brief flashbacks and short narratives given by Natasha herself. That mystery, however, led to the perfect playground to explore a standalone film.

“This is the first time that we see Black Widow by herself, without the Avengers,” said Scarlett Johannsen. Director Cate Shortland added, “Since there are really no rules, our story gets dark, but can play more with humor as well.

That humor in the film predominantly comes from two of the newest additions to the MCU, Florence Pugh (who plays Yelena) and David Harbour (who plays Alexei). Both actors have typically played dramatic roles, but easily leaned into the funny with this movie. “The funny thing about Alexei is that it comes from his character, just as much as it does for Yelena. It’s all driven by our character’s lives, which have inherently funny, yet dark origins,” Harbour said.

That darkness he is alluding to very much permeates through the entire film. It all begins with a prologue sequence that includes choice images. “We needed to set the tone of the film at the beginning,” said Feige. “And again, it serves the very dark origin story Black Widow and the story that is to come.”

That story ultimately ends with Natasha’s death, and it was through those lenses that the film also became a tribute to the fallen Avenger. “Knowing Natasha’s fate influenced my character choices in this solo film,” she said. “I wanted to make sure she evolved in moving forward with her life and with resolve as we last see her on-screen because it was only then she could make that ultimate sacrifice.”

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Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow” comes to theaters on July 9 in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access ($29.99). Look for our spoiler-free review soon!