Black Widow's plot and its importance to the wider MCU

Fans have waited a long time to see Black Widow get her own film and for the film to finally be released. With the film finally set to be released in cinemas and on Disney+ simultaneously on July 9th, it’s time to review what we know and how this film will connect to the wider MCU.

The Plot?

What we know is that the majority of the plot will take place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, following Natasha after she is forced to go on the run before teaming up with Steve and Sam. Natasha is forced to confront her past by teaming up with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Alexi Shostakov (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokov (Rachel Weiss), meaning we could see flashbacks to her time in the Red Room, her time as an assassin and her recruitment into SHIELD.

All of the trailers have a big focus on family, whether that be Natasha talking about the Avengers or her ‘first family.’ Her and Yelena refer to each other as sisters, due to them being sister-figures in the comics. However, in the Official Trailer, Alexi says to Natasha, ‘Listen to your mother,’ when Melina scolds her but this is impossible, as in a deleted scene in Civil War, Natasha tells Steve she found her parents’ graves. The New Trailer seems to offer the most answers. At one point Alexi speaks – in an American accent – to two girls, saying, ‘My girls are the toughest girls in the world.’ Once again, he cannot be her real father, as Red Skull identifies Natasha as daughter of Ivan. Several scenes depict the four of them together as a family, before being separated. Melina talks about ‘their orders,’ while Natasha talks about it not being real and Yelena says it was real to her. It is possible that on this mission, they ended up feeling like a real family and that whatever happened is the reason she never spoke about her ‘first family.’

Possible Appearances and Questions that need Answering:

If Natasha’s SHIELD recruitment is explored, then this would mean appearances or mentions of Hawkeye and/or Nick Fury. Since there are several shots that appear to be in Budapest, this could mean that we are finally given an answer to what happened in Budapest.

One appearance or mention many fans are hoping for is Bucky Barnes, as he and Natasha have an extensive history in the comics. The short version (and the details likely to be mentioned) is that Bucky trained Natasha in the Red Room, which is where their relationship began to develop. This all stems from the scene in Civil War, when she begs him to recognise her while he attacks her as the Winter Soldier, suggesting this is what she is referencing as up to this point within the MCU, they hadn’t had any proper interactions, other than fights. Since there has been no suggestion of a romantic relationship between the two, it is possible they might show Natasha reflecting on their training.

It would also be interesting to see Natasha reflect on some of her past mistakes and since one of the shots appears to take place in a hospital, it could trigger Natasha to remember the hospital fire Loki brings up during The Avengers.

While it is likely we will get explanations for the two antagonists – Taskmaster and Thaddeus Ross – these two characters seem too important to simply be placed in the film as the villains. It seems that Taskmaster could be a one movie villain, but the fact he is able to copy the movements of the Avengers and has somehow managed to find footage of them – indicated by him watching a clip of Natasha from Iron Man 2 – it would be waste to never use him again, as he could be a difficult opponent for future Avengers to defeat. Taskmaster is also a prominent character in the comics, often meeting several Avengers, meaning even if he is seemingly defeated in this film, he could make an appearance again. One of the more intriguing elements of this film is the appearance of Thaddeus Ross. While it would make sense for him to be tracking Natasha after Civil War, the one clip he appears in shows him de-aged closer to how William Hurt looked in the 1990s/early 2000s. This wouldn’t be necessary for Civil War era Ross, which is the biggest suggestion of flashbacks.

What is the film’s significance to the rest of the MCU?

It is likely that this is the last MCU project to tie directly into the Infinity Saga, completing Natasha’s arc and acting as a final farewell to one of the original Avengers. However, it could’ve been announced as the final film of Phase Three, instead of Spider-Man: Far From Home, but its placement in Phase Four suggests that some events and/or characters will directly impact some upcoming projects.

While nothing has been confirmed for Melina and Alexi’s futures in the MCU, it has already been confirmed that Yelena will appear in Hawkeye. Her theorised appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier seems unlikely now, but it is almost unquestionable that she will become a key member of the MCU – whether that be as a hero or villain – as she uses the title ‘Black Widow’ as well as Natasha.

One plot point that may be resolved in the film or bleed over into the rest of the MCU is the new generation of Widows. Yelena speaks briefly about the treatment of the new recruits, and they appear to be even more deadly than other trainees. Whether the Red Room is brought down or not, it leaves a whole new generation of assassins who could become enemies, allies or lost souls seeking help from those who managed to escape.

Whatever the outcome of the film and possible events set up, the most important aspect will be getting to witness Natasha in action one last time and bid a proper goodbye to a beloved MCU character.

Images:

Marvel Studios

Marvel Comics