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Marvel fans have been eagerly waiting for the arrival of the first ever solo Black Widow movie, and though the movie’s release has been delayed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the excitement for the movie is still very much real.
As we all know, Black Widow will mark the end of Scarlett Johansson’s journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but according to the movie’s director Cate Shortland, a new Black Widow is ready to take her place.
via GIPHY
The Black Widow trailer introduced us to Natasha Romanoff’s “family” including her long-lost “sister” Yelena, played by Florence Pugh.
Although Yelena is affectionately called “Sis” by Natasha, the comic book characters are not actually biologically related and are not expected to be so in the film either.
Thanks to their shared experiences at a Russian training camp however, Natasha and Yelena share a sisterly love-hate relationship that feels just as real.
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With all the events in Avengers: Endgame, we know that Natasha’s Black Widow will not be returning to the MCU but according to Black Widow’s director, Yelena could very well be the next in line to join.
In a recent interview with Empire, Cate talked about the relationship between Scarlett and Florence during the production and even hinted at what we can expect in the upcoming movie.
“[Kevin Feige] realised that the audience would expect an origin story so, of course, we went in the opposite direction. And we didn’t know how great Florence Pugh would be,” the director noted.
“We knew she would be great, but we didn’t know how great.”
“Scarlett is so gracious, like, ‘Oh, I’m handing her the baton.’ So it’s going to propel another female storyline,” she explained.
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Cate’s comments seem to confirm what fans have been speculating and theorising all this time - that the Black Widow mantle will pass to Yelena as it does in the comic books.
But as to how this “baton” will be passed, that remains unclear until the movie is released.
Besides suggesting that Florence would take on the role of Black Widow in the MCU, the director also noted that the movie will be a chance for fans to fully process Natasha’s ultimate sacrifice in Endgame.
“In Endgame, the fans were upset that Natasha did not have a funeral,’ she said. “Whereas Scarlett, when I spoke to her about it, said Natasha wouldn’t have wanted a funeral. She’s too private, and anyway, people don’t really know who she is.”
“So what we did in this film was allow the ending to be the grief the individuals felt, rather than a big public outpouring. I think that’s a fitting ending for her,” the director continued.
via GIPHY
While it is sad to see Scarlett’s Black Widow come to an end, we’re super excited to see what Florence will bring while taking her place - if things go as planned.
What are your thoughts on Florence possibly being the new Black Widow? Let us know!
Info via UNILAD