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Writer's pictureEmma Unique
Jul 10, 20218 min read

Spotlight on the Marvel's Black Widow


Black Widow Offical Poster


“We Have What We Have When We Have It.”


This infamous dialogue is spoken by the ever so radiant badass Black Widow aka Natasha Romanoff of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: Civil War. For revision purposes, this quote comes at a time when Natasha aka the Black Widow, and Steve Rogers aka Captain America have already developed a pretty firm friendship throughout their tumultuous journey. Natasha offers a shoulder to lean on for Steve who is suffering the loss of the love of his life ( Peggy Carter who also had an independent television series on ABC which was abruptly canceled after two seasons). Something the Marvel Universe fans could use right now after three delays of the Marvel: Black Widow due to a global health crisis.


Through these words, Natasha learns that you can’t dwell on the past. Natasha enjoys what she has at the moment, and even if it doesn't work out, she keeps going. That sentiment isn’t one she’s able to hold on to in future movies( revealed in the next paragraph), but it’s one she tries to impress the importance of at the time to comfort Steve.


Marvel films hold a special place in the hearts of its fans especially for the strong female representation on-screen offered by this franchise. Natasha Romanoff is not only a character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but also one of the first Avengers in a male-dominated assembly of superheroes other than Tony Stark aka Iron Man’s love interest Pepper Potts who stood her own ground over the years. Although (spoiler alert) Natasha sacrifices her life to attain the soul stone to beat Thanos in the mega-hit Avengers Endgame, this solo film will be the culmination of Black Window’s character with an insight into her origin story. Particularly, Marvel’s Black Widow explores the chunk of time missing between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. In the form of a prequel story for Natasha Romanoff building on the glimpse into her training in the infamous Red Room made known to the audience during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron when Wanda Maximoff played by Elizabeth Olsen manipulates the Avengers to experience their darkest fears to disarm them.



Black Widow aka Natasha Romanoff


Black Widow’s Character

Natasha Romanoff’s character has served as a conduit of strong female representation among the original Avengers cast which has evolved into a more diverse cast over the years. She has made an appearance in eight of the films that encompass the dearly beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. The most monumental anticipation for Marvel Fans is also going to be finally fulfilled on July 9th, 2021. As the much-deserved solo “Marvel: Black Widow” is set for release in select theatres and on the Disney+ with Primer Access on July 9th, 2021.



Black & Grey Black Widow Costume White Black Widow Costume


Black Widow Costumes

Throughout Natasha's eight film journey, she has had a lot of memorable moments whether she was in her black leather outfit or her new white suit which first appeared in 2010's series 'Black Widow: Deadly Origin'.

The iconic black leather outfit is a quintessential choice for a spy such as Natasha. Her outfit is equipped with a pistol in her thigh holster as well as the dual batons offer a chance to beat up the baddies without killing them.

Another easter egg that can be spotted in the Black Widow trailer is the dark-grey vest sported by Natasha in Avengers: Endgame as well as to Yelena in the film trailer.



Natasha with Glock 26s


Natasha’s Training, Skills, Abilities & Strengths

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a special place in my heart especially because it was the first time I saw a woman dominating men in a superhero universe without any additional superpowers other than Natasha’s extensive training in various fighting styles that really offered a raw moment of female empowerment. Her extensive training ranges from the mastery of martial arts styles of karate, judo, kung fu, and wrestling. Whereas such a deadly combination of martial arts training and combining that with advanced weaponry training makes Natasha a formidable force of nature. Especially, her background in gymnastics, acrobatics, and ballet makes her an agile, flexible human and offers her the flexibility to get back up.


The list of her capabilities is endless which establishes her as a dependable member of the Avengers ensemble. She exhibits no superhuman abilities, but the Black Widow’s character personifies the presence of ultimate human levels of strength, agility, and stamina. That is not all, she has her signature weapons include dual batons( a non-lethal way to strike her enemies), a pair of Glock 26s( for those who really deserve to be put down), and the Black Widow’s Bite ( a modern play of offering her a specialized weapon by drawing inspiration from the literal Black Widow spider who has two fangs should they bite you make you experience raw pain). The bracelets( Black Widow’s Bite) discharge electricity. Another beloved character trait of the Black Widow is that she always accomplishes her mission which is not surprising given her arsenal of training, weapons, and intelligence.


This explosive package of her abilities makes her feared by most as she strives to make up for the bad she has done in the past ( as part of the assassins club of the Red Room). She is fearless as she is ready to get her hands dirty in the process of helping the world.



Black Widow’s Surrogate Family


Black Widow’s Surrogate Family

The new 2021 solo film links up Black Widow with her surrogate family members: as was the box of surprises provided in the trailers, special looks, and featurettes on the official Marvel Entertainment youtube channel.


Yelena Belova played by Florence Pugh is the surrogate sister of Black Widow as seen in the first trailer of Black Widow. Secondly, Melina Vostokoff played by Rachel Weisz is the mother figure to Natasha. And for the father figure in the assassin family is Alexei Shostakov played by David Harbour of Netflix’s original series: Stranger Things fame. All of the family members are highly skilled in combat as revealed by the fighting scenes between Alexei and the villain of the film, Taskmaster. As well as Melina can be seen in a similar costume to Natasha with the same batons ready to fight whatever comes at her.

The film trailers will also make us experience the terrible moment when the young Natasha( Ever Gabo Anderson) & Yelena are seen going to be mind-controlled against their will breaking down into tears.



Black Widow suited up an Avenger’s Endgame


Strong Female Representation

The 200$ million budget film is being helmed by Director Catie Shortland of Berlin’s Syndrome, Lore, and Somersault being the number of projects under her belt. This is noteworthy as this is a sign of the times when a female-led cast of over thirty diverse actresses will be seen kicking ass on the big screen being led by Catie Shortland in the Director’s seat on her biggest project yet.


The cast of Black Widow has a healthy mix of women from the real world be it, Asian women, members of the Black community as well as blonde, red-heads. All types of women will be seen on the big screen through this film. Their names are as follows:

Yolanda Lynes, Jade Ma, Ever Gabo Anderson, Shaina West, Nanna Blondell, Violet McGraw, Simona Brown, Michelle Lee, Liani Samuel, Ione Butler, Mutsumi Tamura, Olga Kurvlenko, Jaada Lawerence, Ryoko Yonekura, Atsuko Tanaka, and Victoria Alonso.


One of the most bothering revelations of the Red Room training was the graduating ceremony as revealed in the Avengers: Age of Ultron when the Hulk aka Bruce Banner played by Mark Ruffalo asks Natasha of her will to have children. This is an intriguing instance when sadly a real-world gender violence tactic used on marginalized women around the world is used in a sci-fi superhero universe. This is the mimicking of world events in the film which draws attention to the tactics used to control women.



Hiedi Moneymaker aka Black Widow's Stunt Double


Hiedi Moneymaker has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for over a decade. Her precision and athleticism personality the character of Black Widow as the ultimate badass on the big screen.


Hiedi is a national champion gymnast who wound up doubling for the biggest female celebrities in Hollywood. Additionally, she and her sister Renae Moneymaker (Evangeline Lilly's Wasp and Brie Larson's Captain Marvel) have become two of the best stunt doubles in the business.




Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova


The New Black Widow

Her character journey is that of redemption which will be (spoiler alert)carried forward by her sister Yelena Belova portrayed by Florence Pugh. She was revealed by Scarlett Johansson aka Black Widow herself as the Marvel fandom was awaiting the film and this offered the perfect conversation starter that tied Marvel fans over their quarantines. Although according to the modern era of the comics, Yelena is a spy like her sister who also uses the Black Widow moniker. Pugh’s character is expected to be a bigger presence in the MCU as her rich history in the comics and the confirmation by The Direct that she is set to appear in the upcoming “Hawkeye” Disney+ series. This take-over by Yelena’s character is also drawing a parallel similar to the new Captain America aka Sam Wilson played by Anthony Mackie in the Falcon and the Winter Solider.


Natasha’s Past

In the Marvel film that launched the Avengers right into the hearts of MCU fans a window into the past of Natasha is opened. The interrogation of Loki aka Thor’s adopted brother who is played by Tom Hiddleston by Natasha teases her past when the name of Dreykov’s daughter is casually thrown by imprisoned Loki on the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier. According to the trailers, Dreykov (Ray Winston) is controlling the Red Room with the Taskmaster as their head and he was their superior.



Taskmaster, Zemo, Hawkeye

New Characters

The most mysterious character in the film is the Taskmaster as Natasha says that who is the hell is the guy? Which clears sums up the mystery. According to the comics, Taskmaster first appeared in the Avengers Issue #196, he or she( there is no confirmation, but I really want it to be a woman) is a former S.H.I.E.L.D Agent turned assassin( Birth Name: Anthony “Tony” Masters). The most terrifying ability of the Taskmaster is that he can mimic any opponent’s combat skills giving the terrifying villain an upper hand in a fight. Essentially, Taskmaster is the combination of all superheroes in the Marvel Universe. And facing off with Taskmaster has made Natasha her work cut out for her as she is essentially fighting herself.


Taskmaster is a Russian agent who is in charge of the Red Room and most probably, Taskmaster has already appeared in the MCU or any newcomer in the Black Widow could be the notorious villain.


We could also see the formation of the Thunderbolts aka a group of reformed super-criminals with Baron Zemo aka the beloved dancing Zemo of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier that captivated audiences. And Thaddeus Ross ( The guy that gave the Avengers the directive to sign the Sovokia Accords in Captain America: Civil War and also the guy who was responsible for tearing the Vision to pieces in the Disney+ series: Wandavision). And the Taskmaster as their leader. Taskmaster is also seen wield the Hawkeye bow & arrow similar to Clint Barton aka Hawkeye, a tease to the series set to premiere on Disney+ shortly.




Rick Mason


Black Widow’s Love Interests

The character of OT Fagbenle played by Rick Mason is one of Natasha’s only allies, who has a romantic interest in her. The character is a bit mysterious as he has a solo poster revealed with the character reveal posters of main characters. My suspicion is that even he could be the Taskmaster as Natasha could be shocked with that reality as well as the drama-hungry fans of the MCU.


Talking about Natasha’s love interest, we can’t forget about The Hulk aka Bruce Banner played by the lovable Mark Ruffalo. Natasha uses the lullaby to calm the Hulk.

The lullaby was introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron used as a way of reverting the Hulk back into Bruce Banner. After each successful mission, Natasha slowly approaches the green angry Hulk and gently touches his hand. And sings “the sun's getting real low.” This facilitates the change in Hulk to a state of calm Hulk who then changes back into human Banner.


Biggest Reveal

One of the biggest reveals in the cityscape shots in the trailer is that of Budapest. The famous Hungarian capital is an easy-to-spot easter egg for the Marvel Fandom as the comments between Natasha and Clint Barton during Avengers and Avengers: Endgame. But the mystery mission of what actually happened in Budapest will be answered soon enough.


Conclusion


Black Widow is much more than a prequel and offers a much-deserved spotlight on one of my favorites MCU characters. Black Widow is truly the avenger of feminism who breaks the mould of stereotypically female representation on the big screen.


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