It’s been nearly two years since the last Marvel movie, Spider-Man: Far From Home, premiered in theaters. Of course, we’ve had WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to tide us over, but nothing quit compares to the buzzy excitement of that opening night screening of the latest MCU installment (God I miss movie theaters so much). Now, after so many panini-related delays, fans will finally get to see Black Widow, which will be released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with premiere access on July 9, 2021.
We’ve already known that Black Widow will focus on Natasha’s return to Russia to contend with her past, as well as the introduction of Black Widow 2.0, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). We also know that the film takes place after the events of Captain America: Civil War but before Avengers: Infinity War begins.
And yet, this trailer plays with our emotions by flashing back to Natasha joining the Avengers, fighting Ultron, and yes, her self sacrifice on Vormir to save Hawkeye and earn the Soul Stone in Avengers: Endgame. “I made mistakes, choosing between what the world wants you to be and who you are.”
I too made mistakes, like watching this trailer on a Saturday morning and getting stuck deep in my Natasha Romanoff feelings. The trailer continues with Natasha saying, “We have to go back to where it all started”, as she returns to Russia to meet up with her estranged sister and fellow Black Widow Yelena. We also get a glimpse of their childhood together in Russia, along with their father Alexei Shostakov, aka Red Guardian (David Harbour). Harbour growls, “my girls are toughest girls in the world”.
We also see their mother, Melina Vostokoff aka Iron Maiden (Rachel Weisz) apologizing to Natasha saying, “We had our orders and we played our roles”, with Natasha responding that none of it was real. Ultimately, Black Widow and her family will go up against the villainous Taskmaster, whose photographic memory allows him to study and adapt to his adversary’s fighting style.
Taskmaster currently runs the Red Room, the elite Russian brainwashing and spy training program that turns women into lethal assassins, known as Black Widows. It’s a safe bet that Natasha and her team will work towards dismantling the Red Room and freeing the Black Widows.
What’s most interesting is the dynamics at play with Natasha and her family. Are they blood related or was their family part of the Red Room training protocol? Were Alexei and Melina playing roles, or do they have a genuine connection with their daughters? If this film delves into Russian spy parenting a la The Americans, that would be an exciting emotional development for the MCU.
Of course, the MCU has given us plenty of family drama, from Tony Stark’s daddy issues to Hawkeye’s wife and kids. But we’ve never had an MCU film that focuses specifically on how family dynamics play out in this world. Of course, the Avengers are a family unto themselves, but I’m excited for the murky emotional depths that Black Widow hints at exploring.
Or at least I will be, once I get over that choral version of the Avengers theme that ends the trailer. I’m fine, it’s just raining on my face.
What do you think of the latest Black Widow trailer? Let us know in the comments!
(featured image: Marvel Entertainment)
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