The Intersection of Spies and Super Heroes
When Black Widow was originally announced, the fan base was filled with questions.
“Why did it take so long for the only female Avenger to get her own movie?”
“Where does this fit in the timeline?”
“Who are the characters? Who’s the villain?”
“Is this an origin story?”
All of these questions are important, and Black Widow, finally released in 2021, has an interesting way of answering them. It’s not an origin story that takes place during the character’s actual origin. For that, think of Captain Marvel being set in the 1990’s or Captain America: The First Avenger taking place in the 1940’s. This movie takes place during the events of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.
Black Widow: The Story
The film opens with a flashback to Natasha as a teenager. She is living in Ohio with her undercover spy family. This fake family is absolutely the core of the story when it moves forward to present day. The family’s cover is blown, and they escape the United States to land in Cuba. Immediately afterwards, the two daughters are taken. They will soon become subjects for Russia’s dreaded Red Room.
As the events unfold in the Civil War timeline, Natasha is on the run from Secretary “Thunderbolt” Ross (familiar Hulk enemy William Hurt.) She is in violation of the Sokovia Accords, which require individuals with superpowers to notify the U.S. Government of their powers. (In the comics, this is the more aptly named Super Hero Registration Act.) Natasha (played now for over a decade by the amazing Scarlett Johansson) disappears, finding solace in the middle of nowhere in Norway.
Meanwhile, Natasha’s fake sister, Yelena (absolute powerhouse Florence Pugh) is following in her footsteps as an assassin. She and her fellow Widows are in Morocco, tracking a woman who escaped the program. During the chase, Yelena is exposed to a chemical agent. It essentially deprograms all of her Red Room training. Finally having a will of her own, she runs from the others, taking the chemical agent with her.
The rest of the 2 ½ hour movie is a tale of reunion, rediscovering family and discovering each character’s individual identity and values. It ties together dozens of threads from the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, and finally gives viewers insight into the most mysterious of the Avengers. The writers even playfully fill in the Budapest joke from 2011’s Avengers. Hell, they even take a single line from Loki in that film and craft an incredible antagonist.
Black Widow: The Cast
Once it was announced, this film always felt like Johansson’s exit from the MCU. Fortunately, the writers (and director Cate Shortland) have crafted a believable and entertaining heir to the title in Pugh’s Yelena. She is sarcastic and self-driven, even if that may mean bad things for another Avenger in about a month or so.
Natasha’s fake parents are opposite sides of a coin. Melina (Oscar winner Rachel Weisz) is a calculating scientist obsessed with data and the applications that can be applied to it. Alexei, aka Red Guardian (Stranger Things’ David Harbour), is Russia’s first and only super soldier. That fact has made him an involuntary narcissist. Despite the fact that he views every situation with himself as the star, he still genuinely cares for his fake family. Harbour and Pugh’s screen time together is particularly ridiculous.
Black Widow: The Plot
Early MCU films suffered from one repeated shortcoming. Every villain was just a reflection of the hero. Iron Monger was just Iron Man as a bad guy. Abomination was just an evil hulk. The worst of them all was Yellowjacket, who was just a greedy version of Ant-Man. This story shows that the writers have clearly learned their lesson. Despite the ability to physically mimic the hero’s fighting style, Taskmaster (no spoilers) very much operates with their own purpose.
Taking down the Red Room and freeing hundreds of girls from being controlled is the focus of Natasha and Yelena. The societal parallels of female independence are pretty clear. Shortland and Johansson clearly recognize what Black Widow has meant to a generation of young female viewers, and they take full advantage of that knowledge to write a strong female superhero.
At no point is Natasha wearing a glorified bikini or fishnets. Female superheroes, regardless of how strong they are, have always still been pin-up models. Natasha and Yelena are fighters. Their outfits are functional, not fashion. Captain Marvel wore a flight suit. These two wear combat suits. (That legendary vest has a ton of pockets, and they’re all super useful!)
Conclusion
Black Widow is everything good about a James Bond movie and everything entertaining about an Iron Man movie at the same time. It has wonderful acting, fantastic visuals, exceptional stunt work, and a well-written story. No one wants to say goodbye to Johansson and the beloved character that she has developed over a decade of work. But all good things must come to an end. Fortunately, this story continues with a new Widow, one who brings plenty of bite to the role.
(For added context, check out Assembled: Making of Black Widow on Disney+.)