Phase Four of the Captain America: Civil War, in which Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff returns to Russia and reunites with her adoptive sister, Yelena Belova.
Florence Pugh’s scene-stealing performance quickly captivated audiences, with most hoping that she will remain a prominent figure in the MCU’s evolving future. She will take on new responsibilities as the main Black Widow in the franchise – unless Johansson returns in some fashion – so there are several characters she could interact with, however her story continues to unfold.
Red Widow
Natasha and Yelena are not the only Widows to take on heroic tasks – there is also the Red Widow. In the comics, there are actually two characters who use that moniker, both in part connected to Black Widow. The first is Ava Orlova, a young girl who was rescued by Natasha who in turn inspired her to become a vigilante. Ava, however, is exceptionally violent and fueled by anger.
The other prominent Red Widow is actually an unnamed member of the Winter Guard, Russia’s personal team of superheroes. They were also a product of the dreaded Red Room and were very close to becoming a host for the Phoenix Force. Should Red Widow the MCU, Ava would make the likely choice, but they could incorporate aspects of the other Red Widow too.
Crimson Dynamo
As Russian operatives turned global superheroes, both Black Widows have complex relationships with many other heroes and villains. Natasha is connected with several versions of the Iron Man 2.
Throughout history, as the title ed from person to person, Crimson Dynamo varied from villain to hero, and also became a common member of the Winter Guard. There are several possibilities as to when and where Crimson Dynamo could be officially incorporated into the MCU, particularly as an antagonist in Armor Wars or Ironheart.
Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
A common ally and teammate to Natasha, Jessica Drew AKA Spider-Woman has a similar backstory to her as well. The popular superhero was originally brainwashed by HYDRA as a spy and assassin until an altercation with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Thing awoke her from their conditioning. She eventually became an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Avenger, and belonged to several other teams alongside Black Widow.
As such, fans have been eagerly anticipating her arrival in the MCU. Issa Rae will be voicing Spider-Woman in theories regarding Secret Invasion suggest that Emilia Clarke will be playing Queen Veranke – who uses Jessica’s visage to as human – so she can also be Spider-Woman in the future.
Wolverine
As an Avenger, Black Widow has worked with nearly every popular superhero from Marvel, including one of the most anticipated by fans, Wolverine. The mutant anti-hero is most commonly and rightfully associated with the X-Men, yet he had an important connection with Natasha Romanoff as well. He trained her in her youth, establishing a deep and meaningful relationship between the two.
With Patrick Stewart's return as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness recently, mutants are finally officially part of the MCU – though the word still hasn’t been used. Therefore, Wolverine’s introduction seems imminent, and perhaps his and Black Widow’s history could be explored, only now applying it to Yelena.
Madame Hydra
Being an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings Black Widow into consistent conflict with opposing organizations like A.I.M. and HYDRA. Therefore, one of Black Widow's most consistent and best enemies is Madame Hydra. Like several other villains, different characters have been called Madame Hydra, including Valentina Allegra de Fontaine – so viewers might see Julia Louis-Dreyfus adopt the moniker.
The first Madame Hydra, though, is Ophelia Sarkissian, also known as Viper, and a variation of her was the final antagonist in season four of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It is still ambiguous as to whether the show is part of the MCU’s main universe continuity, so the character could return sometime.
Black Widow (Monica Chang)
Across Marvel comics’ multiverse, there have been several alternate Black Widows besides Natasha and Yelena. One such character, Monica Chang, has ties to other important characters. In the Ulitmate Marvel continuity, designated as Earth-1610, Monica is actually Nick Fury’s ex-wife and as one of that universe’s Black Widows, she was part of the Avengers.
Eventually the character was also incorporated into the main Earth-616 continuity as a high-ranking agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. specializing in artificial intelligence and technology. It would not be very surprising to see Monica in some form of ing role in a future project. She could be part of Secret Invasion as an Agent of S.W.O.R.D. or whatever organization Fury is leading.
Indestructable Man
Black Widow is one of the world’s best assassins and as such, it is incredibly difficult to take her out, though that hasn’t stopped Damon Dran AKA Indestructible Man from attempting it. The villain debuted as an enemy of Daredevil in 1972, while the two heroes were working together. He is recognized by his cybernetic implants, granting him super strength and indestructability, hence the name.
While he has contended with Black Widow on his own, he has also hired mercenaries and assassins to kill her too. One such character, Snapdragon, was defeated handily and became a member of the Femizons, a group of female supervillains. Depending on how Yelena’s story unfolds – such as ing the MCU’s Thunderbolts team organized by Contessa Valentina – Damon Dran could be easily incorporated as an antagonist.
Ivan Petrovich
One of Black Widows’ most dangerous enemies has one of the deepest connections to her. During World War II – as part of Black Widow’s origins – Ivan Petrovich saved an infant Natasha Romanoff, becoming her adoptive father and guardian. While he was a protective figure, he was also responsible for training her in the Red Room.
Their relationship deteriorated as he developed romantic and unrequited feelings for her, turning him bitter and cruel. He returned to her life in cyborg form and threatened to destroy the world, so she ended up having to kill him to stop him. As Black Widow already showcased their upbringing, Ivan’s story would need to be altered should he appear in a future MCU project.
Darkstar
With Black Widow introducing David Harbour as Aleksei Shostakov AKA Red Guardian, fans can expect to see other of the Winter Guard and Soviet Super-Soldiers arrive in the MCU. One of the most prominent is Laynia Petrovna AKA Darkstar, a mutant capable of manipulating Darkforce like one of Spider-Man’s best villains, Mister Negative.
She is initially introduced as an adversary who was sent to bring Black Widow back to the USSR, but she changed sides as a member of the Champions alongside her former target. Currently, nothing is known publicly about future team-ups in the MCU, but perhaps the Champions and/or Winter Guard will be incorporated, bringing Darkstar along for the ride.
Heistress (Anya)
Black Widow ends with the supposed termination of the Red Room, with Yelena seeking out the remaining Widows around the world to release them from their brainwashing. However, should a future project wish to further explore the Red Room’s history in the comics, it could bring in the Heistress, a former Widow who restarts the program as the Dark Room.
Her name is Anya and she is the daughter of the Red Room’s original Heistress. Interestingly, a character named Anya was in Black Widow – the young girl who Natasha had to kill as part of a training exercise. She is a relatively new creation, having only been introduced in 2016, but she could make for an interesting antagonist for a future Black Widow project.
