Scarlett Johansson reflects on how Avengers: Endgame.
And yet, Nat's MCU story isn't quite over. With next month's Black Widow, she will finally step into the spotlight for her own solo movie set between Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour.
A while back, Screen Rant received the opportunity to visit the set of Black Widow along with a group of reporters and speak to some of the movie's stars. With Johansson, we took the chance to get her to reflect on how her portrayal of Natasha might have evolved since her first appearance in Iron Man 2. Johansson sees the change has being based within Nat's strength. She said:
"She’s seductive in this kind of way that Iron Man 2 beginning phase, and that’s her power. Her power is in her sexuality and then that changed over time. Her strength was actually her vulnerability, that’s the place we’re in now. She is in some weird, messed up, backwards way, if any person could be truly altruistic - because nobody is obviously - but actually the act, her sacrifice was a truly altruistic offering. And I think she really sacrifices herself out of her love, she saves her friend- she saves everyone, but she saves her friend. I think that just being in that kind of head space and being able to make that decision, that selfless decision, that selfless act, is so incredibly powerful. It’s amazing that she could be in that head space to do that."
When Iron Man 2, she was positioned as a ing player in Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) story. As Johansson said, she was a very seductive figure, and it felt very much like since Tony and others might've seen her that way, that was the front she put on. However, now that Natasha has grown as her own person throughout the MCU, her genuine heart becomes the biggest facet of her character. This was clear in Endgame, and it looks to be clear in Black Widow as well.
As many have pointed out, it's a bummer to have this unabashedly Natasha-centric story arrive Avengers: Endgame. In a way, her story has reached an end point, and exploring it further could seem unnecessary. However, Johansson's comments have confirmed there's still more to Black Widow that can be revealed. She deserves to show her evolution through her own story, and that's exactly what will happen with her new solo movie when it arrives in July. Black Widow has gone through some fascinating development, and it'll be interesting to see how it takes shape in the film.
