Scarlett Johansson first appeared in the MCU in 2010s Black Widow solo movie until 2021, however, this might have worked out as the best way to start introducing Marvel Studios Young Avengers. Natasha Romanoff held the privileged position of being one of the six original Avengers, having worked with Shield director Nick Fury and Hawkeye before any of the supers were recruited. As a foundational member of the team who fought shoulder-to-shoulder against Loki, Ultron, and Thanos, fans cried out for a solo project for years without any concrete response from Marvel.
It wasn't until the middle of 2016 that an official announcement about an MCU Black Widow movie was even made, but this may have worked out better for the MCU in the long run. Now that many of the original Avengers are deceased or retired, the future of the MCU is shifting it's focus to a younger generation of heroes. Kate Bishop, Skaar, Cassie Lang, Kamala Khan, and others are setting up the introduction of the Young Avengers, and thanks to Black Widow's later release, Yelena Belova, Nat's younger sister could be set to take on the Black Widow mantle in the new team.
Black Widow Still Deserved Her Solo Movie Earlier
Of course, Black Widow should have had her solo debut earlier, and there were plenty of other stories Marvel could have explored in her premier adventure, such as her origins as a Avengers: Endgame.
Every Young Avenger In The MCU So Far
Although the original Black Widow is no longer around, Yelena is quickly proving her capacity to be a morally murky hero who could play an important part in the development of the Young Avengers. So far, the MCU has introduced a fair number of other youthful heroes who could also fill out the team. Billy and Tommy Maximoff are a part of the comic books Young Avengers team if Marvel Studios can find a way to bring them into the 616 timeline. Ms. Marvel, Kid Loki who is a variant from the series Loki, America Chavez who recently appeared in Doctor Strange 2, and possibly even Tom Holland's Spider-Man.
All of the above could come together to form the Young Avengers as a new generation of heroes. If Marvel had introduced Yelena earlier in the franchise, they might have outgrown the role of a Young Avenger and the MCU could have missed its chance to have a Black Widow in their latest team. Whether or not Black Widow should have had a solo movie before 2021, at least the film set up some solid foundations for Yelena to the Young Avengers.
