Scarlett Johansson returns as Natasha Romanov, the former KGB assassin-turned-S.H.E.I.L.D.-agent (and eventual Avenger).

'Black Widow' will be in theaters on May 1, 2020.

Black Widow

"Her world. Her secrets. Her legacy."
73
PG-132 hr 14 minJun 29th, 2021
Showtimes & Tickets

It's been a long wait for this film. Johansson first appeared as Natasha back in 2010's Iron Man 2, and that year Marvel chief Kevin Feige spoke plans for a solo outing for Black Widow. But that was almost ten years ago, and a Nat's been through a lot; appearances six otherMCU films (not counting cameos in post-credits scenes), Captain Marvel cut in line to be the first female Marvel character to get her own solo film, and Natasha didn't survive the events of Avengers: Endgame.

At this point Marvel is being pretty tight-lipped about the story, saying only this:

Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as Natasha/Black Widow in Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller “Black Widow”—the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Florence Pugh stars as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei aka The Red Guardian and Rachel Weisz as Melina.

But we can glean a few things from both Marvel's statement and trailer itself:

This is pretty obviously going to be a prequel, and based on the appearance of a CGI de-aged William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross, my guess is that the movie likely takes place during a time when Romanov was a S.H.E.I.L.D. agent.

Florence Pugh is playing Yelena Bolova, a Marvel character that's taken up the mantle of Black Widow in the past. That means we might see Pugh as a new Black Widow in subsequent films.

David Harbour & Rachel Weisz' characters seem to join Natasha and Yelena as a family of sorts, and remember that Natasha would remark on how she found a new family in Avengers: Endgame.

Any more speculation would lead us deep in to spoiler territory, so we'll just wait for more footage and more news before saying anymore.