Marvel's Avengers video game may not be using the MCU version of the heroes, but it's giving fans of Natasha Romanoff something movies never did: making Black Widow a certified superhuman... as she always should've been.
Those who know Scarlett Johansson's version of the Marvel heroine already know her origins in the Soviet spy community, trained and conditioned to deceive and kill as part of its infamous Red Room program. That chapter of Natasha's early life was glimpsed in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but looks to be fully explored in the upcoming Black Widow movie. Still, the MCU version of Widow drew the line at believable, real world programming and assassinations... which meant erasing the true strength of Natasha for films. But we can now confirm that will NOT be the case for Marvel's Avengers video game when it arrives in May of 2020.
When the game made its debut, it was the resemblance--or lack there of--between the most well known movie versions of the Avengers, and the original takes for the game's incarnation. Black Widow was singled out more than others, since her on-screen appearance shares little beyond her black bodysuit. But fans may reconsider their harsher words, now that official character details offered during the game's showing at Gamescom 2019 reveal her comic book strengths and abilities are finally being adapted. Find the excerpt below:
This insight into Black Widow's character will come as a shock to casual or MCU fans, where Natasha Romanoff has always appeared as an equal to Clint Barton: similarly trained, possessing similar physical strength and endurance, with Nat getting the edge over most of her opponents thanks to her (admittedly brutal) Red Room conditioning. Not to mention the... darker missions she's had to survive in her past life. But in the comics, her programming included the Soviet version of Captain America's own super-soldier serum. Biochemical and technologically enhanced engineering are used to heighten her strength, stamina, and senses beyond those of a normal human.
In addition, the boost to her immune system and physiology means artificially improved healing, vitality, and life expectancy, all of which make her as dangerous as any other Avenger. The "Powers" section of her character card doesn't go into that level of detail, but the "biochemical conditioning" and "enhanced immune system" are clear nods to that comic book origin. Fans will thankfully get to answer that question for themselves when Marvel's Avengers is released to the public. And unless Black Widow's solo movie is going to retroactively give her superhuman abilities--placing every one of her MCU appearances under new scrutiny--then there's no question of which version of Natasha could do the most damage against poor, unsuspecting, mortal enemies.
Marvel's Avengers will be released for PC, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on May 15, 2020.