How Black Widow Has Evolved In The MCU Since Iron Man 2

Scarlett Johansson reflects on how Black Widow has evolved since her MCU debut in 2010's Iron Man 2. Johansson's Natasha Romanoff made her first onscreen appearance in Iron Man 2, when she went undercover as a new employee at Stark Industries. As the movie later revealed, unassuming Natalie Rushman was actually kick-ass SHIELD agent Black Widow, and she soon went on to become part of the original Avengers lineup. Black Widow has appeared in several MCU movies over the years, culminating in her death in 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 Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow will see Natasha going back to her assassin roots in a final quest to take down the Red Room. This will be the most Black Widow-centric story yet for the MCU, with the movie delving into her backstory in a major way. It also stars 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."

Scarlett Johansson in a poster for Black Widow (2021)

When Black Widow first arrived in Iron Man 2, she was positioned as a supporting 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 after her death in 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.

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