A brand new trailer dropped today for Black Widow, promoting its July 9 release in theaters and as a Premier Access title on Disney+. The trailer has generated a lot of reaction for the movie, which has been delayed a few times from its original May 2020 release. The biggest reactions have come on Twitter as fans react in real-time.
The reaction seems to be positive overall so far, with some holdouts critical of the film's look and many delays. While little about the plot is known about the movie, it does seem that it is going back into the past of Natasha Romanoff in a big way, covering her mysterious backstory as both a young girl and nascent Black Widow.
Same Level As Falcon And The Winter Soldier
A tweet from @marvelsfalcon is pretty high on the movie overall. They suggest that the upcoming Black Widow movie could be on the same level as some of the MCU's biggest films to date, like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: Ragnarok, and Black Panther.
With the huge action sequences showcased in the trailer, the movie definitely has a shot to rival those. It could also connect to them in interesting ways. In the comics, Natasha had a brief affair with Bucky Barnes while he was the Winter Soldier, not knowing his true identity.
Not Happy With The Taskmaster
One unhappy reaction came courtesy of @VIBEZ_419. This tweet criticized the look of the movie's main villain, the Taskmaster, for looking like a Power Rangers villain. The character is traditionally represented with an actual skull mask in the comics, but here it's been rendered in a more sci-fi/practical fashion. The smooth and almost featureless chrome lines of the Taskmaster's MCU mask is a little unusual for the MCU, though it seems designed to hide the character's true identity.
Some People Like The Taskmaster
On the other hand, some people like the Taskmaster a lot. Twitter user @thollandswt wonders why no one is talking about how cool the character is. The Taskmaster is a unique villain in Marvel Comics who uses a variety of weapons based on the heroes he faces, like Captain America's shield or Hawkeye's bow.
In the trailer, the Taskmaster is seen in pursuit of Natasha and Yelena Belova, her fellow Black Widow and possible family member. The Taskmaster chases Natasha through the streets and through the air in a pair of action scenes that are highlights from the trailer.
Bad Tropes
The movie seems to be welcomed overall, but one tweet questions if it doesn't perpetuate some bad comic book tropes. @mokelly1066 is concerned that the movie puts Natasha as the subject of the trope of dying for her sins (as Ben Solo did in The Rise Of Skywalker) and a more specific comic book trope: fridging women.
This trope, when a female character is killed or harmed to advance the male superhero's story, persists even today in comics. This is despite being identified and challenged for years. The trope was first identified by writer Gail Simone, specifically in regards to Green Lantern #54 from 1994 when new Lantern Kyle Rayner discovers his girlfriend murdered and placed in a fridge.
Natasha Chill
Taskmaster isn't the only person Black Widow fights in the trailer. She also gets into a pretty vicious brawl with Yelena in a kitchen. This huge fight, which features Natasha pushing Yelena up into some cupboards, prompted @wandaolsen to say "NATASHA CHILL." This powerful fight scene shows off some of the intense choreography of the movie and also Natasha's fighting skills. Though she doesn't have any superpowers, she remains one of the most skilled and fearsome Avengers on the team.
Harsh Reminder
The trailer opens with a sequence of images that flashback to Black Widow's MCU history, including previous movies like Avengers: Age Of Ultron and in particular, her death scene in Avengers: Endgame. This caused @starkerwitch to lament the sequence because it was a reminder that the MCU is unlikely to ever show the original Avengers together again. With Natasha dead, Tony Stark dead, Steve Rogers in the past, and the rest of the team split up across the universe, the glory of the original Avengers is now only a memory.
Overdue Spotlight
Twitter user @doubleqiew emphasized the long delay for the movie in their reaction. Not only that but the overdue showcase for one of the main Avengers. Black Widow has been a prominent figure in the MCU since her debut in Iron Man 2, but unlike most other core Avengers, she never got a solo film until now.
Marvel movies had avoided a focus on female lead characters until recent years, but with the success of Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman for the DCEU, that is changing for the better.
Too Late?
That being said, @RobotRemorse wonders if the movie is coming too late. Black Widow has been a major character in the movies for a decade, and her story in the MCU, at least as far as fans know, is over. Is the movie too late? Should it have come out much sooner? That seems to be the concern for them and perhaps others. It's unclear what the holdup for a Black Widow movie was, but at least now the character finally has the spotlight and a chance to branch out in a new direction in the MCU.
Natasha's Childhood
One of the biggest elements of the new trailer that fans enjoyed was a fleeting glimpse into Natasha's youth. It seems MCU fans will get a look at her as a young girl, perhaps before she became a Black Widow. Twitter user @civiiswar noted that the MCU is finally exploring this element of her story.
It's not clear how much of her comic book history will play into the movie. The MCU often takes inspiration from the rich legacy of Marvel Comics, as WandaVision did from stories like House Of M. But just from the trailer, it seems that Black Widow will play around a little with what comic fans know of her story.