Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, has teased that more prequels like Black Widow might be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future. Black Widow, directed by Cate Shortland and starring Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, marks Marvel’s return to the silver screen and is the official theatrical starter for Phase 4 after numerous delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The prequel is set directly after Captain America: Civil War and explores Natasha’s turn as a fugitive, reconnecting with the people from her life as a former KGB assassin.

Black Widow is expected to be an exciting, action-packed deep dive into Natasha’s haunted past, something that’s only ever been teased since her first appearance in Iron Man 2 over a decade ago. The character has massively evolved since then, with Johansson herself recently reflecting on the hyper-sexualization of Natasha in the early stages of the MCU. Black Widow is the perfect opportunity for Marvel to rectify previous mistakes by fully exploring Natasha’s growth, making her death in Avengers: Endgame all the more heroic and bittersweet.

Related: Black Widow’s Complete MCU Timeline Explained

Now, Feige has hinted at Marvel’s interest in creating prequels like Black Widow for other beloved Marvel characters. During a press conference (via SlashFilm) promoting the film, Feige commented on the potential for other films that explore the “past, present, and future” of characters from the MCU, emphasizing how “personal” and “specific” Black Widow is to Natasha’s character. Read the full quote below:

“Certainly, this film and this story is a particular case for Natasha. But the notion of exploring the past, present, and future of the MCU is certainly in the cards for all of our characters. This particular story of this particular cast is very personal, very specific to Natasha.”

Alexei tells Natasha and Yelena he's proud of them in Black Widow

Feige’s interest in the past, present, and future of MCU characters aligns perfectly with what fans have seen from Phase 4 so far. All three major Marvel/Disney+ television series have taken advantage of the medium to give already beloved characters new depth. Whether exploring Wanda’s grief in WandaVision, Sam and Bucky’s relationship with the mantle of Captain America in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, or Loki's identity and sense of self in Loki, Marvel seems to be entering a new era that focuses on specific characters rather than huge blockbuster team-ups.

After the colossal scale of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, it is refreshing to see Marvel take its characters in new directions – in the case of Natasha, even after her on-screen death. Feige’s current interest in Marvel’s extensive roster of heroes and villains shows that the studio could bring any character back into the MCU in order to explore unseen parts of their backstory. But as one of the Avengers that has been the most overlooked, Natasha is the perfect character to bring this new type of MCU story into theatres for the first time. Set to be another big success for Marvel, Black Widow may forge a whole new era of character-focused content.

More: What Scarlett Johansson & Florence Pugh Revealed On The Black Widow Set

Source: SlashFilm

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