Emily Blunt Explains Why She Turned Down Playing MCU’s Black Widow

After more than a decade since Emily Blunt passed on the role to play Black Widow in Iron Man 2, the actress explains the real reason behind her decision. After the success of Jon Favreau's Iron Man, Marvel Studios went full speed ahead with building the MCU, coming out with a slate of films building up to The Avengers. While Natasha Romanoff didn't have her own origin story like her fellow founding heroes, she was introduced in Jon Favreau's Iron Man 2 instead, as Nick Fury's undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Scarlett Johansson played Romanoff across 7 movies until 2019 where the character met her end in Avengers: Endgame. The creative decision remains controversial until now, two years after the movie hit theaters. Despite her current status in the MCU, Nat is due for one final movie in the MCU — her long-delayed solo project, Black Widow directed by Cate Shortland. The standalone blockbuster is supposed to properly cap off the hero's story in the franchise, but had things turned out differently more than a decade ago, Blunt may have been the one to inhabit the role.

Originally, Marvel Studios offered the role to the Edge of Tomorrow and Mary Poppins Returns actress, but she turned it down. When asked why she did while promoting her latest film, A Quiet Place II, on Howard Stern, Blunt said that while she really wanted to work with Robert Downey, Jr., she had to pass on the role because she already committed to doing another project. Read what Blunt said below:

I was contracted to do Gulliver’s Travels. I didn’t want to do Gulliver’s Travels. It was a bit of a heartbreak for me because I take such pride in the decisions that I make, and they mean so much to me, the films that I do...

It’s not that it’s beneath me. I love Iron Man and when I got offered Black Widow, I was obsessed with Iron Man. I wanted to work with Robert Downey Jr. — it would’ve been amazing … but I don’t know if superhero movies are for me. They’re not up my alley. I don’t like them. I really don’t.

John Krasinksi and Emily Blunt in Fantastic Four

While Blunt candidly revealed that superhero projects don't really pique her interest, she added that this doesn't guarantee that she won't star in one in the future. As of now, she and her husband John Krasinski are the fan-favorite picks to play Reed Richards and Sue Storm in Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four reboot. The pair has been asked about the idea repeatedly since the remake became inevitable following Disney's acquisition of Fox, but they've maintained that no official talks are happening between them and Kevin Feige's team. Interestingly, like his wife, Krasinksi almost boarded the MCU back in Phase 1 as he auditioned to play Captain America — a role that landed on Chris Evans' lap.

Admittedly, it's difficult to imagine other stars playing the original Avengers at this point. The founding actors have become synonymous with their roles after years of reprising them on the big screen — even with a relatively less-developed character in Black Widow. So maybe Blunt not landing the role in Iron Man 2 was for the best. In any case, considering how capable she is as an actress, there are others characters that she can play in the MCU if she finally decides to board the franchise.

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Source: Howard Stern