Can you believe this: it's now been over a year since a new Marvel film has been released. 2019 was jam-packed with MCU fan service, especially with the events of Avengers: Endgame, but we've been waiting ages for Scarlett Johansson’s standalone movie to finally give us more insight into her origins. One aspect of movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe we always love to discuss are the many Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout the franchise.
Ahead of Black Widow, we’re going to talk through the MCU Easter Eggs we’d like to see in the film. For this movie specifically, there are a number of past references we’d like to see a pay off for since it may officially close the door on Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff. Let’s go:
Going Back To the Epic Captain America: Civil War Team Fight
One of the few details we know about Black Widow is that it will follow Natasha shortly after she skips out on the Team Iron Man / Team Captain America fight in 2016’s Civil War. The scene is one of the most iconic moments in the MCU so far, especially since it introduced Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther to the rest of the Avengers. One reference that almost feels like a shoe-in for Black Widow is some sort of Easter Egg surrounding this battle, since it will match up to the timeline. I could see Black Widow featuring a brief perspective shift on the badass fight sequence at the start of the flick or feature a quick quip about another moment in the sequence to remind fans when we are in MCU.
More Budapest Talk, Or Just Tell Us What Happened There Already!
One of the most known events of Black Widow’s past has been her secret mission to Budapest with Hawkeye. It's been eight years since 2012’s Avengers and we still don’t have the answers. Before we say goodbye to Black Widow (if this is goodbye) we’d like to know all about it. Give us all the gory details Marvel, we’re ready! Although my hopes for this specific point go way past “Easter Egg” material, I would settle for some sort of tease regarding how the Disney+ series Hawkeye may come into play – yes about Budapest– but also in a way that will give us an idea about how the television show will pick up with Clint Barton once Black Widow concludes. Their partnership has been such a big part of Natasha’s legacy and I’d be surprised if her adventures with Hawkeye is not even briefly referenced or expanded upon in the movie.
About That Endgame “Natasha, Daughter Of Ivan” Reveal
Right before Natasha sacrificed herself for the Soul Stone in Avengers: Endgame, the Red Skull revealed that she is the daughter of someone named Ivan, which she apparently did not know prior to that. It’s interesting the film would touch on Natasha’s lineage just prior to Black Widow, which we imagine will delve more into Natasha’s past and family. In the comics, Natasha’s Ivan is a Russian soldier named Ivan Petrovich Bezukhov who becomes her guardian after saving her from a burning building as a child. He’s the person who brings Natasha to the Red Room to train and become the Black Widow. In the comics, he returns to Natasha later in her life as a villainous cyborg monster. We’ll have to see if this Avengers: Endgame Easter Egg pays off in the movie or is at least touched upon further in the November release.
More Madame B After Her Age Of Ultron Introduction
During 2015’s Age of Ultron, Scarlet Witch distracts the team with these dream sequences early in the movie. One had Cap meeting back up with Peggy Carter for that dance and another is Tony Stark seeing all the Avengers dying around them. (Both of which kind of happen in subsequent Avengers films). For Black Widow, she is taken back to her training in the Red Room where we briefly meet Madame B, played by Before Sunset’s Julie Delpy. The Ultron scene only teased moments of Black Widow in the Red Room and were curious if Black Widow will be inspired by this Ultron scene to either build upon or reference it.
Black Widow Going Blonde Ahead Of Avengers: Infinity War
It’s never been too difficult to tell one Black Widow appearance from the other because the character has had a distinct hairstyle for each one of her appearances. The most surprising of them all was for Avengers: Infinity War when Scarlett Johansson donned blonde hair. Since we saw the character’s dyed look, we’ve been curious and confused as to why her look was so drastically changed without context. Since Black Widow takes place sometime in between Civil War and Infinity War we might get a nod as to why she went blonde. Perhaps it had something to do with her “sister” Yelena Belova’s look?
The Connection Between Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova And The Black Widow Title
One major question we have going into Black Widow is how it will affect the MCU going forward. A theory that has circled amongst fans is how Florence Pugh’s new character of Yelena Belova may become the next Black Widow after Natasha’s death. Director Cate Shortland recently teased Natasha handing Yelona “the baton” even though Pugh herself said “it certainly didn’t feel like a passing of the torch kind of film” when they were making the film. In the comics, Yelena does go by the title Black Widow at some point, so it would be awesome to see the movie lean into her comic book origins in some way even if Florence Pugh’s role in the movie is short lived. You can read all about the character of Yelena Belova with our full breakdown here.
Black Widow hits theaters on November 6. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates on what’s coming next for the MCU.
