THE SEVEN MARVEL MOVIES
YOU SHOULD SEE BEFORE ‘BLACK WIDOW’
WHEN the Marvel Cinematic Universe began to dream of growing into something bigger than Hollywood could ever imagine, the cameras zoomed in on Black Widow, the superspy played by Scarlett Johansson in multiple MCU films over the past decade.
Johansson’s first appearance in 2010’s Iron Man 2 represented the MCU’s first true signs of expansion. At that point, Robert Downey jr’s Iron Man/Tony Stark was the only sure thing. Back then, the brand that would become Marvel Studios was known more for recasting than for a never-ending superhero narrative.
By the time Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow began spying on Tony Stark in the Iron Man sequel – which was the first step in her becoming a founding member and the first lady of the live-action movie Avengers – Don Cheadle had replaced Terrence Howard as James Rhodes/War Machine.
Edward Norton was also on his way to not coming back to the role of Bruce Banner after his 2008 The Incredible Hulk movie (a role Mark Ruffalo eventually settled into).
Black Widow, alongside Iron Man, quickly became a superhero that Marvel fans expected to be around for a while.
The heroine would eventually become the queen on the Marvel Studios chessboard, able to move anywhere, starring in every Avengers movie and becoming a vital part of the Captain America franchise alongside Chris Evans’s Steve Rogers.
Yet despite her many effortless bad-guy takedowns and ability to hold her own in any scene with any Avenger, Black Widow represents one of Marvel Studios’ few blunders.
Johansson’s Black Widow was the only woman on the original Avengers roster of big boys with superhero toys, but she was not Marvel’s first female superhero to star in her own film.
That honour went to Brie Larson in 2019’s Captain Marvel. Even Warner Bros and DC Entertainment, which to this day are still working on perfecting their modern-day superhero movie formula, developed two Wonder Woman movies before Black Widow’s name appeared in the title on the big screen.
After being delayed last summer due to the pandemic, Black Widow is finally ready for her solo movie debut.
If you’re looking to dive into her key moments before the new film is released in theatres and on Disney Plus (for purchase) on July 9, here are seven movies to watch, all of them are available to stream on Disney Plus.
Iron Man 2
In her first appearance, Black Widow uses her stealthy spy skills to fool the biggest brain in the MCU, Tony Stark/Iron Man. She eventually reveals her true self to Iron Man, becoming an ally and a bridge between Stark and her boss, Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson).
The Avengers
In the first mega MCU team-up featuring all of the original Avengers, Black Widow gets a close-up moment against the movie’s big bad guy, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) – now starring in his own Disney Plus series.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Black Widow and Captain America are working side by side. This is considered the MCU’s best movie by many, and a big part of its reputation is Johansson matching Evans’ screen presence in both action-filled and humorous moments.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
In her first meet-up with WandaVision’s Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who is not yet an Avenger, Black Widow falls under the spell of the future Scarlet Witch’s powers.
Captain America: Civil War
An all-out brawl where the superheroes are constantly punching each other in the face, this movie leads Black Widow to fight her two biggest MCU allies – Captain America and Hawkeye.
Avengers: Infinity War
In the battle against Thanos – the biggest supervillain the MCU – Black Widow helps lead a fight against his forces on the Wakandan lands of the Black Panther.
Avengers: Endgame
After Thanos wipes out half the universe with the powerful Infinity Gauntlet, Black Widow helps the surviving heroes go on a timetravelling mission to restore all of humanity.