An Evil Black Widow Could Be Coming to ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

Black Widow — the first of the phase 4 Marvel Cinematic Universe installments — will be a prequel, tracing Natasha Romanoff’s actions between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Infinity War. Considering Avengers: Endgame killed Black Widow via noble sacrifice, it goes without saying that many have jumped to a singular, plausible presumption: the upcoming prequel will be Scarlett Johansson’s deserved (yet delayed) solo installment and final appearance. 

Considering Yelena Belova will feature in the film, and she is one of the spies who becomes Black Widow in the comics, Belova may become the next character to carry the name. Rumor has it that she may participate in General Ross’s supposed Thunderbolts team, which is allegedly on the horizon. However, recent intel suggests that Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha may not bow out of the MCU following Black Widow. The character may make an appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness; however, she will not be the same Natasha fans have grown accustomed to. 

Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow to appear in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?’

According to We Got This Covered (WGTC) — relying on the same sources who knew Han was returning to the Fast and the Furious franchise and Transformers was being rebooted — Natasha Romanoff is in the current, in-progress script for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. 

The source alleges that Johansson will play an evil, alternate version of Black Widow, coming up against Doctor Strange as he travels through the complex world of the multiverse. Considering the Multiverse of Madness may, as most theorist suggests, feature the title character in alternate realities, it’s likely that alternate versions of his friends and foes may make appearances as well. 

As WGTC notes, the movie would definitely be entertaining if multiple good guys became bad guys, or vice versa, as different circumstances in different timelines could lead to a vast array of possibilities. However, Scarlett Johansson has played Natasha for quite some time, and the actress may be ready to place her guns down, and her firsts in her pockets.

Johansson recently starred in Marriage Story, which may reflect her desire to step away from the world of action-oriented tales. However, here’s to hoping Johansson appears in the second Doctor Strange movie as a villainous adversary; seeing the character act out of character for a few minutes would be fun for audiences spanning the globe. 

Are the original Avengers all waving goodbye to the MCU? 

While Black Widow may appear in Doctor Strange 2, she may not, as the prequel may be the character’s swan song. When you look at the MCU’s evolving landscape, it seems that the studio is planning to head in a new direction, leaving our OG Avengers behind (as beautiful memories). 

Tony Stark and Captain America are out. Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder will likely pass the hammer to Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster. Clint Barton will train Kate Bishop to be Hawkeye in the Disney+ series, and Yelena Belova may become the next Black Widow.