Watch the Action-Packed Black Widow Trailers
(04/03/2020)
It’s been years in the making, but the long-awaited BLACK WIDOW movie is coming! Marvel has released multiple trailers for the standalone film featuring Scarlett Johansson’s Avengers hero, Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow. The Black Widow solo film is one of several high-profile superhero movies hitting theatres soon, and BLACK WIDOW will kick off Marvel's Phase Four when it comes to theatres.
The two BLACK WIDOW trailers released so far have steadily given us a better understanding of what to expect from the film. The first trailer teased both the story and action, while the second "special look" at the movie shows off the hard-hitting action. Let’s take a closer look at BLACK WIDOW and break down some key moments and characters in both trailers. (Note: This article contains spoilers for AVENGERS: ENDGAME.)
Behold, the First Black Widow Trailer
[Video credit: Marvel Studios]
The first trailer begins with scenes from previous AVENGERS movies, as Natasha (Johansson) narrates. “I used to have nothing, and then I got this job – this family. But nothing lasts forever.” In between scenes, Natasha stares at herself in the mirror as she recalls her life with the Avengers. She speaks with someone who may be General Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt), originally introduced way back in THE INCREDIBLE HULK back in 2008. We see Ross, looking much younger than we’re used to seeing him, which means that we're probably looking at a flashback. Whoever the man she's talking to is, he wants to know Nat's next move; she says she’s done running from her past. She’s going back to Budapest.
We see Nat in the famous Keleti Station in Budapest, and, in a very classic-style apartment, she gently taunts and then confronts a mysterious young woman, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). Yelena is clearly also an assassin trained by the same Black Widow program as Natasha. We can see that as they fight, mirroring each other's moves exactly.
“We have unfinished business,” Natasha says. “We have to go back to where it all started,” presumably referring to the program that turned them into killing machines. There’s even a brief shot of what appear to be several female recruits being trained in the “Red Room,” a part of the Black Widow program that Natasha’s mentioned in the past. We also meet a couple of other key BLACK WIDOW characters: A pair of allies played by Rachel Weisz (THE FAVOURITE) and David Harbour (“Stranger Things”).
Who’s Who at the Romanoff Reunion
Although Natasha refers to Florence Pugh’s character as “sis,” the two women are not actually related. Yep, Yelena Polova, is another Black Widow. Yelena and Natasha formed a sister-like bond that appears to extend to another woman from their past: Melina (Rachel Weisz), a veteran Black Widow spy and science expert who was put through the daunting Red Room training system five times. The lone man at the dinner table in Yelena’s apartment is Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), aka Red Guardian, Russia’s super-soldier answer to Captain America.
There are a few other key players in BLACK WIDOW: Rick Mason, a potential love interest and an ally of Natasha’s from her days as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s played by O-T Fagbenle, best known for his role in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” There’s also the return of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), the U.S. Secretary of State who drove a wedge between the Avengers in CIVIL WAR with the introduction of the Sokovia Accords – the international law that would require all super-powered beings to be monitored by the United Nations. When we last saw Ross in INFINITY WAR, he was none too pleased with Natasha and the other Avengers who had gone against the Accords.
A "Special Look" at Black Widow
[Video credit: Marvel Studios]
The second BLACK WIDOW trailer is actually a long TV spot that Marvel calls a "special look." Regardless, this is essentially a new trailer that is specifically focused on action. We see a lot more of Taskmaster, and get more glimpses at a couple of the film's big setpieces. We even see Red Guardian facing off against Taskmaster and some extra flashes of action featuring Rachel Weisz's character!
Fantastic Filmmakers
Among the many reasons to be excited about BLACK WIDOW are the people who brought this long-awaited solo film to the big screen: BLACK WIDOW is directed by Cate Shortland, the award-winning Australian filmmaker behind acclaimed dramas LORE and BERLIN SYNDROME. The film is based on a script by CAPTAIN MARVEL co-writer Jac Schaeffer and THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY writer Ned Benson.
This is only the beginning of the BLACK WIDOW experience, and we can expect to learn more about the movie as it spins towards its release date in 2021.
We''ll have more news about BLACK WIDOW soon!
All images courtesy of Marvel Studios.