The Black Widow film could reveal major details from the MCU’s past

Marvel Studios’ Black Widow could divulge some key secrets about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Like Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Marvel before it, Marvel’s Black Widow will take audiences back in time. But what’s the appeal of making prequels in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, according to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, looking to the past can help to build for the future.

While speaking with io9, Feige discussed his and Marvel Studios’ interest in producing prequel films. With prequels, the Marvel producer thinks the goal should be to create something unique, and he sees two ways to approach them:

"“There’s a method to the madness. There’s always a method and doing things in an unexpected way is something we find fun. There are ways to do prequels that are less informative or answer questions you didn’t necessarily have, and then there are ways to do prequels where you learn all sorts of things you never knew before.”"

Feige added to this notion by using a popular, television show as an example of an effective prequel:

"“I look at Better Call Saul as a wonderful example of a prequel that almost completely stands on its own apart from Breaking Bad because it informs you about so many things you didn’t know about before. So time will tell which way we’ve gone with a supposed Black Widow movie.”"

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Prequels can be interesting, if done correctly. Some, like Better Call Saul, can build on a foundation while establishing a mythology of its own. Conversely, some can merely come off as unnecessary and only serve the purpose of checking off boxes for fan service.

The prequels we’ve seen from the Marvel Cinematic Universe have mostly managed to be the former. Both Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Marvel made contributions to the continuity. The First Avenger touched on the origins of SHIELD by featuring some of its founders like Peggy Carter and Howard Stark. Captain Marvel also built on the cosmic realm of the MCU and provided answers to previously unanswered questions, such as how Nick Fury really lost his eye.

While many fans are excited about Black Widow, others are skeptical about what it can add to the MCU. If anything, it can provide a deeper understanding of Natasha Romanoff and how she was molded into the super spy audiences met in Iron Man 2. This could also include adding more context to the infamous Black Widow program she was a part of. Hopefully, Marvel has some surprises in store for fans.