The hype around Avengers: Doomsday is insane. People waited for hours as chairs with actors’ names were set in an empty place. The reveal paid off because it confirmed that a lot of our favorite actors are set to return for the project. And, at the end of it all, the great Robert Downey Jr. showed up.
There were a lot of names not mentioned in that video who fans were expecting to be involved in the film. Among them are Marvel Cinematic Universe favorites like Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Brie Larson (Captain Marvel).
However, there was one name that was also absent - one fans weren't sure would be involved even if it seemed like it was an obvious no. Now, that actor has broken their silence.
Scarlett Johansson confirms why she won't be in Avengers: Doomsday
It seemed unlikely that Scarlett Johansson would return to the MCU as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, but fans held out hope that she might be involved in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars in some capacity; this is the Multiverse Saga, after all. But the lack of a chair with her name on it isn’t shocking because she, well, kind of died sacrificing herself to save half of the beings in the universe (this happened during Avengers: Endgame, but you probably knew that). The funny thing is, this is something she pointed out when she was asked about appearing again as Black Widow.
During an interview in the appropriately named Interview Magazine, Johansson spoke with her Black Widow co-star star David Harbour about their friends and co-workers in Marvel heading out to shoot Avengers: Doomsday. Harbour himself will be there, reprising his role from Thunderbolts* / New Avengers as Red Guardian and he jokingly teases, saying, “Oh, come on, Scarlett. We all know you’re the secret character. We all know the Black Widow comes back from the dead.”
Johansson once again confirmed that she will not be involved in the movie and offered up a perfect, definitive response to explain why Black Widow can't return:
“If I come back from the dead, then half the world’s population dies. Didn’t you see Endgame for Christ’s sake?”
In Avengers: Endgame, Black Widow sacrificed herself so that the Avengers could obtain the Soul Stone when collecting the Infinity Stones. It ultimately helped them bring back half of the universe (who Thanos had eliminated with the stones the first time around) and defeat the Mad Titan once and for all. She was one of the few characters who couldn't come back as she wasn't Blipped out of existence; Black Widow's sacrifice was permanent.
With all of that being, this writer is calling shenanigans. That's right! Shenanigans have been called!
Let’s be honest with each other for a little while. Actors lie to keep Marvel secrets. Sometimes it’s because they’re contractually obligated to do so. When that’s the case, saying too much could get them in trouble or ruin a surprise. It’s been pointed out on several occasions that Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) and Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk) both fibbed about playing their future Marvel roles. Remember when Andrew Garfield infamously told us that he wasn't in Spider-Man: No Way Home? Who’s to say Scarlett Johansson isn’t fibbing as well?
Also, Scarlett Johansson can say she won’t return until she’s blue in the face, but so many fans won’t believe it until the final moment of the end-credit scene in Avengers: Doomsday. This is coming from someone indifferent to the idea of Black Widow returning to the MCU since her story had a definitive conclusion.
Furthermore, just because the Black Widow from the Prime MCU - the Sacred Timeline - doesn’t return doesn’t mean we won’t see Black Widow or a version of Natasha Romanoff. That much is confirmed with Robert Downey Jr. playing a version of Doctor Doom. For all we know, Natasha Romanoff could be the Captain America of her universe after Doom kills Steve Rogers. And don’t get me started on the idea of clones (but, please, no). Again, it is the Multiverse Saga.
Would I love to see her return? Of course. She was an underrated and underappreciated part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But if she doesn’t show up, it won’t be the end of the world. However, if she does, maybe it will be. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to find out if Black Widow returns to the MCU.
Keep up with Bam Smack Pow’s social media pages on Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter for more Marvel Comics news, opinions, and rumors as they come out.