Original Avenger to return from the dead in Avengers 6, reports say

The Multiverse Saga is in full flow for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The franchise launched its new chapter back in 2021 through the launch of the Disney Plus streaming service, bringing the MCU to the small screen during a time when there weren't many movies in theaters. The saga has since taken to entertaining fans on both platforms now, using all of its titles in Phases Four, Five, and Six to build towards an epic conclusion with the fate of the multiverse on the line.

It will all culminate in two Avengers movies. The first of those, Avengers 5, was originally titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but since its apparent retooling, it's unclear just how big a role current big bad Kang the Conqueror will play. The sixth is Avengers: Secret Wars, and it is expected to adapt the iconic Marvel Comics storyline of the same name.

We know that a number of Avengers will return for the showdown with the Multiverse Saga's primary villain (and we might even get some cameos from some non-MCU heroes, too). However, a more recent report suggests that a legendary MCU hero will make a triumphant return from the dead in the midst of all the Marvel craziness.

Black Widow rumored to return in Avengers 6

According to Marvel scooper MyTimeToShineHello, Scarlett Johansson will reprise her role as Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, in Avengers: Secret Wars. The report claims that the actress has signed on for the Multiverse Saga's big conclusion, but it doesn't go any deeper than that to give a hint of what kind of role she could play.

Now, rumors have been rife ever since the Multiverse Saga began because quite literally anybody from a previous Marvel movie could appear in the current phases, so it's important to take this one with a pinch of salt until confirmed by Marvel Studios themselves. But the truth is that it could happen. We've already seen the saga bring back Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as Patrick Stewart's return as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Hugh Jackman's upcoming return as Wolverine in Deadpool and Wolverine.

Johansson is a regular of the MCU franchise, debuting all the way back in Iron Man 2. She has since gone on to appear in all four Avengers movies, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and its sequel Captain America: Civil War before finally getting the chance to headline her own movie in 2021's Black Widow. So a return would be doable, so to speak, but the thing that makes the rumored comeback a bit shocking is the fact that Natasha died in 2019's Avengers: Endgame after she sacrificed herself for her best friend Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, allowing him to retrieve the Soul Stone to defeat Thanos and get his family back.

The aforementioned Black Widow movie was Johansson's swan song as the character, as the 2021 film was a prequel set between the events of 2016's Captain America: Civil War and 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. It also introduced Natasha's sister Yelena Belova as a means of carrying on her legacy as the Black Widow.

As for how she could return in Avengers: Secret Wars? That's a mystery. The most likely options would be that either Natasha appears via a flashback as a means of honoring the character in a film that will no doubt honor Marvel's entire on-screen legacy through the years, or perhaps Johansson could return as an alternate version of Black Widow. That's the most likely option when it comes to the Multiverse Saga, as it's how a number of actors have been able to return to their most iconic roles in cameos through the most recent Phases.

With that in mind, could we see a different version of Black Widow return to aid The Avengers against their potentially multiverse-destroying threat? And if so, could this pave the way for other beloved, dead characters to return as well? Ever since this new chapter began, fans have been longing to see an alternate earth's Iron Man. Perhaps Avengers 6 could be the time it happens.

Either way, Scarlett Johansson will work with Marvel again

Whether Scarlett Johansson has any intentions of suiting up as Black Widow again or not, the star will be reteaming with Marvel Studios again in the near future. Over the past few years, it has been heavily speculated that she would be producing a project for Kevin Feige's MCU, but that she would not be starring in it. So that rules out a full-time Black Widow return, at least.

More recent revelations have suggested that the project will be a TV series based on the classic Marvel character the Blonde Phantom. While fans weren't sure to believe the reports at first, more insiders have since reported on it, with some even suggesting that pop superstar Taylor Swift could be in consideration for the role.

She's not the only star that has come up in the conversations about the role, with new rumors suggesting that Sydney Sweeney (who recently appeared in Sony's Marvel movie Madame Web) could be a potential choice for the character too.

The Blonde Phantom was created for Marvel's predecessor Timely Comics, and she's a secretary named Louise Grant who is hopelessly in love with her boss Mark Mason; the twist being that he is in love with her heroic alter-ego The Blonde Phantom. The character was known for her signature blonde hair, domino mask, and long red dress that she sported in order to take down criminals.

It will be interesting to see if the rumors are true and whether or not the series is Johansson's mystery project, but the idea that she will return to work with Marvel Studios again is very exciting indeed.

The question is: Are the Black Widow rumors true, and could we see Natasha Romanoff return one more time to help send the Multiverse Saga out on a high with Avengers: Secret Wars?