Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow met a tragic fate in Avengers: Endgame, yet the actress appeared in her long-overdue solo film after that. It was set a few years before Endgame and introduced the recurring character Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh), who’s set to continue being a big part of the MCU going forward.
That does leave some scope to have Black Widow feature in further flashbacks — and, of course, there’s the fact death is rarely permanent in comic book-related stories. But Johansson has ruled any of that out.
Speaking to Variety for a lengthy interview, the actress confirmed she won’t do any more Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, calling the fact “bittersweet”.
“I am sad, of course,” she said. “I absolutely loved every filming experience I had, working 10 years with Marvel and with that amazing cast, and I love the character Natasha.
“I have a lot of empathy for her, and it was amazing to build that character over such a long period of time. I also feel really good about her story coming to a close. I think she has a lot of dignity in her legacy.”
The solo Black Widow movie was also known for the real-world battle between Johansson and Disney. In 2021, Johansson took legal action against the House of Mouse, arguing that the film’s joint release in cinemas and for purchase on Disney+ damaged its box office gross, to which her pay was tied.
t the time, Disney reps stated: “There is no merit whatsoever to this filing.” The suit was settled for an undisclosed sum in October 2021.
Reflecting on those events, Johansson told Variety: “I couldn’t even walk through a restaurant without somebody saying, ‘Good for you. Stand up for yourself.’ I could see that it had a bigger impact.
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“I got support from strangers that have no skin in the game at all.”
Black Widow is streaming on Disney+.
