Here’s Why It Took So Long for Marvel to Give Black Widow Her Own Movie

There might be a lot of hype surrounding the Black Widow movie that's set to kick off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, Marvel fans can't help but wonder why it took Marvel so long to give Scarlett Johansson her own standalone movie as Natasha Romanoff. Black Widow has always been an essential member of the core Avengers, why did it take a decade for Marvel to decide that the hero deserved her own standalone movie?

Screen Rant just recently detailed Black Widow's film history in a piece dedicated to the main lady in the Avengers. According to the entertainment news outlet, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige once revealed that the studio had discussions about giving Black Widow her own film after her debut in Iron Man 2. However, Marvel's focus soon shifted on building The Avengers and with Phase 1 being an uncertain time building the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Black Widow movie was set aside.

Not only that but during the first few phases of the MCU, Feige had to ask permission from Marvel Entertainment chairman Ike Perlmutter before Marvel Studios could move on with its projects. Perlmutter was known for blocking movies that were led by women and minorities – in fact, the Marvel executive didn't want to produce either Black Panther and Captain Marvel. It was only until Feige had the autonomy to run Marvel Studios that he got the movies to finally come to life.

With so many hurdles surrounding the film, we can see why Black Widow took so long to finally get greenlit. It's such a shame though – Natasha deserves better treatment from Marvel. We can't believe that we're only getting a Black Widow movie now that Natasha's sacrificed herself in Avengers: Endgame. Oh well.

Black Widow is set for release on May 1, 2020.

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