First photos of Scarlett Johansson on the set of Black Widow arrive online

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Now that Marvel's Infinity Saga has come to an end courtesy of AVENGERS: ENDGAME, it's officially time to look forward and await the details of Marvel's next phase. Among several projects that are currently in the works is director Cate Shortland's BLACK WIDOW solo feature, starring Scarlett Johansson as Marvel's tough-as-nails Russian superspy, Natasha Romanoff. The long-awaited and overdue project is currently filming in Norway, and today the MCU Direct Twitter account has shared two behind-the-scenes pics of Johansson in-costume as Black Widow.

Alright, so perhaps "in-costume" is a bit of a misnomer, on account of the actress wearing a white jacket that covers her character's iconic black bodysuit. The first photo shows Johansson flashing a bright smile to someone holding an umbrella, while the other depicts the MCU alumna carrying a plastic bag filled with items that I can't quite discern. Could the bag be filled shiny new torture tools? Perhaps it's just Natasha's lunch? We may never know for sure. And thus a new mystery of the MCU is born.

Not much is known about the plot of BLACK WIDOW at this time, though AVENGERS: ENDGAME co-director Joe Russo did at one point hint to Comicbook.com that the solo feature will perhaps see Natasha returning to Budapest. When asked about what transpired while Black Widow was there, Russo replied "That's the question, isn't it? Seems like a story for another time." Russo then reiterated on the idea of Marvel no longer being interested in telling linear stories on the big screen. This of course could be a nod to Marvel's plans to explore its famed Multiverse – a device that allows Marvel to tell stories about worlds within worlds, expanding the MCU infinitesimally. It's either that or Russo was simply referring to Shortland's plan to return to Widow's past for the prequel. Take your pick.

Later in the interview, Russo was asked if the breadcrumbs left by Black Widow's arc throughout the Infinity Saga would play a part in the prequel to come, Russo then responded by saying, "It's putting seeds in to fulfill our story, and that's what we do in the Marvel Universe is someone comes in and they pick up the threads, right, but there isn't, the grand plan is always 'we have a loose idea of where we can go here', but if you spend a lot of energy thinking about where it goes in the future you're gonna miss the opportunities that are in front of you in the present," Russo said. "If you don't make a really good film, nobody's going to be around for the next one, you know, so we really focus on the present story not on where this is all going."

Directed by Cate Shortland from a script penned by Ned Benson, BLACK WIDOW will serve as the MCU's second female-fronted superhero film after directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's CAPTAIN MARVEL starring Brie Larson. Understandably, there's a lot of hype for this one, as Natasha fans have been clamouring for a Black Widow solo film ever since the character was introduced in director Jon Favreau's IRON MAN 2 (2010). We'll be sure to keep you all up to date with any details we uncover. For now, we'll just have to wait for SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME to be released in theaters on July 2, as the newest web-slinging adventure is expected to set up much about the MCU, post-Endgame.