Tag: Black Widow

Theory of Widows: Where in the World is Black Widow?

One certainly has to give Marvel Studios credit. They know how to be secretive, especially when it comes to one of the most obscure characters in their line-up, Black Widow. With only 2 trailers, 1 special look, 1 Big Game Spot and multiple posters available to the general public, the mystery surrounding the upcoming MCU film is something that draws a parallel to how much we actually know about Black Widow.

Natasha Romanoff has been around the Marvel Cinematic Universe for nearly over 10 years since her debut in Iron Man 2 (2010), and yet, her personal history is one shrouded in absolute mystery. We know only glimpses on Natasha’s past in the MCU from small teases here and there in almost every film she has been in.

Now, I have multiple theories in regards to this film and a lot of things I’d like to discuss, but I will be breaking them down into different articles because they cover many different ideas, so we’ll start with this piece titled:

Now, a few days ago, I went browsing online on Hot Topic and found that they were already selling merch for Black Widow. Pretty awesome right? But there was a particular item of clothing that caught my attention.

HER UNIVERSE MARVEL BLACK WIDOW TOUR T-SHIRT.

Quite an interesting shirt no? Here’s the description for the item: “Where in the world is Natasha Romanoff? Keep track of the different sites Black Widow has been to with this oversized tour-inspired tee. The front has “Black Widow” with her hourglass logo and the back lists “New York, Ohio, Norway, Morocco, Budapest, Siberia.”

This shirt provides us with very fascinating details about (quite literally) which direction this film is going to take. So let’s break them down one by one:

New York, New York. The City that Never Sleeps. You might recognize it as the home to the primary base of operations for the Avengers & their state of the art facility in Upstate New York.

New Avengers Facility in Upstate New York.

Reports state that the film is set between the events of “Captain America: Civil War” & “Avengers: Infinity War“. Considering that the last scene Black Widow had in Captain America: Civil War was her discussing with Tony Stark about how Natasha flipped sides last minute of the Airport Battle and allowed Steve and Bucky to get away, with Tony warning her that T’Challa told Secretary Ross about what she did and that “they’re coming for her”, one could assume that the film could start here. Natasha getting ready to go on the run, while Secretary Ross prepares to rally the troops to go after her.

Ohio. At first glance, it seems like quite the uneventful place for an MCU film. Perfect for any rogue agent trying to lay low.

This shot of an RV in the middle of nowhere from the final trailer for Black Widow could ironically enough be anywhere. EXCEPT, you can tell a lot about a place by looking at its vegetation, and sometimes that type of vegetation is actually unique to just 1 certain location. So, by looking at these trees alone, I can depict that they are “Oak-Hickory trees”. You can tell from the leaves on the tree in front. They’re in a bud shape, with three leaves sticking out from 1 twig branch. (You guys can actually check it out for yourselves here on page 42. My Botany/Ecology professors would be proud.)

ANYWAYS, these types of trees are specific only to North America, with a vast majority of it being available to the Northeast region, and luckily for us, Ohio. So, one could deduce that the next portion of the movie occurs here. Natasha could come here to this RV and have it be her “hiding hole” as shown in these shots, where you can see she is wearing the same long shirt and is in an RV-esque enviroment looking over all of her different identities, possibly preparing to depart the US.

So, I predict that this might be the first place she goes to which sets the events of this film in motion.

Something that supports this idea is that in “Marvel’s Black Widow Prelude #2”, after having a recount of the events of Black Widow has been in during her time in the MCU, and fiery debate with Councilwoman Hawley, Secretary Ross is informed about a solid lead in regards to the whereabouts of Black Widow and they needed to mobilize immediately.

This could lead to this scene from the trailer.

Secretary Thunderbolt Ross.

We can depict that this is in the United States because of:

1) The yellow traffic sign at the far right that spells “Speed Bump Ahead”. (Apart from the sign being in English, remember that countries have their own traffic signs and the yellow diamond is particularly unique to the U.S.)

2) The amount of SWAT and Local Law Enforcement mobilized in the area.

3) Just the suburban look of this shot overall.

BONUS FACT:

Another interesting detail about Ohio is that this seems to be the place for former Russian spies to lay low.

Vasily Karpov, hiding out in Cleveland in Captain America: Civil War.

Meet Vasily Karpov. Former KGB Agent. Former HYDRA Agent. You might recognize him as the commander in charge of the Winter Soldier Program during 1991 in Siberia and he was the original owner of the Winter Soldier Book in Captain America: Civil War. While his role in that film was cut short by his death at the hands of Baron Zemo, it’s an interesting detail to point out, considering Black Widow occurs right after Captain America: Civil War. So, it’s likely that there are still secrets that this commander had in that house in Cleveland that Black Widow might want to investigate in regards to the past.

Now, here’s where we have gaps in our knowledge, and we must put into place our use of speculation. When we think about Norway, we usually think about Thor and the Asgardian heritage this place has. But very few would think about Norway as a place to discuss the past about Black Widow.

Now, here’s an interesting detail from the “Marvel’s Black Widow Prelude #1” which caught my attention.

Secretary Ross states that Natasha was born in Russia. But Councilwoman Hawley brought up a fantastic point regarding Natasha’s accent. And whilst Ross tries to debunk the case by saying “she’s a spy”, it’s important to note that in the very next panel, he says that very little is actually known about her early life.

I think that Natasha may have been born in Russia, but certainly not raised entirely there. And before you completely disregard this idea, hear me out. Unlike Yelena and Melina, Natasha’s accent is “neutral”, whilst Yelena and Melina both have Russian-esque accents. Yelena and Melina, also being Widows themselves, should be able to disguise their accents just as easily as Natasha as Ross states, so why don’t they? One can assume it’s been years since both of them have been away from Russia and have had to disguise their appearance and voice if they’re on the run, so why haven’t they? Even during Natasha’s younger days, when she was seen training in the Red Room as shown in her vision during Age of Ultron, her accent remains neutral the entire time. And if that isn’t convincing enough, just look back to her first scene in the 2012 film, “The Avengers.” when she’s being interrogated by a Russian General. She sounds neutral, even when speaking Russian. Now, I could be making a stretch here and I might be looking too deep into it, as the General in that same scene said her accent has hints of Stalingrad in them. But I also have another piece of evidence.

Multiple local reports from Norway indicated that the filming location is actually her childhood home (with some speculating that Norway is indeed doubling for Russia) perhaps shown here in these scenes.

What eludes me is that, if her childhood home is in Russia (with Norway posing as it’s double as some sources speculate), then why have Marvel include Norway in the place of lists where Black Widow visits during this film? It’s certainly a lot to think about, but it is an interesting thought nonetheless.

Now, we’ve seen Morocco already in the “Black Widow | Special Look”, particularly in these shots.

Why Black Widow would travel to Morocco eludes me. Possibly to search for Melina Vostokoff or find an informant that could lead them somewhere else. We’ll see if anything new pops up.

Budapest. Perhaps the most teased location in regards to Black Widow’s history.

By piecing together the trailers and the spots, we know Black Widow first arrives to the country via train.

Keleti Train Station in Budapest as shown in the Black Widow Teaser Trailer.

After arriving on Budapest, she tracks down and locates her sister: “Yelena Belanova”, where they will now be both on the run from both Secretary Ross and the “mind-controlled” Black Widows.

I feel like a good chunk of the film will take place here. We’ll probably explore a lot of Black Widow’s past, mainly how she and Yelena are related, and what exactly happened all those years ago in Budapest, which will lead to intense high-action sequences and our first encounter with Taskmaster.

It’s also important to note that Ross and his men won’t be too far behind as shown here in this shot from the teaser trailer, where Secretary Ross is standing behind a Hungarian food truck.

I have seen MANY people address Secretary Ross’ look in this film, discussing how he has been de-aged and that this is somehow as far back as before the first Incredible Hulk film back in 2008. I don’t think this is the case for a number of reasons. Mainly, because you have Secretary Ross already wearing a suit and tie (typical of a person of power in the government) rather than what would have been his usual military general camo getup. Not only that, but the cars in which they arrive are Chevrolet Suburban LT SUVs from 2014, so anything pre-Avengers (pre-2012) is automatically discarded. And I’m almost certain that nothing interesting (at least in the MCU) happened in Hungary which would have required the intervention of Secretary Ross. Not only that, but the “Marvel’s Black Widow Prelude Comics #1 & #2” confirm that Secretary Ross will indeed be on the trail of Black Widow throughout the film. So, if you had to ask me, I think it’s more of a different look for Secretary Ross for the Black Widow film rather than just a case of de-aging. But we’ll go more into Ross’ role in this film in another theory.

Lastly, we’re headed to good ol’ Russia. Specifically, Siberia.

We’ve already seen Siberia in the trailer during these shots.

I’m certain that we’re are going to see at least three very important things happen in Siberia.

THE GULAG

In the trailers, we’ve seen David Harbour’s character; Alexei Shostakov a.k.a. “Red Guardian”, break out of what seems to be a prison (or Gulag for you Call of Duty fans) of some sort and that Natasha, Yelena, and Melina help break Alexei out of this prison in Siberia.

FUN FACT / CONNNECTION:

In Tales of Suspense #52 “The Crimson Dynamo Strikes Again!”, we’re introduced to a particular Russian individual referred to as “Excellency”, who declares Anton Vanko a traitor for working with Tony Stark and betraying the USSR. You might recognize Anton Vanko from all the way back in 2010, from the film Iron Man 2.

In the film, it is explained that Anton Vanko was a “Soviet physicist who defected to the United States in 1963. However, he was accused of espionage and was deported in 1967” by none other than Howard Stark. When Howard deported him to the USSR, as Nick Fury explained it back then: “when the Russians found out he couldn’t deliver, they shipped his a** off to Siberia and he spent the next 20 years in a vodka-fuelled rage.”

Take note of this. He was imprisoned in Siberia for 20 years. And in the comics, Russia was ruled by this individual known as “His Excellency.” So how does this connect to the MCU? I predict that Anton Vanko was thrown into the same Gulag that Alexei is in for this film. And that “The Excellency” in charge was none other than General Dreykov, which leads me to my next location.

THE RED ROOM

We know that the Red Room is probably one of the key points of this film. So we are 100% bound to see the Red Room in action and I cannot wait enough to see how this plays out. Seeing where the Black Widows are made and trained will shed so much of Natasha’s development and training, so we are bound to see the biggest reveals about Black Widow’s past here. I’m also particularly interested in seeing how General Dreykov or Madame B. will play out with all of this, considering that not even Secretary Ross knows everything about them.

THE HOSPITAL

I’ve seen many people address these shots as Taskmaster’s hideout or an alternate Red Room of the sort. And while all of those certainly have potential, I can wholeheartedly believe that these scenes take place in a hospital or a medical facility of the sort.

The reason why I say this is because if you look at all of these pictures, you notice something. This place has completely has white halls, EKG machines and monitors, signs indicating the rooms people are in, examination rooms, isolation rooms, and has multiple fire extinguishers, red phones, and electrical wiring all over.

This would pay homage to the “Hospital Fire”/”Children’s Ward” reference we’ve heard over the past few MCU films. A mistake so big that haunts Natasha to this very day. BUT, that’s another theory for another article.

WHY ARE ALL OF THESE PLACES RELEVANT?

I have reason to believe that the “main antagonist” is someone who knows Natasha Romanoff very well and wants Natasha to face her past. The inside joke between Hawkeye and Black Widow about Budapest, the “Hospital Fire”, the Children’s Ward. Dreykov’s daughter. After years of teasing, we’ll finally be able to learn all of these secrets and references regarding the mystery of Black Widow’s past.

But as Nick Fury would always say, “Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all”.

August 20, 2020
Disney Confirms More Upcoming Blockbuster Films on Premier Access

A few days ago, Disney+ revealed their plans to release the upcoming live-action interpretation of Mulan through their streaming service rather than delay the film’s release date any further. The catch, however, is that in order to watch this film, users of the streaming platform would have to pay a $29.99 fee in order to watch this film, under a new brand Disney+ calls “Premier Access.”

Disney’s “Mulan” will release on September 4th via Disney+’s offering of “Premier Access”

Disney+ explains:

“Once you have Premier Access to Mulan, you can watch [the film] as many times as you want on any platform where Disney+ is available. Your access to Mulan will continue as long as you are an active Disney+ subscriber.” Following the announcement, Disney CEO Bob Chapek described the move as a “one-off” in a Disney’s Q3 FY20 Earnings Results Webcast,explaining that right now they’re “going to have a chance to learn from this and to see whether that [Premier Access] makes sense.”

Needless to say, the Premier Access offering has sparked some debate amongst some users of the platform, some believing it’s too high a price for a single film, while others (myself included), have been wondering about Premier Access’ potential for other films to be displayed utilizing this PVOD format, some examples being Disney’s Jungle Cruise and Marvel Studios’ Black Widow.

So I got to investigating and started working on a theory piece for the potential this service has and how Mulan’s release can affect the future of PVOD itself. Then, simply because I wanted to make sure I used all my options, I decided to just directly contact Disney+’s Help Center, via their live chat option and see if they could help out. And they certainly did.

My first Disney+ Live Help Chat Conversation with an agent.

In my first conversation with the Disney+ Agent, I asked about the Premier Access service, its pricing and if it was going to be a yearly subscription added to the one I already had or if it was a one time fee on a “film-by film” basis where one would pay the $29.99 fee for every film released via Premier Access. The agent replied with the following string of messages after he contacted his account specialist and left me on read for nearly 10 minutes. He confirmed that the $29.99 fee is just a one time fee, on top of our monthly/yearly subscription, that gives you access to Mulan and that “FOR NOW WE have Mulan, but when time goes by, the premier access WILL BE MORE UPDATED and more movies to watch.” This confirms that Disney does indeed have plans to premier other films via Premier Access, similar to what they’re doing with Mulan.

Now, rationally, I contacted the “Scooper Supreme“ known as Charles Murphy and I showed him what I had. We needed more proof. After all, the main purpose of an experiment is to show that if you obtained the same result once, then theoretically, if we do it over and over, we should get a similar result. So we tried 3 MORE TIMES. (I did it twice and Charles did it once.)

My second Disney+ Live Help Chat Conversation with a second agent.

The second agent was more focused on discussing Mulan but eventually answered my question and offered a similar response with a “guarantee…that Disney+ will offer more amazing movies” in regards to the Premier Access itself.

My third and last attempt was not as fruitful because the agent had kept referring me to this page. (Well someone gets a 1/5 in customer service). But it is important to note out that I managed to verify the page’s identity, and confirmed that it is a “Hero Content Page”, meaning the page linked above isn’t specifically just for Mulan, but that it can be updated with other film properties simply replacing the Mulan information and inserting another film in there.

Charles also attempted to get information on this, to make sure of the veracity of these comments and he was fruitful as well being told that while Mulan was the only film available “for now”, Premier Access could be used similarly in the future.

So, in a string of either complete naiveté on my part and literal sheer dumb luck, we managed to get a confirmation that Disney+ is indeed planning on using this PVOD service to push films out through their streaming platform. Yes, you’ll be paying an additional fee for each film ($29.99 does not get you access to all Premier Access films) but this resolves one of the biggest discussion points surrounding the platform since it was announced.

This gives fans an opportunity to see films that they were planning to see before the COVID-19 pandemic arose back in March, starting with Mulan as their first true test, and with 60.5 million subscribers on the platform already, I predict Premier Access has a very bright future ahead of it. So don’t be surprised if you get one of the following promos on your twitter feed or your email address.

Unofficial Jungle Cruise “Premier Access” Mockup Image. (Made by Superhero Theorist)

Unofficial Black Widow “Premier Access” Mockup Image. (Made by Superhero Theorist)

August 15, 2020
10 “Fox” Characters Marvel Studios Can Turn Into Gold

With the acquisition of 21st Century Fox last year, Disney saw an already incredible stable of Marvel characters grow even more impressive. While we are all excited for Dr. Doom, Magneto, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, there are hundreds of lesser known characters waiting in the wings for their first shot on the silver screen. Let’s take a look at 10 of them that could shine in the MCU.

Blastaar

When you think of the Negative Zone, it’s understandable that Annihilus comes to mind first. We’ll certainly see Annihilus and the Negative Zone at some point and, when we do, Blastaar had better be there, too. First appearing in Fantastic Four #62, the brutal Baluurian warlord has a ton of potential as a possible entry-level threat from the Negative Zone and an ongoing presence that presents himself as a thorn in the side of the Living Death that Walks (that’s Annihilus to you and me, kids). Blastaar saw a major resurgence beginning with 2006’s Annihilation and played a major role in some big cosmic stories over the next several years. The Living Bomb-Burst could be an MCU mainstay and help sell a lot of toys as well.

Diablo

Though he first appeared in Fantastic Four #30, Esteban Corazon de Ablo (get it, de Ablo/Diablo?!) is a character who could show up in any number of other properties and cause some chaos. Despite having been notoriously named by Stan Lee as the one character he regretted creating (Stan couldn’t remember why he even created him in the first place), the ancient alchemist could pop up just about anywhere throughout history and his history with the vampires of the Marvel Universe could make him an interesting choice when they come flying into the MCU. His true chance to shine, though, might be as part of Mephisto’s Legion Accursed or the Masters of Evil where he can team up with some other truly disturbed minds, some of which are found on this list as well.

Dragon Man

What can you say about Dragon Man that hasn’t already been said…honestly, quite a bit because I’m not sure too many people know he exists. Originally an android foe of the Fantastic Four after being manipulated by the aforementioned Diablo, Dragon Man’s recent reformation allowed him to be a part of the Future Foundation where he worked as a guide the next generation of geniuses. He also served some time as the X-Men’s team mascot and developed a crush on Jean Grey, but it’s his newly formed relationship with the Richards’ children and their friends that could give him the chance to shine in the MCU.

The Fallen One (and all the other Heralds of Galactus)

As I’ve written in the past, for the Silver Surfer and Galactus to work in the MCU, they’re going to require a very different sort of introduction. Galactus deserves more than a one-off appearance and the Surfer could easily carry his own trilogy; the one character that could serves as the connective tissue between the two is The Fallen One, the first herald of Galactus. The Fallen One first appeared in 2004’s Thanos #11 ahead of a fairly large role in the Annihilation event and instantly changed everything we thought we knew about the Devourer. The Fallen One represent everything the Silver Surfer is not and his sprinkling in his story throughout the shared origin story of Galactus and the Surfer would plant the seed required for him to show up in a solo Surfer film alongside some of the other heralds. If you’ve read my Nova features, you already know how heralds like Air-Walker and Firelord could find their way into the MCU but if we’re going to go the route of working through a few heralds, we better see Terrax show up as well.

H.E.R.B.I.E.

The biggest no brainer on the list is H.E.R.B.I.E. Reed Richards’ Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-type, Integrated Electronics (that’s worse than S.H.I.E.L.D., right?) first appeared in the 1978 animated The Fantastic Four as a replacement for Johnny Storm before making his way into the comics the following year. Originally a sleeper agent for some ridiculous evil forces, H.E.R.B.I.E. eventually (on like his third or fourth or twentieth body) found his role in the Baxter Building. This one is all about two things: the comic relief of blowing him up and building him again (see C-3PO) and selling toys. There’s a chance we won’t see H.E.R.B.I.E. when the First Family lands in the MCU, but I wouldn’t bet against the little guy, especially not if we see a Future Foundation streaming series on Disney Plus.

The Mad Thinker (and Awesome Andy!)

The Mad Thinker’s fascination with probability, his 99.9% recall rate and his mechanical genius make him an interesting yet overmatched foe of the Fantastic Four. Like others on the list, he’s more well-suited to teaming up (hello Puppet Master or maybe a different version of the Frightful Four) than trying to take anyone one individually and there’s a good chance that if we do see him, it would be in that way. I’m actually more excited about seeing The Awesome Android than I am the Mad Thinker and, for that reason, have been curious about him potentially teaming up with someone like Thundra and showing up in She-Hulk where Awesome Andy could really shine!

The Puppet Master

At first glance, Phillip Masters doesn’t seem like the kind of villain worthy of making his way into the MCU because the idea behind his bad guy powers really isn’t going to translate into something worth seeing on the big screen. Despite all that, I think it’s possible he shows up and not just as the father of the love of Ben Grimm’s life, Alicia Masters. Marvel Studios plans for the Fantastic Four remain totally hidden from view, but with Disney Plus now able to serve up exciting, high quality projects that add to the depth of the worlds these characters inhabit, the Puppet Master would be an excellent antagonist for Dragon Man and the Future Foundation in a limited, streaming series.

The Red Ghost

As much as I would love to see Ivan Kragoff’s Super-Apes on screen, it’s hardly that aspect of the character that could easily allow him into the MCU. Sure, he’s associated with the Fantastic Four, but it’s Ed Brubaker’s The Winter Soldier that could open the door for the Russian mad scientist. Kragoff’s work brainwashing sleeper agents for Department X could really come in handy with Yelena Belova set to take over the mantle of Black Widow in the MCU. Krafoff is exactly the type of character Marvel Studios could retool and give purpose, maybe working for AIM or with the Thunderbolts.

Thundra

If the rumors about the Squadron Supreme appearing in the Loki streaming series are true, then there’s a path to the MCU for Thundra. Her traditional origins as a time traveler probably don’t work out very well, but there’s no reason she can’t be a multiversal character who ends up in the present day MCU at some point. Of course they could totally redo her origins and introduce her in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier as a member of the Grapplers. It’s almost like stunt actor Vanessa Cater would be just right in the role…

Wyatt Wingfoot

The college roomie and good buddy of Johnny Storm, Wyatt Wingfoot walked away from his destiny as chief of the Keewazi tribe to chose a life of adventure with the Fantastic Four. During that time, Wingfoot began a relationship with Jen Walters that would continue on and off for decades. Wyatt would work well as a window to the craziness that the Fantastic Four experience day to day, allowing us to see their adventures through someone without their incredible powers.

July 10, 2020
‘BLACK WIDOW’ Just the Beginning for Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova

The vest. Nat’s wearing the same vest as Yelena, so Yelena is going to die and Nat wears the vest to remember her! That’s a really short and poor summary of one of the most prevalent fan theories surrounding the fate of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova in the upcoming Black Widow. It looks like fans will have to get to work on another explanation, however, as director Cate Shortland seems to have dug a grave for the popular theory in an exclusive interview with Empire Magazine in which she indicates the film will see Scarlett Johansson pass the torch to Pugh.

Talking with Empire about the film, Shortland explained how she and Marvel Studios The-One-Above-All tried to circumvent fan expectations with the upcoming film and how that will apparently lead to Pugh taking over the mantle and, potentially, the franchise:

[Kevin Feige] realised that the audience would expect an origin story so, of course, we went in the opposite direction. And we didn’t know how great Florence Pugh would be. We knew she would be great, but we didn’t know how great. Scarlett is so gracious, like, ‘Oh, I’m handing her the baton.’ So it’s going to propel another female storyline.

In all honesty, the chances of Marvel Studios bringing in a young actress of Pugh’s caliber for a one off were always incredibly low and there are plenty of other ways around the “vest” theory, one of which I teased in a series of tweets back in March:

Yelena Belova…Super Adaptoid. Coming to an MCU near you?

— Charles Murphy (@_CharlesMurphy) March 13, 2020

Through the magic of flipping the picture, you might see the word AIM above Yelana's noggin. This is almost certainly AFTER the big, final fight since she's wearing the same outfit. pic.twitter.com/Nuz6l4BqGT

— Charles Murphy (@_CharlesMurphy) March 13, 2020

Maybe after this is done, she gets this cool new look and that's what the lines are for. pic.twitter.com/McVggPUcs6

— Charles Murphy (@_CharlesMurphy) March 13, 2020

Of course my crackpot theory is just as unlikely to be accurate as anyone else’s, but I’m still not sure that I can get talked out of it either. Moving Yelena forward, both in standalone Black Widow sequels and in other projects, as good character who was corrupted by AIM presents a wonderful contrast to Nat’s bad character looking to make good. Of course we’ll have to wait to see how it all turns out, but with a project like The Thunderbolts rumored to be on the horizon, Pugh could find herself a VERY busy actress over the next decade.

Look for more Black Widow news from Empire Magazine this week and, I would suspect, a couple of new looks at the film as well. Black Widow is set to hit theaters on November 6, 2020.

July 6, 2020
New ‘BLACK WIDOW’ Trailers Cleared to Debut

Last Friday, the British Board of Film Classification cleared two new Black Widow trailers to be released as 12A, meaning suitable for those 12 and above indicating that Marvel Studios almost certainly has plans to release these new looks at the film in the very near future (possibly as soon as today).

As you can see, one of the trailers has a run time of 2:38, pretty standard for a Marvel trailer while the other is much shorter, coming in at 1:44. It’s possible that this second look could be some sort of new feature that the studio has cut to give fans something to tide them over. At this time, Black Widow is set to release on November 6, 2020.

July 6, 2020
A ‘Black Widow’ Actor May Have Made the Jump to ‘Shang-Chi’

I came across something kind of interesting during a recent check of IMDb for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. One of the Widows in the upcoming Black Widow film is listed as a stunt performer on Shang-Chi as well!

Jade Xu and the other Widows in the Black Widow trailer.

A quick double check of Jade Xu’s Instagram confirms that she was indeed in Sydney Australia for a new Marvel adventure there beginning March 1st until at least March 8. Good enough to confirm for me that the listing can be trusted.

Could it be one of the Widows survives the events of Black Widow and appears in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings? Or is she simply doing some miscellaneous stunts? Her height and build, I believe, would make her a good candidate to double Awkwafina’s character, widely rumored to be Shang-Chi’s sister Fah Lo Suee, so this is another strong possibility.

The reason I’m really excited by this stunt performer being listed for these projects is the very high level of skill she possesses. We are certain to get some great fighting sequences with a stunt actress like this involved!

Jade Xu, per her IMDb listing, is a 3 time Wushu/Kung Fu World Champion and began her martial arts training at 6 years old. You can find examples of her athleticism and grace on her Instagram, YouTube channel, and website jadexu.com

Jade Xu

June 9, 2020
Connecting Imaginary Dots: The Taskmaster(s), The Dark Room and The Future of the ‘BLACK WIDOW’ Franchise
If you’ve never read an installment of Connecting Imaginary Dots, allow me to explain the idea. Connecting Imaginary Dots was the title I came up with for my speculation pieces when I was writing at MCU Exchange. These types of pieces basically allow me to unload a bunch of junk that’s circulating in my brain in a way that should never be confused for things I actually expect to happen. I basically take a bunch of facts that are almost always entirely unrelated and do my best to connect the dots with by stretching my imagination. In the past these types of pieces have resulted in me theorizing that the Spider-Man sequel which became Far From Home might end up being a team-up outing of Spidey and Hulk in the Savage Land; however, I also wrote one theorizing that Sterling K. Brown would be playing the father of Erik Killmonger in Black Panther LOOOOOONG before anyone else was considering it and one in which I theorized that Annette Bening was actually Mar-Vell when everyone else still thought Jude Law was playing the character. The bottom line is this: these are fun spec pieces that allow me to just be a fan. With that out of the way…

This piece is probably as convoluted and out there as any Connecting The Imaginary Dots piece I’ve done since I decided that Spidey and Hulk were headed to the Savage Land, but it’s in my head and I’m going to get it out.

Family. The less than subtle theme of this May’s Black Widow has been built up through the trailers and has led us to believe that Nat’s reunion with her Russian family will take her on a bit of a redemptive arc. The film is also setting up Taskmaster as the main antagonist and, often times in film, the antagonist’s arc is a dark reflection of the hero’s. I’m beginning to wonder that as Nat’s reunion redeems her, if we might see a family separated and out for revenge.

There are a lot of dots here, so I’ll lay them out now:
- Last March, I revealed that Ned Benson’s script work on Black Widow introduced a new character to the mix. The studio was searching for a “diverse female” to play a small supporting role. A number of actresses ranging from Storm Reid (15 years old at the time) to Hannah Quinlivan (25 at the time) were up from the role.
- 16 year old Liani Samuels was cast in Black Widow as Anya. I believe, but cannot confirm, that she appeared in yesterday’s final trailer.
Is that Samuels front and center? I don’t know.
- The final trailer revealed that Taskmaster is now in charge of the Red Room and training an entirely new kind of Widow who have no control over their actions. He is essentially the Headmaster of the Red Room.
- Mark Waid’s run on Black Widow, which began in 2016, introduced the Headmistress. The Headmistress oversaw the Red Room when Natasha was trained. With the help of her daughter, known as Recluse, she has developed the Dark Room: a new, more violent Red Room that would train child assassins and would have no ties to any country. The Headmistress ultimately killed herself, leaving her daughter to become the new Headmistress and out for revenge against Natasha.
- Marvel Studios filmed part of Black Widow on location in Norway. I believe a shot of the landscape appeared in yesterdays final trailer:
- Avengers Academy #1 introduced a character known as Finesse. Over time and because of her abilities as a polymath, she became suspicious that her father was Taskmaster. This has never been confirmed or denied.
- This is a big one that has to be marked as a rumor: I was told that Black Widow would feature two Taskmasters: the first one male and the second one a female. This is an unconfirmed rumor and only here because it supports my wild speculation.
With the dots all laid out, here’s what I’m staring at:

Samuels’ Anya is Taskmaster’s daughter. Marvel Studios specifically wanted a non-white actress for the role because they were casting her as the daughter of Fagbenle’s Mason/Tasky. Her character is is an amalgamation of Recluse and Finesse. Marvel Studios has a lot of great characters and they’re not going to get to them all, so they’ve brought the two together to make an intriguing new character. Recluse is part of the Dark Room Academy where she is trained by her father. At some point during the climax of the film, her father is killed by Nat, or maybe Yelena. When she find out, she swears revenge, becomes the new Taskmaster and will be the face under the mask going forward. Anya’s loss sets her on the very path Nat is trying to step off of. Of course that means she’s not going to get revenge on Nat so, like I said, maybe Yelena…but you guys all think she’s dead! Which is really weird because this series of screenshots pulled from the trailers tells a really different story: one in which she is alive (note she is wearing the same white outfit without the vest when she’s on the table) and being prepped for some sort of medical procedure:

But all that is another story…

The bottom line is this: I look forward to more Tasky shenanigans and a couple more Black Widow solo films starring Florence Pugh.

How crazy and convoluted is this conjecture? Let me know in the comments!!
March 10, 2020
A Look at How ‘BLACK WIDOW’ Could Set up the Future of the MCU

Kevin Feige was in Brazil over the weekend to bring exclusive footage to CCXP and while audiences outside of the convention won’t be seeing what was show any time soon, Feige also had plenty to say about the future of the MCU including something very interesting about next May’s Black Widow.

Following the screening of some new Black Widow footage, Feige explained that the film will not only further explain her past, but also set up the future of the MCU. The second part of that comment could mean something as obvious as introducing Yelena Belova as the new Black Widow, but it could also mean something bigger. Let’s do some thinking about some ways in which Black Widow might change the MCU landscape moving forward. To be clear, this is purely speculative and not meant to be informative about what to expect in the film.

The Introduction of Latveria

If Black Widow is going to set up the future of the MCU in a meaningful, long-lasting way, introducing Latveria and it’s benevolent monarch would be among the most interesting ways to do so.

In the comics, Latveria was a piece of land annexed from Southern Hungary. Given that much of Black Widow is set to take place in Budapest, Hungary, it doesn’t seem too crazy to believe that we could, at the very least, hear mention of the growing threat coming from Doomstadt, get a Victor Von Doom name drop or even have a post credit scene teasing Doom’s future role. Remember that we first saw Thanos in a post credit scene in 2012’s Avengers, then again briefly in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy and that it wasn’t until 2018 that we saw him fully realized, so introducing Doom, a character who would, like Thanos, be a decade long threat to the MCU, is not entirely crazy.

Thunderbolts…Assemble?

William Hurt’s Thunderbolt Ross is the lone holdover from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and while his presence in the film makes plenty of sense superficially, it’s more fun to think about how it might grow into something more than just chasing down Natasha after the events of Captain America: Civil War.

The recent Black Widow trailer is cut to make it sound like Ross and Nat are having a friendly chat, but given Ross’s line of questioning, he could just as easily be talking to Yelena Belova in an attempt to recruit her to his own band of heroes. Sure there are some hoops to jump through with the 5 year leap in time, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Ross decides to assemble his own team in a post-Endgame world without Avengers. Hell, who’s to say he doesn’t already have some members and that he’s not the one who sent Taskmaster after Nat?

Mutants?

This is as far fetched and unlikely as anything I’ve ever come up with, but it’s possible (though highly unlikely) that the Eastern European setting of Black Widow could allow it to be the first MCU film to broach the subject of mutants. Sokovia was the site of a nearly cataclysmic tragedy at the hands of Ultron. While Ultron planned for extinction, it’s possible that his mechanism could have triggered the next stage of human evolution.

In 1999, Jim Krueger and Alex Ross wrote a limited series called Earth X in which every human has now acquired some form of super powers. Among the many fascinating ideas in the alternate universe take is one that sees Reed Richards attempt to use Vibranium to solve the world’s energy crisis. During the series, Richards explains his belief (though it turns out to be wrong) that his failed vibranium experiments caused the mutation of the human genome and the dystopia followed. While it was later revealed that Terrigen Mists released by Black Bolt triggered the changes, the idea has always stuck with me.

Ultron used huge amounts of Vibranium in the device that lifted part of Sokovia towards the atmosphere. We’ve seen the immediate consequences of the disaster, but what if, much like a meltdown at a nuclear plant, there were longer lasting implications from the Vibranium crashing into Earth. It’s an alien substance that we know affected the flora of Wakanda and that when that flora is consumed can grant superpowers to its consumer. Could Vibranium that’s been in the soil for almost a decade be the catalyst to the mutant explosion on Earth? Probably not, but it’s an interesting conversation.

What ways can you imagine Black Widow setting up the future of the MCU? Let me know in the comments!

December 9, 2019
Marvel Studios Drops the Official ‘BLACK WIDOW’ Teaser

Marvel Studios jumped the gun a little early this morning and gifted us the official teaser for Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. Check it out below and look for a breakdown later on today.

Black Widow hits theaters on May 1, 2020.

December 3, 2019
EXCLUSIVE: Emma Watson Headlines List of Front Runners for Female Lead in ‘BLACK WIDOW’

Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at That Hashtag Show on March 6, 2019.

Marvel Studios is now actively casting for its solo Black Widow film ahead of a scheduled June start to production and casting director Sarah Finn and company have begun to narrow down the lists of candidates for several roles. Chief among those roles is a second female lead, which we originally described here as a “kick ass female Bond”, for which the studio is said to be seeking an actress capable of a physically demanding role who also “feels similar” to star Scarlet Johansson.

The studio has been looking at available talent for the role since late last year and now a partial list of front runners for the role has emerged. While it’s important to remember that this list does not represent everyone up for the role and that, at the time of publishing, none of these actresses had been officially offered the role, the list does provide us significant insight into the type of actresses the studio has been auditioning. It’s an interesting list and one that we at That Hashtag Show are excited to be able to share with you in this exclusive!

Headlining the list is actress Emma Watson. Best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise, Watson starred as Belle in Disney’s 2017 live-action version of Beauty and the Beast and recently wrapped filming on Little Women. We are told that the idea of Watson landing the role is gaining momentum and that her name is prominent in discussions between director Cate Shortland, Brad Winderbaum and Kevin Feige.

Actresses Alice Englert (Beautiful Creatures and the upcoming Netflix series Ratched) and Dar Zuzovsky (Hostages, Neighborhood) recently auditioned for the role and both made a strong impression on the studio. Additionally, Florence Pugh, who will star alongside Watson in Little Women, is also still in the running. While the role originally called for an actress in the 30-39 range, this list certainly indicates a willingness on the studio’s part to expand their search to find the right woman for the job and it seems that they now have a handful of talented actresses from which to chose.

Casting for any film is a dynamic process with names jumping in and out of contention, so while this list of front runners is a great place to start, it by no means is intended to represent everyone who may eventually be up for the role and certainly not an indication of who will ultimately accept it. Looking at the role of Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel as a cautionary tale (DeWanda Wise originally held the role before Lashana Lynch came on board), we can understand how quickly things in Hollywood can change. That having been said, we should expect movement one way or another on this role fairly quickly as testing for it and other roles has been ongoing very recently, indicating the search is narrowing down.

March 6, 2019