It Looks Like Marvel Is Committing to a Black Widow Solo Film

About time.

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Complex Original

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It looks like Natasha Romanoff may actually get her own movie. After Stan Lee teased it back in 2014 and fans demanded it with a flash mob, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige says it's finally committed to a solo Black Widow venture.

The much-talked-about subject came up in a discussion on Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which began with Captain America: Civil War and will continue with Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, and Black Panther. While they’ve already announced an onslaught of movies through 2019, the schedule beyond that remains open for other characters like Black Widow to stand on their own.

"Where we go beyond that are ongoing discussions that we’ll focus on in the next few years because we have a lot to do before then," Feige toldDeadline."I would say certainly the one creatively and emotionally that we are most committing to doing is Black Widow."

That’s not definitive confirmation, but it’s the first step in getting her film off the ground. Romanoff first popped up in Iron Man 2 as an untrustworthy spy before learning to play along with a team in The Avengers. She went on to develop an unlikely friendship with Steve Rogers in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is put to the test after she joins #TeamIronMan in Civil War

Avengers: Age of Ultron also tested audiences when Black Widow found herself in a forced romance with The Hulk that was never hinted at in any of the previous films. Fans accused director Joss Whedon of being anti-feminist and, after a series of heated arguments, he quit Twitter and took a lengthy break from filmmaking. Aside from that awkward love story, the film also teased her background as a killer ballerina who ends her training with forced sterilization. So like most other origin stories, hers wouldn’t be a happy one.

With the studio behind her, the other person needed to get things moving is Black Widow herself, Scarlett Johansson. If her comments from last year still stand, the actress will be on board for a solo film. "The character has a really rich origin story," she toldCollider. "In my mind, there’s room for plenty more Black Widow and certainly more—I think I could see her in a standalone film."

Now, all we need is that release date. 

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