Black Widow is about to launch Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we have some very big questions. We’ve known for more than a few months now that Scarlett Johansson would be returning as Natasha Romanoff and that the 24th MCU film would show off a brand-new side of the super spy in her standalone movie, but the new trailer shown at Disney’s D23 Expo has even more HYPE for it all. (It remains to be seen if the footage will be released for those not at D23.)
Before the trailer, however, attendees saw a short behind-the-scenes video of Johansson, Florence Pugh and David Harbour in a helicopter in front of a blue screen. None of them was able to attend the panel in Anaheim, California, on Saturday because the film is in its final weeks of shooting.
Marvel Studios
The trailer starts with a look back at Black Widow’s numerous Avengers appearances, as overlapping voice-overs of pivotal moments play. We hear, “I’ve made mistakes,” “Must be hard to shake the whole double agent thing, huh?” and more as we watch baby Black Widow up until she parts ways with Tony Stark at the Avengers compound in Captain America: Civil War.
After the Marvel Studios logo, we see a shorter version of the footage that debuted at San Diego Comic-Con last month, where fans were treated to a first look at 2020’s Black Widow. The footage opens with a Budapest location tag (and was once again met with wild applause — in the MCU, Budapest was famously mentioned in passing between Black Widow and Hawkeye, and referenced by Nick Fury in Captain Marvel.)
A well-choreographed fight between Natasha and Pugh’s Yelena Belova ensues and culminates in a hello over shots, with Natasha saying, “You just had to come to Budapest, didn’t you?”
Multiple Black Widows appear to be storming the apartment we just left the sisters in (but who knows about the timeline), and we get a look at Rachel Weisz in a sleek uniform. At Comic-Con, Weisz revealed her character was named Melina, leading many to speculate that she will turn out to be Iron Maiden.
Some looks at Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian pop up, in what looks like a prison and then outside of it with Natasha and Yelena in a … forest (maybe?) setting. The D23 footage here also expands slightly on what was seen at SDCC, and shows off a new white outfit for Black Widow and Yelena. The trio are also seen sitting down to a nice family dinner with Alexei happily exclaiming, “Family!”, in addition to riding a helicopter together.
A shorter fight than what was seen at SDCC between Black Widow and the apparent Taskmaster plays, complete with the two flipping into the exact mirror image of each others’ superhero pose landing.
We end on a fun, comedic note:
Pugh told Syfy Wire at SDCC the film is about a badass discovering her history, and also “it’s about these broken, raw, wicked, powerful women. They are equal, they fight in the same way, they are compatible, and they are healing in the same way.”
Watch this:
Marvel’s Phase 4 plan explained
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Notably, Black Widow is the first film to be solely written and directed by women: Jac Schaeffer penned the script and Cate Shortland is directing.
Black Widow is scheduled to be released May 1, 2020, as the 24th MCU film and also stars O.T. Fagbenle.
The Disney D23 Expo runs through Sunday, Aug. 25. Be sure to check out coverage from sister sites GameSpot, TV Guide and ComicBook.com.