After introducing the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe nearly a decade ago, Scarlett Johansson is finally getting her Black Widow standalone movie.
Following the massive Marvel Comic-Con 2019 panel in Hall H, Johansson stopped by EW’s video studio along with her Black Widow costars Rachel Weisz, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, and O.T. Fagbenle to give some exclusive details about the highly anticipated MCU Phase 4 prequel movie.
“Where we find Natasha in her life at this point is very specific,” Johansson reveals. “She really is in a dark place where she’s got no one to call and nowhere to go. She’s really grappling with her own self. When something huge explodes and all the pieces are landing, you have that moment of stillness where you don’t know what to do next — that’s the moment that she’s in. In that moment, you actually have to face yourself.”
Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow will introduce new characters like Harbor’s Alexei. “That is his by-day name, but at night he becomes the rock star the Red Guardian,” Harbour tells EW. “In the Cold War, the Americans were developing weaponry, and the Soviets were responding. The Americans developed Captain America, and the Soviets responded with something called the Red Guardian. In a way he’s a super-soldier, but he’s also a very complicated guy. He has a lot of flaws, a lot of idiosyncrasies. It’s a very rich character.”
Fans gathered in Hall H earlier were treated to the first footage of Black Widow, including Pugh’s character, Yelena, whom the actress describes as Natasha’s “sister figure.”
“They meet one another and it’s quite heightened and heated,” Pugh teases.
Weisz, meanwhile, plays Malena, who has “been cycled through the Black Widow Red Room [program] five times at this point in her life.”
“She’s quite a seasoned spy and assassin,” Weisz says. “She’s also deeply involved in a scientific experiment which I cannot tell you about because it’s part of the story we can’t talk about!”
As for Fagbenle, he describes his character, Mason, as “a fixer.”
“He’s the guy who can get things done if you’re a spy or superhero and you need a bit of extra help,” the actor adds. “It’s a bit of a complex relationship with Natasha because obviously, ostensibly we have this kind of business transaction, but I think there’s a little romantic frisson.”
Watch the full interview, exclusively on EW, above.
Black Widow is set to hit theaters May 1, 2020.
Related content:
- Marvel unveils Black Widow movie first look at Comic-Con 2019
- Clearing the Ledger: How Scarlett Johansson pulled Black Widow out of a moral red zone
- Avengers: Endgame directors defend controversial Black Widow scene
