Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters everywhere, and although it features a misfit band of not-so-superheroes from several MCU projects, it puts Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) in the spotlight more than anyone. Pugh first made her MCU debut in Black Widow, which also marked Scarlett Johansson‘s final outing after first making her debut in Iron Man 2 (2010). Although it’s been confirmed that Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth will work with Marvel in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, and reported that Chris Evans is also attached to star, but there has been no word of Johansson’s involvement. During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Thunderbolts* writer Eric Pearson, who also wrote Black Widow, was asked if he thought there was any chance Johansson would be back. While he admitted he lacks intel on the subject, he also isn’t optimistic about her return, to say the least:
“I will preface by saying that I have no idea, but I don’t think so. I feel like her end in Endgame and then her epilogue with our Black Widow prequel were so lovely. So I would be surprised, but I know nothing about that. I have very little knowledge of what’s going on with Doomsday right now.”
It was reported last year that Scarlett Johansson would earn her second MCU producing credit for Thunderbolts * — the first came on Black Widow — but Marvel has seemingly walked this back as she is no longer credited as an EP on the film. Still, the spirit of Natasha rings through Thunderbolts* loudly, mostly from Yelena’s involvement but also through the heartfelt human of The Red Guardian (David Harbour), Natasha’s adopted father. There would certainly be some strings to pull for a Natasha Romanoff return to make sense and not undo her ending in Black Widow, but with her Infinity Saga co-stars already set for a return, it’s impossible to rule anything out. Avengers 5 directors Anthony and Joe Russo could easily pluck another Natasha from a different timeline to help in the fight against Doctor Doom.
Scarlett Johansson Will Star in Another Big Blockbuster This Summer
Scarlett Johansson may not be suiting up as Black Widow this summer, but she’s still poised to star in what may be the biggest blockbuster of the year. Johansson has been tapped for one of the lead roles in Jurassic World Rebirth, which marks another reboot for the franchise as it aims to return to its roots via scribe David Koepp. Johansson will star alongside Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey in the film, which will be directed by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).
Scarlett Johansson’s MCU return remains up in the air.
via Collider