In the wake of “Avengers: Endgame,” Marvel has largely been on hiatus. Upon its release, the movie blew up the box office, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is the only clue we’ve gotten thus far as to what Marvel will look like in its wake. Unfortunately, “Black Widow,” the next Marvel film, won’t have answers in that regard.
What it will have, though, is our first look at what Natasha Romanoff’s life was like before she joined the Avengers. Now, we have our first trailer for the film. In the trailer, we see flashes of Black Widow’s time as an Avenger. Then, we see her meet and then fight with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, who eventually takes on the Black Widow mantle in the comics. David Harbour and Rachel Weisz are also in the cast. Harbour will play Alexei, or the Red Guardian, and Weisz will play another character who was once a Black Widow. See the full trailer below:
The trailer works, in large part because it manages to retain some Marvel overtones while being much more overtly about the world of espionage. There are still going to be great setpieces, but the plot will likely be a little more focused on spycraft. It should be a welcome change of pace for Marvel after the bombast and verve of “Endgame.”
It’s also nice to get one more chance to appreciate Scarlett Johansson in this role. After Black Widow’s sacrifice in “Endgame,” it’s going to feel more important than ever that we get a chance to see who she was when she wasn’t a part of the Avengers.
“Black Widow” is set to be directed by Cate Shortland, who previously helmed “Berlin Syndrome.” The screenplay is from Ned Benson and Jac Schaefer. Although the film is set in the past, it’ll also serve as the official launch for Marvel’s phase 4. It may not have a ton of tie-ins to the larger universe, but that remains to be seen.
Are you excited for “Black Widow”? Does this teaser make you more or less interested? Let us know in the comments below.
Joe Allen is a freelance pop culture writer based out of upstate New York. Follow him on Twitter.