Scarlett Johansson has played Black Widow in a wide variety of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies over the years, and because of the size of her roles in certain films or the story Natasha Romanoff had in them, some Black Widow appearances in the MCU rank higher than others. After being part of some of the MCU’s best movies and leading a solo film, Johansson has revealed that she is unlikely to play Black Widow again.
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While a Black Widow sequel starring Johansson might be difficult, the actress is once again involved with the MCU. Unlike Avengers stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, who have teamed up with Marvel Studios to act in different roles, Johansson returned to the MCU as an executive producer on Thunderbolts*. If she never plays Natasha again, the MCU already has plenty of exciting appearances by the character, with some of them being better than the rest for key reasons.
9 Captain Marvel
A Quick Post-Credits Scene Cameo
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The lowest Black Widow MCU appearance on the list has to be the character’s role in Captain Marvel. The reason there is no other option for this position is clear, as Natasha Romanoff barely appears in the movie. The character was only used for connective tissue between two major 2019 Marvel releases.
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Captain Marvel was one of two MCU movies to be released between 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Just like Ant-Man and the Wasp, the film used its post-credits scene to explain how its lead character could be part of Avengers: Endgame. That setup allowed Johansson to show up.
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8/10 7/10 Captain Marvel
Set in 1995, Captain Marvel follows Carol Danvers, a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, as she turns into one of the galaxy’s mightiest heroes and joins Starforce, an elite Kree military team, before returning home with new questions about her past and identity when the Earth is caught in the center of an intergalactic conflict between two alien worlds.
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*Availability in US Director Ryan Fleck , Anna Boden Release Date March 8, 2019 Cast Lee Pace , Brie Larson , Rune Temte , Clark Gregg , Ben Mendelsohn , Algenis Perez Soto , Samuel L. Jackson , Jude Law , Djimon Hounsou , Gemma Chan , Lashana Lynch , Mckenna Grace Runtime 124 minutes
The scene in question showed a group of the remaining Avengers watching as Nick Fury’s pager, which he used to contact Carol Danvers, suddenly turned off. Black Widow and Captain America look at all the lives Thanos took before Captain Marvel appears at the Avengers Compound. Natasha is only there briefly, so this appearance comes last.
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8 Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Natasha Romanoff Is Wrapped In A Romance That Came Out Of Nowhere
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Avengers: Age of Ultron is a controversial film when it comes to Natasha Romanoff. Not only is it the worst of the MCU’s Avengers movies, but it also put Black Widow and the Hulk in a romantic plot that made little sense. The decision came from director Joss Whedon, though it was short-lived.
Captain America and Black Widow had more chemistry than she and the Hulk ever did, which added to the confusion over the new Avengers romance.
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Throughout the film, Black Widow gets a bit to do. She is part of many of the film’s action scenes and has a little more of her past shown. Avengers: Age of Ultron looks into her past in the Red Room, revealing that the shadowy organization took out her reproductive organs and made her a killer.
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7/10 17 7.2/10 Avengers: Age of Ultron
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Earth’s Mightiest must reunite and work with newcomers Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch to battle a new antagonist Ultron, who receives an all-new origin story while dealing with a new level of inner conflict amongst the team. Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch may not necessarily agree with The Avengers and initially blame Tony Stark for creating the new villain and the death of their parents. Avengers: Age of Ultron was directed and written by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige for Marvel Studios. The movie was released on April 13, 2015, followed by its eventual sequels, Avengers: Infinity War in 2018 and Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
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*Availability in US Director Joss Whedon Release Date May 1, 2015 Cast Chris Hemsworth , Clark Gregg , Robert Downey Jr. , Cobie Smulders , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Jeremy Renner , Thomas Kretschmann , Chris Evans , Don Cheadle , Mark Ruffalo , Elizabeth Olsen , Scarlett Johansson , Paul Bettany , Samuel L. Jackson , James Spader Runtime 141 minutes Expand
The film ended up being mostly bad for the character. Natasha’s romance with Banner serves little more purpose than to make her the only one who can calm down the Hulk with a lullaby. Black Widow also seeing herself as a monster for not being able to have children was a bad choice, even with her assassin training adding context to the quote.
7 Avengers: Infinity War
Black Widow Returns From Being On The Run
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Avengers: Infinity War does not feature Black Widow in a major role. However, her appearance in the movie ranks above the last two because it is bigger than Johansson’s Captain Marvel cameo and does not impact the character negatively like Avengers: Age of Ultron did.
Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Natasha Romanoff had been on the run with Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers and other heroes for some time. The Avengers film featured a visual change for the character, with Black Widow sporting blonde hair and not red, connecting to her spy origins and her need to disappear alongside her team.
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6/10 16 9/10 Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Infinity War is the third Avengers movie in the game-changing Marvel Cinematic Universe. This film is positioned as the beginning of the culmination of everything that has transpired in the franchise to date. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who previously helmed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War, have assembled the largest ensemble in a superhero film to date. Nearly every living character in the MCU is included as the Avengers join forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy to take down Thanos in a battle that has massive repercussions for the future of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. A sequel, Avengers: Endgame, was released in 2019 and marked the end of the Infinity Saga.
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*Availability in US Director Joe Russo , Anthony Russo Release Date April 27, 2018 Cast Chris Hemsworth , Anthony Mackie , Elizabeth Olsen , Robert Downey Jr. , Scarlett Johansson , Mark Ruffalo , Sebastian Stan , Paul Rudd , Chadwick Boseman , Don Cheadle , Samuel L. Jackson , Josh Brolin , Tom Holland , Evangeline Lilly , Paul Bettany , Chris Evans , Jeremy Renner Runtime 149 minutes Expand
Avengers: Infinity War had several moving parts, with the movie featuring a huge chunk of the MCU’s heroes. Due to that, Black Widow ended up having little impact on the plot. However, Johansson’s Marvel character did get some solid action beats, with Black Widow, Okoye, and Scarlet Witch taking down Proxima Midnight being the highlight.
6 The Avengers
Black Widow Gets To Shine In The Team-Up
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The Avengers was the movie that completely changed the superhero landscape. It brought together all the members of the team after they had debuted in solo movies or in other characters’ projects. The Avengers allowed Scarlett Johansson to show Black Widow’s key skills right from the start.
Black Widow does not get as much focus as Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, and Thor do in the film, but The Avengers shined a light on her manipulation skills. She allows herself to be captured at the start of the film, gets the information she needs, and, with ease, breaks free and overpowers her enemies.
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9/10 7.5/10 The Avengers
The sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers, is an action superhero film that sees the heroes assembled across the franchise face off with a deadly galactic threat. With the arrival of Thor’s brother, Loki, heroes such as Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow are brought together to stop him from unleashing an alien race upon earth.
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*Availability in US Release Date May 4, 2012 Writers Joss Whedon Cast Chris Evans , Robert Downey Jr. , Mark Ruffalo , Chris Hemsworth , Scarlett Johansson , Jeremy Renner , Tom Hiddleston , Clark Gregg , Cobie Smulders , Stellan Skarsgård , Samuel L. Jackson , Gwyneth Paltrow , Paul Bettany , Alexis Denisof , Tina Benko , Jerzy Skolimowski , Kirill Nikiforov , Jeff Wolfe , M’laah Kaur Singh , Rashmi Rustagi , Powers Boothe , Jenny Agutter , Arthur Darbinyan , Donald Li , Warren Kole Runtime 143 minutes Expand
Later, Natasha pretends to let Loki think he has the upper hand when she goes to interrogate him, eventually getting what she needs after tricking him. Nat gets to be part of cool action scenes, including the Hulk’s rampage at the Helicarrier and the Battle of New York. Black Widow also had some fun dialogue with Hawkeye and Bruce Banner.
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5 Iron Man 2
Black Widow’s MCU Debut
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Iron Man 2 is easily one of the worst movies in the MCU. While that could lead to confusion in regard to the film’s placement on the list, Black Widow does play a pretty sizable role in the movie. Iron Man 2 was Scarlett Johansson’s MCU debut, and she did not disappoint.
Black Widow first appears undercover, posing as Stark Industries’ employee Natalie Rushman. The character would become Tony Stark’s secretary, flirting with him at Stark’s birthday party, which was all just an act under S.H.I.E.L.D.’s orders so that Nick Fury could monitor Iron Man closely.
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6/10 7/10 Iron Man 2
The third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man 2, is an action-superhero film that occurs six months after the original film’s events. After outing himself as the heavy metal superhero known as Iron Man, Tony Stark goes to great lengths to avoid demands from the government for his tech. But, unfortunately, the technology Tony used to save his life is beginning to impact his health inversely – just in time for a man named Ivan Vanko to arrive, who creates his version of the Iron Man tech to settle a decades-long score with Howard Stark’s son.
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*Availability in US Director Jon Favreau Release Date May 7, 2010 Cast Robert Downey Jr. , Mickey Rourke , Don Cheadle , Gwyneth Paltrow Runtime 124 minutes
Natasha Romanoff got her own Daredevil-style corridor fight scene before Charlie Cox’s hero even debuted in his Netflix series, with Black Widow easily dispatching Justin Hammer’s security. Romanoff manages to give Rhodey control of the War Machine armor back, playing a direct role in Rhodey and Stark being able to defeat Ivan Vanko.
4 Captain America: Civil War
Black Widow Is Forced To Pick A Side
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Captain America: Civil War featured an interesting role for Black Widow. The movie’s main conflict revolved around the creation of the Sokovia Accords, which made it so that heroes had to sign up for government oversight. A group of characters led by Captain America fundamentally disagreed with that, but Natasha Romanoff was initially on Iron Man’s side.
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The film shows that Romanoff was never really sure of which path to choose — or so it seems. There are two interpretations of Natasha’s heel turn in the film. Black Widow ends up betraying Team Iron Man during the film’s major airport fight. She hits Black Panther with shots from her signature electroshock weapon, allowing Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes to escape.
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8/10 13 8.2/10 Captain America: Civil War
This third Captain America film adapts the “Civil War” storyline from Marvel Comics and sees Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) at an impasse over who governs superheroes and how. Captain America: Civil War pits two teams of Avengers against one another and introduces new superheroes Black Panther and Spider-Man. The divide between the two perceived leaders of the Avengers caused the other members to choose sides. It all started when the UN decided to take control of the superheroes’ involvement in fighting crimes. Steve disagreed with the UN’s proposal, while Tony supported the decision. Things turn for the worst when Steve’s friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), also known as the Winter Soldier, becomes the prime suspect in a terrorist bombing.
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*Availability in US Director Anthony Russo , Joe Russo Release Date May 6, 2016 Cast Martin Freeman , Daniel Brühl , Robert Downey Jr. , Sebastian Stan , Elizabeth Olsen , Chadwick Boseman , Chris Evans , Paul Rudd , Frank Grillo , Scarlett Johansson , William Hurt , Paul Bettany , Anthony Mackie , Emily VanCamp , Tom Holland Runtime 147 Minutes Expand
Natasha could have had a change of heart, believing that Captain America was not a bigger threat than the other “Winter Soldiers.” However, Black Widow could also have always been secretly on Steve’s side, as her spy skills and their friendship could have led to that.
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3 Avengers: Endgame
Black Widow Makes The Ultimate Sacrifice
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The three biggest appearances by Natasha Romanoff in the MCU begin with her final Avengers appearance. After not playing as big of a role in the team’s films as most of her fellow heroes, Black Widow is crucial to Avengers: Endgame‘s plot. That comes in two different forms.
Black Widow ended up being the one to die, and without her sacrifice, the heroes would not have been able to defeat Thanos and bring back everyone who was lost.
Avengers: Endgame begins with the heroes killing Thanos. After a five-year time jump, it is revealed that Black Widow has been leading the Avengers, keeping tabs on the heroes that were left alive and helping direct them to those in need. Natasha Romanoff did so by Captain America’s side, showing their deep bond remained.
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9/10 9/10 Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, concludes the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga. It follows the remaining Avengers as they attempt to reverse the destruction caused by Thanos, navigating complex dynamics and forging alliances to restore balance to the universe.
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*Availability in US Director Anthony Russo , Joe Russo Release Date April 26, 2019 Cast Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans , Mark Ruffalo , Chris Hemsworth , Scarlett Johansson , Jeremy Renner , Josh Brolin , Don Cheadle , Paul Rudd , Benedict Cumberbatch , Chadwick Boseman , Brie Larson , Tom Holland , Karen Gillan , Zoe Saldana , Evangeline Lilly , Tessa Thompson , Rene Russo , Elizabeth Olsen , Anthony Mackie , Sebastian Stan , Tom Hiddleston , Danai Gurira , Benedict Wong , Pom Klementieff , Dave Bautista , Letitia Wright , John Slattery , Tilda Swinton , Jon Favreau , Hayley Atwell , Natalie Portman , Marisa Tomei , Taika Waititi Runtime 181 Minutes Expand
Black Widow’s other important MCU connection was to Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye. It was explored in one of the movie’s most emotional moments, as Natasha and Clint Barton fought to see who would sacrifice themselves for the other. Black Widow ended up being the one to die, and without her sacrifice, the heroes would not have been able to defeat Thanos and bring back everyone who was lost, making her one of Avengers: Endgame‘s most important characters.
2 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Black Widow & Captain America Form A Great Duo
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Black Widow also played a substantial role in another movie that ranks among the MCU’s best. 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier established the friendship between Black Widow and Captain America. While Steve Rogers was the film’s main character, Natasha Romanoff had a lot to do, being his partner in crime throughout the film’s run.
Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans showed how much chemistry they had in the film. The actors did so well together that many wanted Captain America and Black Widow to get together instead of her romance with the Hulk. Still, Natasha’s role in the film went far beyond a possible romantic interest.
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8/10 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, follows Steve Rogers as he adapts to contemporary life while confronting a new adversary, the mysterious Winter Soldier, amidst internal threats to S.H.I.E.L.D. The film explores themes of trust and loyalty as Rogers teams up with allies to uncover hidden conspiracies.
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*Availability in US Director Joe Russo , Anthony Russo Release Date April 4, 2014 Cast Chris Evans , Samuel L. Jackson , Scarlett Johansson , Robert Redford , Sebastian Stan , Anthony Mackie , Cobie Smulders , Frank Grillo , Maximiliano Hernández , Emily VanCamp , Hayley Atwell , Toby Jones , Stan Lee , Callan Mulvey , Jenny Agutter , Bernard White , Alan Dale , Chin Han , Garry Shandling , georges st-pierre , Salvator Xuereb , Brian Duffy , Zack Duhame , Adetokumboh M’Cormack , Christopher George Sarris , Aaron Himelstein , Allan Chanes , Joe Russo , Christopher Markus , Stephen McFeely , Pat Healy , Ed Brubaker , D.C. Pierson , Danny Pudi , Bernie Zilinskas , Branka Katić , Angela Russo-Otstot , Jon Sklaroff , Chad Todhunter , Abigail Marlowe , Jeremy Maxwell , Emerson Brooks , Evan Parke , Ricardo Chacon Runtime 136 Minutes Expand
Black Widow once again gets dynamic action scenes, also having plenty of investigative moments that show her spy skills. She manipulates Pierce with ease and later makes the hard call of revealing S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secrets to the world, destroying the organization that changed her life in order to take down HYDRA.
1 Black Widow
Natasha Romanoff Finally Gets Her Solo Movie
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Finally, the best appearance of Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff in the MCU has to be her first and only solo project. Save for her and Hawkeye, every other original member of the Avengers led a movie during the MCU’s Phase 1. After several years, Johansson starred in 2021’s Black Widow.
Related Scarlett Johansson Has 1 MCU Regret & I Need Her Return To The Franchise To Fix It
Now that Scarlett Johansson is back in business with the MCU, I hope that her return can lead to the star getting to fix her one Black Widow regret.
The Black Widow movie did what fans had long been asking for. It explored Natasha Romanoff’s backstory, showing how her fake family evolved into becoming a real one, the impact the Red Room had on her from an early age and more. This was the film that really got to peel back Natasha’s layers.
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6/10 13 8.9/10 Black Widow
Black Widow is a film about Natasha Romanoff in her quests between the films Civil War and Infinity War. This is the 24th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first solo film for Black Widow, one of the original six Avengers. The character previously appeared in seven MCU films, including all four Avengers movies. Black Widow was originally scheduled for May 2020 but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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*Availability in US Director Cate Shortland Release Date July 9, 2021 Cast Scarlett Johansson , Florence Pugh , David Harbour , O-T Fagbenle , Olga Kurylenko , William Hurt , Ray Winstone , Rachel Weisz Runtime 134 minutes
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Black Widow allows Johansson to do what she does best as the character for one final time. There are creative action sequences, hard-hitting emotional moments, huge set pieces, and plenty of humor and heart. The film places first on the list because it is the only MCU project to be fully dedicated to Black Widow, and she soars in it.
All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies
-
Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025
- Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
Release Date July 25, 2025
- Blade (2025)
Release Date
- Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date May 1, 2026
- Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027
Captain America: Brave New World
Thunderbolts*
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
Blade (2025)
Avengers: Doomsday
Avengers: Secret Wars