'Black Widow': Why Natasha Romanoff deserves standalone film and not a revival like in comics
Nobody is really dead when it comes to the superhero genre, with Uncle Ben as an exception. There's usually some wiggle room — a loophole — made, so that fans can recover from their heartbreak of losing their idols. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), everyone's favorite femme fatale, sacrificed herself in a startling scene in 'Avengers Endgame' to acquire the soul stone in Vormir. The character was dearly missed in the final showdown between the Avengers and Thanos, and did not receive a proper funeral service as Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr) death took center stage.
Yet, Natasha Romanoff finally gets what's due — a film all to herself. 'Black Widow' will release in May 2020, and the events of the film are supposed to have taken place after 'Captain America: Civil War'. In the trailers of the film, Natasha struggles to confront her mysterious past, which has been touched upon ever-so-lightly in the films but never followed through. Thankfully, the film is not an attempt at reviving or resurrecting the character, as in the comics, no matter how much fans would like to see her and Iron Man alive again. What works in the comics, would not work in the films.
In the comics, Black Widow was killed by an evil Captain America. Yet, in an enthralling drama written by Matthew Rosenberg and with art by Travel Foreman, Natasha is resurrected. How, you ask? This is is where it gets tricky. The story begins with spies getting mysteriously getting murdered, and there's the trademark Black Widow sign found at the site of the killings. Both of Black Widow's exes, Hawkeye and Winter Soldier, get to work at once as they pick up on these hints. They find out she is alive as the sinister Red Room had reinvented itself using modern cloning technology, assisted by the mutant Epilson Red. They had preserved the genetic samples from the spies who had been trained in the Red Room, Epsilon Red transferred their minds into a databank. Whenever one of the agents died, those memories were modified, and all traces of betrayal and treachery were removed.
After Natasha was murdered by Captain America, they assumed that they had activated a new version, who would work with them again. However, much to their surprise, Black Widow wakes up with all her memories intact, owing to the intervention of Ursa Major, a Russian super-soldier, who has the power to transform into an intelligent bear. As both HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D are decimated, Red Room wishes to become the organization that is dominating the world. The plans rely on the cloning program. So, Natasha pretends to be on their side and hunts out HYDRA agents, and then later brings down the Red Room.
In the films, while Natasha has primarily been the fierce femme fatale, her storyline has not been explored properly and has been just linked to Captain America and Hulk. Ironically, she was the main factor who still worked hard after Thanos's snap, even though the Avengers were separated. She never gave up hope, even on Hawkeye, who had turned into a full-fledged assassin.
Natasha's arc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe needed closure and a fitting end, which 'Black Widow' promises to give. The character gets a standalone film at last, and finally, we might get the answers to many questions about her past, including her family and the training in the mysterious Red Room.
