Trailer

Trivia & Facts

• This is Scarlett Johansson's ninth time playing Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, if you include the post-credit scene of Captain Marvel (2019). Johansson's contract for this solo outing, although an extension, is independent from her original contract. Her salary for her supposedly final outing, as stipulated in her deal, is $25 million (the biggest salary of her career), with an additional $6 million bonus if the film's worldwide gross is above $900 million. However, the latter stipulation became the subject of a lawsuit between Johansson and Disney, when Disney reportedly breached contract by releasing the movie simultaneously on their streaming service Disney+, which seriously limited its box office success.
• Scarlett Johansson asked her husband Colin Jost, who's a big Marvel Universe fan, to rehearse lines from the movie with her but he refused because he wanted to avoid any spoilers.
• Scarlett Johansson describes the film as "Its own genre", and even named Logan (2017) as an influence along with The Fugitive (1993), and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).
• Cate Shortland studied all of Scarlett Johansson's previous performances in the role consecutively and locked onto the period of time depicted as the character was essentially alone and not in tandem with other superheroes.
• Scarlett Johansson is the first MCU actor to receive executive producer credit for a film.
• Florence Pugh said that she was very nervous to meet Scarlett Johansson for the first time, since she had been in planes and airports for hours, and was afraid that she smelled of "old suitcases". The first scene they did together was their first fight scene in the movie, so on their first meeting, Pugh had to "choke" Johansson.
• Both Scarlett Johansson and Marvel expressed interest in a potential Black Widow solo film several times over the preceding 10 years, before development progressed with the hiring of Jac Schaeffer and Cate Shortland in 2018, even though Shortland, like almost every director Marvel has hired, had no experience in directing big budget action films.
• According to writer Eric Pearson, Florence Pugh teased Scarlett Johansson about Black Widow's iconic pose during filming, so Pearson put it in the film.
• In prison, Red Guardian shows a tattoo on his right shoulder of two roses. The two Russian names underneath them translate to Natasha and Yelena.
• In the movie, Alexei Shostakov (Red Guardian) is a father-figure to Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow). In the original comics, Alexei and Natasha were husband and wife.
• On July 6, 2020, it was announced that Marvel Studios executives, including Kevin Feige, were so impressed with Florence Pugh's performance as Yelena Belova that they plan to include her in future MCU films, and she may even become the new Black Widow. In fact, Feige stated that this film was written to showcase Belova just as much as Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff.
• Ever Anderson secured the role as young Natasha because she already speaks Russian and has a green belt in taekwondo.
• Yelena mistakenly calls Alexei "Crimson Dynamo" rather than Red Guardian. In the comics, Crimson Dynamo is a Russian supervillain in a powerful armor who usually fights Iron Man, and has been a teammate of Red Guardian. His real name was Anton Vanko, and he is the father of Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) from Iron Man 2 (2010), whose electricity-based weaponry and armor were based on the Crimson Dynamo from the comics.
• Black Widow's wrist-mounted tasers, commonly referred to as her Widow bites or gauntlets, for the first time are painted gold. This is an homage to Natasha's classic Black Widow costume from the comics, which was an all-black suit with a gold ringed belt and gold gauntlets.
• A conscious decision was made not to include characters like Iron Man or Captain America as they wanted this film to be exclusively about Black Widow.
• Originally, filming was to take place in Russia, but due to the bureaucracy there in getting approval for things and the limit on time, they moved filming to Budapest.
• This was the last movie William Hurt filmed before his death in 2022. His last movie to be released was The King's Daughter (2022), which was filmed in 2014. After Hurt's death, the role of Thaddeus Ross was recast with Harrison Ford in Captain America: Brave New World (2025). In an eerily prophetic moment, Natasha refers to Ross looking like he's not in great health.
• Rachel Weisz found it particularly amusing that her character had zero sense of humor.
• The main contenders for the role of Yelena Belova were Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Alice Englert, Dar Zuzovsky, and Florence Pugh, with Watson being the front-runner. Ultimately, Pugh was cast. According to the producers, her performance as Saraya-Jade Bevis in Fighting with My Family (2019) gave an added advantage behind her casting.
• Screenwriter Eric Pearson told Variety that all it took to get the first draft of the blockbuster down was 11 days. "We got our good bones down meeting with Kevin [Feige] and [co-producer] Brian Chapek and [director] Cate Shortland and talking to Scarlett Johansson a lot," he said. "She was phoning in and then I was locking it into a document that was just like a blueprint. And once I know what I'm doing, I write fast. That was the first draft, but we did a lot of rewrites."
• The actress that played young Yelena was Violet McGraw. Her older sister, Madeleine McGraw, has also been in the MCU as young Hope Van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018).
• During a flashback scene in Budapest where Natasha is waiting in her car just before the building explodes is the first time you can actually hear her with a slight Russian accent when she is talking on comms.
• David Harbour & Rachel Weisz play Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh's adoptive parents. In real life they are 9 & 14 years older than Johansson, and 20 & 25 years older than Pugh.
• This movie was originally scheduled to release on May 1, 2020 as a kickoff of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). However, due to the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the film was postponed until November 6, 2020, then delayed again until May 7, 2021, and again delayed to July 9, 2021. It is just one of the many films to be postponed due to COVID-19. The miniseries WandaVision (2021) kicked off Phase Four instead.

Box office

• Budget $200,000,000 (estimated)
• Gross US & Canada $183,651,655
• Opening weekend US & Canada $80,366,312Jul 11, 2021
• Gross worldwide $379,751,655

Goofs

• (at around 40 mins) During the chase scene in Budapest, when Natasha is attempting to steal the minivan, an enemy Widow shoots out the windshield. A few shots later, the windshield is perfectly intact.
• (at around 40 mins) The blue BMW get entirely scraped and dented on left side when escaping the gunfight. Few seconds later, as the car is driving by, the left side of the car is shown in perfect condition.
• (at around 59 mins) During the helicopter escape of Alexei, a machine gun in a tower shoots through all of the side windows in the helicopter, both sides. But in following shots of the helicopter in air and on the ground, they are all intact.
• (at around 44 mins) During the flashback scene in Budapest, which takes place before Avengers Assemble (2012), Natasha seems to be wearing the exact same arrangement of earrings that she wears throughout the rest of this movie, revealing that the crew may have forgotten about changing them out for the flashback scene, and possibly without thought to her earring arrangements in previous films.
• (at around 25 mins) When Natasha is loading up her vehicle and puts the yellow fuel can in it, she is clearly wearing white pants. She drives in her car until the scene on the bridge with Taskmaster. When she gets out of her vehicle, she is then wearing dark pants.
• (at around 28 mins) When Nat first encounters Taskmaster on the bridge, in a wide shot they both do a kip-up and end up about 3-4 feet apart. In the next wide shot a few seconds later they are barely 2 feet apart, despite not moving in the shots in between.
• When Natasha loads the gas container to refill for the generator, she is wearing lighter colored, white sweat pants. Moments later, while driving to the gas station and she's attacked on the bridge by Taskmaster, she's wearing black pants.
• Vanishing Windshield: As Natasha attempts to steal a minivan during the same chase, an enemy Widow shoots out the windshield. In several subsequent shots, the glass is visibly intact and reflecting light.
• (at around 1h 45 mins) Natasha's stunt double is visible while turning her face towards the camera during her fight with the Widows.
• (at around 22 mins) When Natasha is driving in Norway, you can hear a man on the radio talking in Norwegian. In fact he's talking in Swedish and not in Norwegian.
• (at around 2h) When the QuinJet takes off, the camera moves to the opposite side of a tree branch as the jet's lift engines rotate and push it directly away from the camera. So the blast of the engines should blow through the tree, but the lightning bugs and leaves are undisturbed.
• (at around 1h 11 mins) When Alexei is shown getting dressed, he pulls the top part of his clothing down as a unit, with all its apparent belts, clasps, & components pre-attached, revealing it to be a wardrobe prop instead of a functional superhero outfit.
• When Natasha's vehicle is attacked on the bridge, it tumbles to a stop through the guardrails. You can see what appears to be two people sitting in the front seat, but she was supposed to be driving alone.

Scarlett/Others On The Movie

• Is a Black Widow movie something you’ve been thinking about since Iron Man 2?

Scarlett Johansson: If we had made a Black Widow standalone back then, it would be such a different film to this one. Natasha’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame gave me a totally different perspective on who she is. Before, I don’t think I would have been able to show people who Natasha really is, what drives her, and show her emotional core. I don’t think we’d be able to cut that deep back then. It would have probably been much more of a straight-up spy thriller that maybe would have been a lot flashier in a different kind of way and just scratch the surface of what we do in this movie.

• Why did you decide the time was right to look into the mystery behind Natasha?

There was no reason to do a Black Widow standalone film unless we could dig deep and be brave. I’m very happy with all the work that we’ve done on the Marvel Studios films. I felt that Avengers: Endgame was so satisfying I wanted to make sure that Black Widow would feel rewarding, not just for the fans, but also for myself, artistically and creatively, after a decade of playing this character. This film gives the opportunity for some sort of healing and understanding as to why Natasha decides to make that ultimate sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame.

• How did you decide on the tone of the film?

There wasn’t one specific comic or storyline that we really wanted to adapt. Black Widow as a character has had thousands of different storylines over the years, so, it wasn’t obvious what we were going to do. It had to feel like it was the continuation of something that we’d already started, and that we were scratching away at. I was thinking in a very small, specific way, and Kevin Feige thinks in this really huge, unexpected way. The combination of those two approaches is what you get in the Black Widow film. Kevin Feige’s genius is that he really always thinks about what fans expect out of these films, but he undercuts that and gives them something that they never could have anticipated.

The idea of Natasha Romanoff in a family drama is just the least expected thing, so that was the jumping-off point. I had to wrap my head around what that was going to be because there is such a big tonal shift in this movie. Kevin describes it as if another film T-bones the movie that you thought you were watching! If that’s not handled well, it could feel really jarring and could isolate an audience, taking them out of the experience of watching the film. We left it in Cate Shortland’s very capable hands to strike the balance between those two things.

Quotes

Alexei Shostakov: Why the aggression, huh? Is it your time of the month?
Yelena Belova: I don't get my period, dipshit. I don't have a uterus.
Natasha Romanoff: Or ovaries.
Yelena Belova: That's what happens when the Red Room gives you an involuntarily hysterectomy. They kinda just go in and rip out all your reproductive organs. They just get right in there and chop them all away. So you can't have babies.
Alexei Shostakov: OK, OK, you don't have to get so clinical and nasty!
Yelena Belova: I was just going to talk about fallopian tubes...

Natasha Romanoff: Here's what's going to happen.
Melina Vostokoff: Natasha, don't slouch!
Natasha Romanoff: I'm not slouching!
Melina Vostokoff: You're going to get a back hunch.
Alexei Shostakov: Listen to your mother.
Natasha Romanoff: Oh my God, this...
Alexei Shostakov: Up, up!
Natasha Romanoff: All right, enough! All of you!
Yelena Belova: I didn't say anything, that's not fair!

Natasha Romanoff: I've lived a lot of lives... But I'm done running from my past.

Natasha Romanoff: You good?
Melina Vostokoff: ...I'm clearly injured.

Yelena Belova: Why do you always do that thing?
Natasha Romanoff: What thing?
Yelena Belova: That thing you do when you're fighting. The... like... the thing you do...
Yelena Belova: [gets down to the floor to strike a pose and whips her head back and forth]
Yelena Belova: When you whip your hair when you're fighting and you do like a fighting pose. It's a fighting pose. You're a total poser.
Natasha Romanoff: I'm not a poser.
Yelena Belova: Ha ha! I mean they are great poses but it does look like you think everyone's looking at you, like all the time.
Natasha Romanoff: All that time that I spent posing, I was actually trying to do something good. To make up for all the pain and suffering that we caused. Trying to be more than just a trained killer.
Yelena Belova: Well, then you were fooling yourself. Because pain and suffering is every day and we are both still a trained killer. Except I'm not the one who's on the cover of a magazine. I'm not the killer little girls call their hero.

Natasha Romanoff: How many others are there?
Yelena Belova: Enough.

Natasha Romanoff: You should know I'm a better shot when I'm pissed off.

Yelena Belova: Okay, you got a plan, or shall I just stay, duck, and cover?
Natasha Romanoff: My plan was to drive us away!
Yelena Belova: It's a shit plan.

Natasha Romanoff: Before I was an Avenger, I made mistakes... and a lot of enemies.

Natasha Romanoff: It's funny. My whole life, I didn't think I had any family. Turns out I got two.

Natasha Romanoff: [to Melina] I wish I could believe that you cared. But you're not even the first mother that abandoned me.

Natasha Romanoff: I'm just finding it hard to believe he could stay off my radar.
Yelena Belova: Well it's not smart to attack an Avenger if you want to stay hidden. I mean the clue is in the name. Dreykov kills you and one of the big ones comes to avenge you.
Natasha Romanoff: Wait, what are the big ones?
Yelena Belova: Well I doubt that the god from space has to take an ibuprofen after a fight.

Alexei Shostakov: Never family, huh? In my heart, I am simple man. And I think that for a couple deep undercover Russian agents I think we did pretty great as parents, huh?
Melina Vostokoff: Yes, we had our orders, and we played our roles to perfection.
Natasha Romanoff: Who cares? That wasn't real.
Yelena Belova: What?
Natasha Romanoff: That wasn't real. Who cares?
Yelena Belova: Don't say that. Please don't say that. It was real. It was real to me. You are my mother. You were my real mother. The closest thing I ever had to one. The best part of my life was fake. And none of you told me.

Dreykov: Real power comes from undetectable influence.
Natasha Romanoff: If no one's noticed, then why even do it? You're nothing. You have nothing.

Natasha Romanoff: You can't just steal a guy's car.
Yelena Belova: So you want me to chase him down and un-steal it?

Melina Vostokoff: Tell me how did you keep your heart?
Natasha Romanoff: Pain only makes us stronger. Didn't you tell us that? What you told me kept me alive.

Yelena Belova: You know, this is the first piece of clothing I've ever bought for myself.
Natasha Romanoff: That?
Yelena Belova: Yeah. You don't like it?
Natasha Romanoff: Is that like a... Is it army surplus, or...
Yelena Belova: Okay, it has a lot of pockets. But I use them all the time, and I made some of my own modifications.
Natasha Romanoff: Oh, yeah? Whatever.
Yelena Belova: Shut up. The point is, I've never... I've never had control over my own life before, and now I do. I want to do things.
Natasha Romanoff: I like your vest.
Yelena Belova: I knew it. I knew you did. It's so cool, right?
Natasha Romanoff: It's good. Yes. I like it.
Yelena Belova: And you can put so much stuff in there. You wouldn't even know.

Natasha Romanoff: Put your seat belt on.
Yelena Belova: You're such a mom.

Antonia: [about her father, Dreykov] Is he gone?
Natasha Romanoff: He's gone

Secretary Ross: Yeah?
Natasha Romanoff: Don't do this.
Secretary Ross: Do what?
Natasha Romanoff: Come after me. I mean, you're embarrassing yourself. It looks desperate.
Secretary Ross: Thought maybe you'd be calling me to cut a deal. 'Cause from my vantage point, it's the federal fugitive who's desperate.
Natasha Romanoff: From my vantage point, you look like you could use some bed rest. What is this, your second triple bypass?
Secretary Ross: I wouldn't worry about me. We got Barton, we got Wilson and that other guy, the incredible shrinking convict. Rogers is on the run. You got no friends. Where you gonna go?
Natasha Romanoff: I've lived a lot of lives before I met you, Ross. You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble. I'm done.
Secretary Ross: Romanoff?

Dreykov: Oh you find this amusing? Why are you smiling?
Natasha Romanoff: Don't take this personal, but uh, thank you for your cooperation. You weren't quite strong enough, so... I'll have to finish it myself.
Dreykov: [chuckles] What are you going to do?
Natasha Romanoff: [Natasha looks around for a moment and then smashes her face on the desk, breaking her nose]
Natasha Romanoff: Sever the nerve.
[Dreykov reaches for the controls and Natasha punches him]

Natasha Romanoff: You've always been a really good friend to me.
Mason: That's what every man wants to hear.

Tech specs

• Sound mix Dolby AtmosDolby DigitalIMAX 6-TrackSonics-DDP12-Track Digital SoundDolby Surround 7.1D-Cinema 96kHz 7.1Auro 11.1DTS:X
• Aspect ratio 2.39 : 1