Besides death and taxes, the other sure thing is that we will have Marvel films until the end of time. After the end of a stage with Avengers: Endgame (2019), Disney had already prepared all its framework to continue milking the cow. What they had been giving us for more than 10 years was just the tip of the iceberg and that universe of heroes and villains begins to expand more than a rumor in a small town. With their new Disney + toy, they have found a viable ecosystem to pave the way for new projects and a quick and easy way to introduce new characters. All thought to lay the foundations for generational change.

Black Widow (2021) is one of the tiles in that new puzzle. The character of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is one of the most beloved among the legions of fans of Mavel’s films. The Johansson donned the tight black suit for the first time in Iron Man 2 (2010) and since then the Black Widow has been one of the axes of the franchise. This new installment marks the first solo film for the character of the skilled Russian spy. The Supporting Stone is a story that reviews Natasha’s origins and aims to give the character a deeper context. If the Romanoff is to carry the whole story by itself, it is necessary for the public to know where it comes from and some of its motives.

The Black Widow

Eric Pearson’s script (Thor: Ragnarok, Godzilla vs. Kong) is quite clear in its objective and is simple in the pursuit of the final goal. The opening sequence is the classic introduction to the origins of a character, combining innocence with a traumatic situation to justify the future behavior of the protagonist. It is when Natasha’s life is shattered into a thousand pieces that the path of the Black Widow begins. Coming from more intimate projects, director Cate Shortland ventures onto comic book trails for the first time, and for the purpose it matters little. The figure of the director comes to be like that of kings in modern monarchies, somewhat more decorative and to fulfill administrative procedures. The ones pulling the strings here are the producers. The Shortland thing is shouting action and cut so he can cash her check.

With the Black Widow on the run after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), her past comes to haunt her. A mysterious package makes her the target of a mysterious villain and forces her to open doors she believed to have closed long ago. Pearson’s story is implausible even in the fantastic world of comics. The favorite resource to move the story, as it is usually in this genre, are the action sequences. Here we have plenty and in them the pyrotechnic effects and the acrobatics of the characters are more of a show than what they really contribute to the story. On top of this the line between the possible and the impossible is stretched to a point that borders on the ridiculous.

Surely Black Widow is a transition film and a bet to measure how far an independent saga of Johansson’s character could have life. The initial numbers seem encouraging between the movie theaters and the purchases on the Disney + digital service. On the other side of the coin, the Black Widow has had to make her solo debut with a mediocre film that does very little to enthrone her figure within the new phase of the Marvel universe.