Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are eagerly anticipating the return of the expansive franchise, which will begin its Phase 4 theatrical run in Summer 2021 with Cate Shortland’s Black Widow . Coming in as the only prequel in this new slate of films, Scarlett Johansson’s first MCU solo movie will help to expand on Natasha Romanoff's story as she finds herself on the run and revisiting her roots after the events of Captain America: Civil War .
Recent news has confirmed that one of the stories set to be explored in this movie is that of the Budapest incident teased in 2012’s The Avengers between Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton. Scarlett Johansson seemingly knows how badly fans want to see this story fleshed out more deeply, and it should be one of the highlights of Black Widow no matter how it plays out.
The excitement for it is already palpable, proven by a new social media post from a central player in the Budapest arc.
NEWS
A new post from Instagram user @mcugirl celebrating the confirmation of the Budapest story coming in Black Widow has been reposted by Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner. The MCU star included the post in his own Instagram story with the caption “Hmmmmm. Loose lips sink ships Nat” over the picture of himself and Scarlett Johansson in battle during 2012’s The Avengers .
Renner’s reaction on Instagram can be seen below:
WHAT THIS MEANS
This is by no means a confirmation that Jeremy Renner will appear in Black Widow next to his teammate from SHIELD and the Avengers, but it does prove he’s paying very close attention to the news surrounding this exciting solo movie. The Budapest storyline is one of the biggest unresolved teases in the MCU’s history, especially after it was hinted at again before Nat’s death in Avengers: Endgame , and the news that it will be shown in full during Black Widow already has fans ecstatic.
Hawkeye and Black Widow’s stories have been expectedly intertwined throughout the MCU, appearing in four movies together to date. Even though they were on opposite teams during Captain America: Civil War , they stayed close for years during multiple world-and-universe-threatening events, and it would not come as a shock at all to see him in some capacity during Nat’s first solo adventure in the franchise. The Budapest story should serve as an easy place for him to make an appearance, although fans are certainly hoping he will play a bigger role than has been expected so far.
Black Widow is set for global release in theaters in May 7, 2021. Jeremy Renner’s next confirmed MCU appearance will be in the Disney+ mini-series Hawkeye , which will begin filming in the near future and release sometime in 2022.
