After over a year of waiting and multiple delays, the release of Black Widow is finally inching closer, and anticipation from MCU fans is high. Directed by Cate Shortland, the prequel will showcase the big-screen return of Scarlett Johansson's Marvel hero, but she will not be alone this time around.
Marketing for Black Widow confirms that Natasha Romanoff will reunite with her Russian family that will be played by a star-studded ensemble. Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz will all play Romanoff's past family as Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, and Melina Vostokoff respectively.
Romanoff and her allies will try to finish off the Red Room, but the odds are stacked against them due to the arrival of the dangerous Taskmaster. The identity of Taskmaster is one of the lingering mysteries of Black Widow, with speculation running rampant on which Marvel character is behind the mask.
Now, a new photo has surfaced that could tease a welcome addition to Romanoff's arsenal of weapons against Taskmaster.
SCARLETT JOHANSSON'S NEW MCU WEAPON IN BLACK WIDOW
Screen Rant discovered a new Black Widow tote bag at Publix, showing off an animated Natasha Romanoff wielding “two whip-like weapons.”
The outlet pointed out that the weapons resemble Romanoff's batons from the Infinity Saga, but this new version might be the first glimpse at their hidden feature. The image revealed that these batons are now very flexible, much different from their rigid versions featured in previous MCU movies.
The tote bag with the Black Widow promo art can be seen in the Tweet below:
O arsenal aumentando: Nos materiais promocionais de Viúva Negra mostram com mais detalhes “uma mudança” em uma das armas que já conhecíamos, que são os bastões. Antes rígidos, agora ganha uma característica mais flexível, como um “chicote”. (1ª foto: @screenrant) pic.twitter.com/Qk7M5Vn9Wn
NATASHA WILL BE BATTLE-READY IN MARVEL'S BLACK WIDOW
It's no surprise that Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff will arm herself with a new weapon in Black Widow, especially after the arrival of a mysterious threat in the form of Taskmaster.
Nat's batons in the Infinity Saga served her well throughout her battles alongside the Avengers, but it seems that she will need a much more powerful weapon to go up against her sisters from the Red Room.
Given her on-the-run status in the film, it is currently unknown how Nat will retrieve this new nunchuck-like weapon, but there are two possibilities.
First, Johansson revealed in a previous interview that O-T Fagbenle's character, Rick Mason, is someone who Nat calls when “she's in trouble,” so it's possible that this weapon could come from him. This is on top of Johansson's quote when she mentioned the fact that Mason has the ability to “provide certain things” when the situation is rough.
The next plausible answer of the weapon's origins could come from the film's final battle. In the image, it shows Nat wearing the white suit which has been confirmed to be her costume for the final showdown of her Russian family against the Red Room.
There's a chance that the weapon could come from the Red Room, and Nat could use it as her secret arsenal against Taskmaster. The villain is known for copying the fight patterns of the Avengers including Nat, and using this new form of batons could be the last resort of the hero to gain an upper hand against her foe.
Whatever the case, Nat will definitely need to improvise if she really wants to defeat Taskmaster.
Black Widow premieres on Disney+ and in theaters on July 9, 2021.
