Black Widow is set to bring a new chapter to the massive narrative of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is directed by Cate Shortland, and it will showcase the return of Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff alongside a slew of newcomers like Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, David Harbour's Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz's Melina Vostokoff.
Black Widow is set after the game-changing events of Captain America: Civil War, showing Romanoff on the run against the government due to the Sokovia Accords. As a result, Romanoff will find herself reunited with her former family from the Red Room, ultimately leading to a mission to stop the Russian organization once and for all.
However, this mission will not be easy due to the looming presence of Taskmaster. The identity of Taskmaster is still being kept under wraps, but speculation is rampant that they will be portrayed by O-T Fagbenle's Rick Mason.
Now, as the film's debut inches closer, a preview of Romanoff's battles with Taskmaster has been released.
NEW SCENES IN BLACK WIDOW REVEALED
Marvel Studios, in partnership with Synchrony, released a brand-new featurette for Black Widow, showcasing fresh footage of Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff going at it against the film's villain, Taskmaster:
Go behind the scenes of Marvel Studios’ #BlackWidow with a new featurette from @Synchrony! Check out the full video: https://t.co/YqGm49wsww pic.twitter.com/FBUSFi5yjk
In the video, Johansson shared that the fights in Black Widow are "all hand-to-hand combat" while Florence Pugh playfully said that it is "the best way to know someone pretty quick."
New shots of the bridge fight between Romanoff and Taskmaster are featured all throughout the video, and it seems that the rivals will go all-out in trying to eliminate one another in the film.
The mystery behind Taskmaster's real identity is expected to be the main focus of the prequel, but finding out their secret will be a daunting task for the film's heroes.
The presence of Romanoff's former sisters in the Red Room is highlighted in the video as well.
Taskmaster appears to be tracking Romanoff in this latest behind-the-scenes still from the film.
BLACK WIDOW AND TASKMASTER'S RIVALRY
The history between Natasha Romanoff and Taskmaster is about to be unveiled in Black Widow, and this latest featurette provides a solid glimpse of the pair's rivalry. Based on what's been revealed so far, it looks like Taskmaster will push Romanoff to the limit, thus elevating the Marvel hero to greater heights before her last hurrah.
Early reactions for Black Widow praised the film's action sequences, with some even comparing it to 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The featurette highlights the importance of hand-to-hand combat in the film, and it's safe to say that this specific aspect will be utilized in a massive way in the prequel.
One of the intriguing aspects of Black Widow is the mystery surrounding Taskmaster, and marketing has been pretty spot-on in terms of hiding the real identity of the villain. This is due to the fact that the focus of the trailers is Taskmaster's replicating prowess, copying the moves of different MCU heroes like Captain America and Hawkeye.
As a result, the discussion about the villain's identity remains close to the chest, and it is expected that this will be a massive reveal in Black Widow. From O-T Fagbenle's Mason all the way to Rachel Weisz's Melina Vostokoff, fans have been pretty dedicated to finding out who's behind the mask.
Whatever the case, defeating Taskmaster is a daunting task, and Romanoff will definitely need all the help that she can get to eliminate this threat.
Black Widow premieres on Disney+ via Premier Access and in theaters on July 9, 2021.
