Before Scarlett Johansson became the MCU's Natasha Romanoff, the award-winning actress made a prominent appearance in Home Alone 3.
1997's Home Alone 3 had the hard task of living up to the hype of the franchise, considering that it needed to raise the bar for the holiday-themed series after the success of the first two movies led by Macaulay Culkin.
One lone bright spot in Home Alone 3 that made it worthy of a rewatch is seeing a teenage Scarlett Johansson appear in the threequel.
Scarlett Johansson's Role in Home Alone 3 Explained
Home Alone 3 chronicles the story of 8-year-old Alex Pruitt as he fights off international criminals who invaded his home to retrieve a toy car that houses a stolen top-secret computer chip.
Scarlett Johansson, who was 11 years old at the time, portrayed Alex's older sister, Molly Pruitt, who made fun of her brother whenever she got a chance.
Despite being a bully to her sibling, Home Alone 3 shows Molly's compassion for Alex after she calls out FBI Agent Stuckey after he calls her little brother an "it," pointing out, "The 'it' you're referring to is my little brother."
After the whole fiasco with the criminals, Molly calls Alex "a hero" after successfully protecting their home from the thieves.
What made Johansson stand out in the Home Alone threequel is the fact that she made Molly a memorable character despite her limited screen time.
Alongside Seth Smith who plays the eldest brother, Stan, the pair may have started as bullies at first, but Home Alone 3's story managed to give them a chance to shine by showing a sense of pride and care for their brother during times of danger.
Speaking with People in April 2021, Johansson recalled a time when she made her daughter watch the 1997 Christmas movie, noting that she "wanted her to make the discovery" that she was in it:
"I just wanted her to make the discovery. Of course, she didn't because how can an 11-year-old me remind her of me now? And I said, 'Who's that person?!' She was like, 'You?'"
It is not surprising that the Home Alone movies have been the go-to option for family movie nights during the holidays.
There has been a demand for a third entry in the Macaulay Culkin-led Home Alone batch of movies after a fan poster went viral after showing an older Kevin potentially going at it with thieves ready to invade his house.
What Is Next for Scarlett Johansson?
While Scarlett Johansson finished her MCU run as Natasha Romanoff in Avengers Endgame, she kicked off the franchise's Phase 4 slate of movies with her solo movie, Black Widow, in 2021.
Marvel Studios already paid tribute to Scarlett Johansson's legacy as Black Widow during the premiere of Marvel Studios' Infinity Saga Concert Experience where a three-minute montage of her memorable moments was showcased to the audience.
Although her Marvel stint may be over, there is a lot to look forward to for Johansson, starting with her lead role in 2025's Jurassic World: Rebirth.
The new entry to the Jurassic World franchise sees Johansson playing an ex-CIA special agent who is hired by a pharmaceutical company to retrieve dino DNA from the three biggest dinosaurs of land, sea, and air so that the team can create a life-saving drug for humans.
While some fans may be worried about Jurassic World: Rebirth after learning about its plot, seeing Johansson fight off dinosaurs instead of Marvel villains is a fresh sight for the actress.
In 2024, Johansson recently voiced Elita-1 in Transformers One where she reunited with her fellow Avengers co-star Chris Hemsworth who voiced Optimus Prime in the animated movie.
The actress also starred with Channing Tatum in Fly Me to the Moon, a compelling romantic comedy about the love story of a marketing specialist and a NASA launch director.
Home Alone 3 is streaming on Disney+.
