Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson had some disappointing comments for fans of her MCU Avenger.
As the Infinity Saga came to an end with Avengers: Endgame, the MCU said "goodbye" to three of its original Avengers, including Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow. Although she was finally given a long overdue solo movie after her hero's death with 2021's Infinity War prequel Black Widow.
With Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova seemingly set to continue the Black Widow legacy, Natasha Romanoff's MCU tenure appears to have come to an end. That being said, Johansson remains attached to produce an upcoming Marvel Studios project, which many have speculated to be a Black Widow solo outing for Belova.
Scarlett Johansson Declares She Is 'Done' With the MCU
Speaking with The Goop Podcast, the MCU's Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson offered comments on her potential Marvel future that have proved disappointing to many fans of her character.
The actress declared she is definitively "done" with her MCU character as she has done "all that [she] had to do:"
“I’m done. Yes, I’m done… Chapter is over. I did all that I had to do. Also, coming back and playing a character again and again like that, over a decade of time, is such a unique experience.”
This isn't the first time Johansson has declared her MCU tenure as concluded, having brought that to an end with 2021's Black Widow. Although she is set to return behind the camera to produce a mysterious project.
Pepper Potts actress Gwenyth Paltrow - a host of The Goop Podcast - chimed in to add how Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is "very good" at creating the aforementioned "unique experience" of playing a long-term character.
“Well, that’s Kevin Feige, he’s very good at all that.”
Johansson also praised Feige, declaring how he is "such a fan" and "a lover of cinema and storytelling:"
“He is. He’s fantastic at it. He’s such a lover of cinema and storytelling. He really is a fan… He loves it. He’s such a fan. He gets so psyched. You know, whenever I get talking to him about something or whatever… an idea, or a project, or even something like… We both are huge Disney [Parks] nerds and we talk about whatever’s going on at the parks and stuff like that.”
Reactions to Johansson's comments have been largely disappointing to hear she seemingly won't be returning, such as @cascinasabrams who is "in denial [and] not accepting this."
On a similar note, @caroldamnverz pleaded for the actress and her MCU hero to "come back to [them]:"
"NOOOO SCAR, COME BACK TO ME"
Others remain sad to see the actress leave the MCU, but are still pleased for her, such as @evansbelova:
"good for her!!!!! (intensively cries)"
Twitter user @flowerfigueroah particularly pointed out how it "hurts" because of how "amazing" her Black Widow performance was, but "her talent goes beyond that:"
"this hurts, because she did such an amazing role as a black widow, but her talent goes beyond that and she deserves more recognition. Good for her :`)"
During the Goop conversation, Paltrow also asked Johansson how she felt to play "such a badass superhero," which she explained was "the best time ever," particularly as it came in her younger days:
“Yeah. Yeah, it was awesome. It was like the best time ever. I mean, doing Avengers was so much fun. I was 26 years old, I was single, it was fun! You know… I didn’t have any responsibility to anybody but to just enjoy yourself."
She added how when she was working with Florence Pugh on Black Widow, who at the time was 23 years old, she felt like she was going through the same thing, and "she's in the middle of it now:"
"And when we did 'Black Widow,' I worked with Florence Pugh, and she, at the time, was 22 or 23, and I felt so excited for her. I know what that feels like; this big thing’s coming out, and everyone’s buzzing around you, and you’re young, and energetic, and beautiful, and talented. She’s in the middle of it now. I felt like that then. I felt like there was all this exciting stuff happening, and I got to work with all these great actors, and a lot of New York guys too that I knew… "
Johansson noted how the MCU experience was like "an adult summer camp" as they came back every few years to reprise their roles and all her co-stars would be "in different places in [their] lives:"
"And then every couple of years, we would go back, and do it again, and all be in different places in our lives. Like, somebody would have a kid, or was getting married, or divorced, or remarried, or whatever. And it was like, I don’t know, an adult summer camp thing. And it was cool. It was really, really some of the best experiences."
Scarlett Johansson Isn’t Quite Done With the MCU
Scarlett Johansson has made it clear for a while that her time in the MCU is done, that notion was even enough to thrust her into a legal battle with Disney over Black Widow's streaming premiere. Although that matter later reached a climax after three months and a $40 million settlement.
Going back to the promotional tour for Black Widow in June 2021, Johansson called her departure "bittersweet" because of the relationships she's built with her Marvel Studios family. Among those comments, she also expressed interest in collaborating with the studio again "in some other kind of way."
Johansson particularly revealed her enjoyment in producing Black Widow as she "got to really know the process." That's something Johansson will be doing soon as she produces a "top secret Marvel Studios project" with nothing to do with Natasha Romanoff, but what that could be is still to be a mystery.
While it is entirely possible this may relate to an unexpected corner of the Marvel universe Johansson has a particular interest in, most are expecting it to be a project that follows her Black Widow legacy. Perhaps this may be the inevitable solo project for Yelena Belova if she finally assumes the mantle down the line.
Florence Pugh has so far had two MCU appearances in Black Widow and Hawkeye, and she will be back in 2024 for Thunderbolts. With Yelena expected to lead the Thunderbolts into action, that may serve as a key step in her heroic journey, setting her up to team up with other heroes again in Avengers 5.
Black Widow is streaming now on Disney+.
