Lionsgate Films began developing a Black Widow film in April 2004, with David Hayter attached to write and direct. The project did not move forward and the character’s film rights had reverted to Marvel Studios by June 2006. Johansson was cast in the role for several MCU films beginning with Iron Man 2 (2010), and began discussing a solo film with Marvel. Work began in late 2017, with Shortland hired in 2018. Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson contributed to the script before Pearson was hired. Filming took place from May to October 2019 in Norway, Budapest, Morocco, Pinewood Studios in England, and in Atlanta, Macon, and Rome, Georgia.
Black Widow premiered at events around the world on June 29, 2021, and was released in the United States on July 9 simultaneously in theaters and through Disney+ with Premier Access. It is the first film in Phase Four of the MCU, and was delayed three times from an original May 2020 release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Black Widow broke several pandemic box office records and grossed over $378 million worldwide,[a] becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2021. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the performances, particularly those of Johansson and Pugh, and the action sequences, though the villains received criticism. In July 2021, Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney over the simultaneous release.
By http://www.impawards.com/2021/black_widow_ver21.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61327223
The Black Widow is the name of two fictional superspy characters in the Marvel Comics universe. The first and best-known, Natalia Romanova a.k.a. Natasha Romanoff, was created by writers Stan Lee and Don Rico and artist Don Heck in Tales of Suspense #52 (April 1964). For a time in the 2000s, Romanova lost the title of Black Widow to a younger Russian spy, Yelena Belova.
Fictional character biography
Early life
Natasha was born in Stalingrad(now Volgograd). The first and best-known Black Widow is a Soviet agent trained as a spy, martial artist and sniper, and outfitted with an arsenal of high-tech weaponry, including a pair of wrist-mounted energy weapons dubbed her “Widow’s Bite”. She wears no costume during her first few appearances but simply evening wear and a veil. Romanova eventually defects to the U.S. for reasons that include her love for the reluctant-criminal-turned-superhero archer Hawkeye.
Romanova’s parents were killed in a fire when Romanova was a child. She was saved from death herself by Ivan Petrovitch, who raised her as a surrogate father. He first appears in Marvel continuity in the Widow’s 1970s Amazing Adventures feature, in which he is introduced as her chauffeur and confidant, without this back-story revealed. Romanova as a child appears in a flashback to 1941, in which the superhero Captain America and the mutant Logan, before he became the superhero Wolverine, rescue her from Nazis on the fictional island principality of Madripoor.
A revised, retcon origin establishes her as being raised from early childhood by the U.S.S.R.’s “Black Widow Ops” program, rather than solely by Ivan Petrovitch. With other young female orphans, she is trained in combat and espionage at the covert “Red Room” facility. There she is biotechnologically and psycho technologically enhanced – an accounting that provides a rationale for her unusually long and youthful lifespan. While there, she was trained by, and a lover of, the Winter Soldier. Each Black Widow is deployed with false memories to help ensure her loyalty. Romanova eventually discovers this, including the minor fact that she had never, as she’d believed, been a ballerina. She further discovers that the Red Room was still active as “2R”. Natasha married the renowned Soviet test pilot Alexi Shostakov. When the Soviet government decided to make Alexi into their new operative, the Red Guardian, he is told that he can have no further contact with his wife. Natasha is told that he had died and is trained as a secret agent separately.
The Avengers
Romanova grows up to serve as a femme fatale who attempts to seduce American defense contractor Tony Stark and inevitably confronts his superhero alter ego, Iron Man. Later, Romanova defected to the United States and eventually joins the super-team the Avengers as a costumed superhero.
S.H.I.E.L.D and Daredevil
Later still, she begins freelancing as an agent of the international espionage group S.H.I.E.L.D.; though during her romantic involvement with Matt Murdock in San Francisco, California, she operates as an independent superhero alongside Murdock’s alter ego, Daredevil. Natasha was less taken with Matt’s law partner Foggy Nelson, who was manipulated by the villain Mr. Kline into prosecuting her for the murder of the Scorpion (it was actually a robot of the Scorpion created by Mr. Kline). Although Natasha was proven innocent, she never truly forgave Foggy for the savagery of his courtroom assault.
Matt broke up with his long-time love, Karen Page, so that he could be with Natasha and the two moved to San Francisco to start a new life together. They fought against menaces such as Man-Bull, Blue Talon, Dark Messiah, Angar the Screamer, Ramrod, Terrex, Kraven the Hunter, Death-Stalker, Owl, el Jaguar, HYDRA, and Damon Dran, the Indestructible Man.
Natasha wanted to find a new career for herself beyond the day-to-day adventures she and Daredevil enjoyed and attempted to become a fashion designer, but her career never took off. Eventually, her relationship with Matt became strained. Natasha left Daredevil briefly to accept an offer of membership in the Avengers after aiding them against Magneto, but she soon left them after determining from a battle against the Lion God that she did not fit into a team environment. Natasha and Matt reconciled for awhile, but after a lengthy romance, Natasha finally broke up with Matt because she felt he did not treat her as an equal in battle.
The Champions
After their breakup, the Widow moves to Los Angeles, California and becomes leader of the newly created and short-lived super team the Champions, consisting of her, Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), Hercules (with whom she has a brief romance) and former X-Men the Angel and Iceman.
Her friends often call her “Natasha,” the informal version of “Natalia.” She has sometimes chosen the last-name alias “Romanoff” – evidently as a private joke, as that form wouldn’t be applicable as a Russian female’s last name. She has been hinted to be a descendant of the Romanov royal family and a relation to Nicholas II of Russia.
21st century
Natasha crossed Daredevil’s path again when he attempted to slay Baby Karen, believing the infant to be the Anti-Christ. Natasha saved the child, but was badly beaten by Daredevil in the ensuing fight. Karen Page ultimately died protecting the child and Matt went to Natasha to be consoled and to explain his earlier actions to her. Natasha reconciled with Matt, revealing that she still loved him, but noted that they had grown too far apart to become a couple again.
Recently, Natasha became aware of the presence of another Black Widow, a younger woman named Yelena Belova who had also been trained at the Red Room. Yelena was obsessed with being the sole Black Widow. The two Black Widows first encountered each other while attempting to retrieve the Endless Fury bio weapon created in Rhapistan, which exploded violently. Natasha later had herself and Yelena trade appearances through plastic surgery to help teach Yelena that her superiors considered her expendable. Despite the presence of the other Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff remains one of the world’s most accomplished hand-to-hand combatants and is quite possibly the most skilled espionage agent alive; thus still in high demand with S.H.I.E.L.D. Her most recent S.H.I.E.L.D. assignment has been to trace the whereabouts of the Tinkerer during a plot to investigate the financing of super-villains in America by foreign nations, possibly Latveria.
During the Superhero Civil War, Natasha becomes a supporter of the pro-Superhuman Registration Act and a member of the taskforce led by Iron Man.
Mighty Avengers
In the wake of the Civil War, Natasha is chosen as a member of the Mighty Avengers. When S.H.I.E.L.D. director Tony Stark is presumed killed and deputy director Maria Hill incapacitated, Natasha assumes command of S.H.I.E.L.D. as the highest-ranking agent present.
Trivia
Natasha is 5’7″ and 131 lbs with green eyes and red-auburn hair.
Religious Affiliation is Russian Orthodox
Natasha was given a variant of Captain America’s supersoldier serum
She usually wears distinctively shaped bracelets which fire “widow sting” energy blasts, as well as “widow line” grappling hooks.
Originally Posted by Alurvelve of the Wizards Community forums.
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