As a character, Black Widow has never been super popular with fans. While she had her moments in various movies like “Avengers,” “Iron Man 2,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and most importantly, “Avengers: Endgame,” she was often overshadowed by other heroes. Who can forget the fan complaints about her not even getting a funeral in “Avengers: Endgame” while Tony’s death was celebrated?
But Natasha Romanoff finally got her time to shine in 2021’s “Black Widow.” Apart from giving her the glory she deserved, the film also retroactively improved her character and history. In “Avengers: Infinity War,” Natasha is wearing a vest during the big battle with Thanos. Now, we know that the vest belonged to her sister, but that wasn’t the case in “Avengers: Infinity War.” A Marvel executive explains how this development or change came to be.
The Case Of The Black Widow’s Vest
In the recently released Marvel book Black Widow: The Art of the Movie, Andy Park, the Director of Visual Development at Marvel, explained how Natasha Romanoff’s vest in “Avengers: Infinity War” was given retroactive importance in “Black Widow.” Park said that the Marvel Studios team gave meaning to the vest and made it Yelena’s vest mainly for emotional value because if anyone rewatches “Avengers: Infinity War,” their eyes will get watery.
After all, it’s her sister’s vest. He further said there’s love in the vest now. The “Black Widow” team did it because they wanted to give the dark tactical gear more meaning. He said that initially when he designed Natasha’s suit in Infinity War, the directors, the Russo brothers, weren’t keen on her having a totally new suit. They wanted her to keep her costume from “Captain America: The Civil War,” but with something more to it. So Park added the vest, and it was incorporated.
Later on, when it was time to make “Black Widow,” Park wanted to link it back to the vest in Infinity War. He said that the dark tactical suit worked well with Yelena Belova’s white suit. So by making it originally Yelena’s vest, he gave the suit a deeper meaning. He also said that he always tries to tell a story with his suits, and while the audience might not always recognize that, he attempts to add to the overall narrative of the film in some manner.
Along with this, he also complimented Jany Temime, the costume designer, who made the tactical suits a little baggy, like a Russian jumpsuit, unlike his designs, which depicted tight vests. Park said that her additions added a lot more to the conversations.
The Result Of Making Natasha’s Vest Yelena’s
When “Avengers: Infinity War” was released, there was a scene that garnered a lot of buzz in the MCU fandom. In that scene, after the Thanos snap happens, Natasha is seen holding her stomach. She’s wearing the dark vest in that scene. Many fans wrongly speculated that maybe she was pregnant and was worried that her child had been taken away. Other fans criticized this interpretation for various reasons, but at the time of Infinity War, there was no reason not to accept this as a valid fan theory.
After all, even though we know that Natasha cannot conceive, stranger things have happened in the fantasy superhero franchise based on comic books. So, when “Black Widow” was released, that scene got a wholesome meaning. Instead of worrying about a possible child, it was then seen as Natasha worrying about her sister by clutching her vest. Obviously, it was originally an acting choice by Scarlett Johansson to probably convey her anxiety over the snap that wiped away half the people on the battlefield. So, as said in the opening paragraph, retroactively adding meaning to the suit fleshed out Natasha Romanoff’s character and didn’t make her beholden to low-tier fan theories.
The Future Of ‘Black Widow’
Natasha Romanoff, aka “Black Widow,” is dead, so her younger sister Yelena Belova will probably get that superhero title now. She will appear next in the upcoming “Thunderbolts” movie with a host of other ant-heroes or complicated characters like Ghost, Bucky Barnes, and more. It’s rumored that she will be leading the team, and the concept art released for the film has confirmed the same. But will we see Natasha Romanoff again?
“Avengers: Secret War” is probably the only film where she can return. After all, it’s rumored those heroes like Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and more will return in the movie. Also, it’s speculated that they will fight alongside Marvel heroes from the Fox Verse-like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Jessica Alba’s Sue Storm, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, and more in the upcoming multiverse-encompassing movie. The film will take place after “Avengers: Kang Dynasty ” and will deal with the new team of Avengers taking on the new biggest MCU villain, Kang. So Natasha Romanoff might return to that film. However, one has to wonder how a spy can help fight against a villain who is even more powerful than Thanos. Guess we will know when “Avengers: Secret War” comes to theaters.Â
See more: ‘Avengers’ 5 Latest News – Writer Talks About The Differences Between Thanos And Kang