Scarlett Johansson addresses the delay in solo Black Widow film

Irrespective of whether you go against the critical grain and actually adore Batman v Superman or Suicide Squad , it’s hard to deny that terms of overall success, Marvel is whipping the Martha-loving pants off the DC Comics movie universe right now. There is one aspect where DC still has the upper hand though, and it’s… wonder-ful… as June will see Wonder Woman, the first female-led superhero movie from either company, hitting cinemas.

Why this landmark achievement should really rankle Marvel is because they already had a top-notch female superhero ready to go in Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow years before the DC movie universe even existed. The character has not only been an incredible fan favourite developed over the course of several movies, but Johannson is officially the highest grossing actress of all time. The risk to the studio simply could not be lower!

And yet here we are, seven years after Johansson first suited up in the leather one-piece in Iron Man 2, and still no Black Widow movie. So what gives? Why the wait? While speaking to Total Film (via Gamesradar) about her upcoming blockbuster Ghost In the Shell feature film adaptation, the actress addressed this delay, explaining it’s mainly come down to scheduling.

“I’ve talked to [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige about it. We’re creatively really compatible. I think we both agree that the character is right for a standalone, it’s just a case of timing at this point for both Marvel and myself…”

“Marvel has a really huge roster. They’re looking four years ahead. I also have a lot of things that I want to do“

I fully understand that Marvel has a game plan that they worked out long ago that they’re sticking to. That unified, overarching vision is one of the major reasons why the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been such a raging success. My question is why a Black Widow standalone movie was never a part of that game plan to begin with? Or how is it that Marvel found the time to just stick another Ant-Man movie into their schedule, but couldn’t make provision for one of the most beloved Avengers?

To be fair though, Johansson herself has her doubts about a standalone Black Widow movie just being slotted in as an afterthought.

“If I did it, I would dedicate myself completely to making it amazing. It would have been the best version that movie could possibly be. Otherwise, I would never do it. “

Johansson elaborated on that, explaining that there’s plenty of stories a Black Widow movie could tackle, explaining that she’s not sure if she could pull off that “best version” either, but it would have to be that or nothing.

“[I] do not know if I have the capacity for it. I thought the fans were adamant about it, it could be done. It should be done, probably.

“It would have to be done right, though. It would really have to be its own standalone and its own style and its own story. But there’s a lot of great stuff that you could do with it. It could just be awesome. “

It could be indeed. Kevin Feige has already indicated that post-Avengers: Infinity War the landscape of the MCU could be vastly different, so who knows where Black Widow will be then. Hopefully ready for a big action super-spy flick. In the meantime, it will all be up to Brie Larson as Captain Marvel to fly the female superhero flag for Marvel Studios until Black Widow is ready to join in.

Last Updated: February 16, 2017