Scarlett Johansson has moved on from the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and she wants her fans to do the same.
“Natasha is dead,” said the actress, 40, of her Avengers character in an InStyle interview published Tuesday, March 11. To put a finer point on it, she added, “She is dead. She’s dead. Okay?”
Fans of Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, however, seem to have wishful thinking when it comes to the character’s universe-saving death in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Despite leading a prequel, 2021’s Black Widow, Johansson confirmed she will not be returning to the role.
However, Marvel devotees “just don’t want to believe it,” she said. “They’re like, ‘But she could come back!’ Look, I think the balance of the entire universe is held in her hand. We’re going to have to let it go. She saved the world. Let her have her hero moment.”
Although Natasha’s onscreen death was straightforward, Johansson’s exit from the franchise proved more complicated. In July 2021, the Oscar nominee filed a lawsuit against distributor The Walt Disney Company, alleging that its simultaneous release of Black Widow in theaters and on streaming service Disney+ breached a stipulation in her contract that it be released exclusively in theaters. Months later, she and the conglomerate reached a settlement; its terms were not disclosed.
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Back in 2023, a less certain Johansson addressed speculation that Natasha could return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I think it was the end, right?” she said on the Today show. “It would be a miracle. It would be a real Marvel miracle. It would be a marvel. But who knows?”
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Elsewhere in her InStyle interview, the mother of two discussed one of many projects she’s taken on since exiting the MCU: directing her first feature-length film, the June Squibb-starring Eleanor the Great. “It’s like a little gem,” Johansson said of the movie. “I was inspired by those independent films from the mid-80s to the mid-2000s. Living Out Loud. Crossing Delancey. Moonstruck.”
The MCU, meanwhile, continues apace after the February release of Anthony Mackie’s Captain America: Brave New World. Next up is Thunderbolts* (in theaters May 2), The Fantastic Four: First Steps (in theaters July 25) and two more Avengers installments.
Johansson next stars in The Phoenician Scheme (in theaters June 6) and Jurassic World: Rebirth (in theaters July 2).
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