Marvel Studios brought back Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) in new Avengers: Age of Ultron merchandise (and she looks great). Johansson spent more than a decade as the MCU’s original Black Widow, starting her journey in 2010’s Iron Man 2 and becoming a founding member of the Avengers. Romanoff was a consistent fixture of the MCU in the Infinity Saga, playing pivotal roles in game-changing crossover events, such as Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. In 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, Romanoff ended her MCU journey after willingly sacrificing her life on Vormir for Clint Barton to obtain the Soul Stone. While Romanoff’s story received a proper send-off to the MCU, Marvel Studios is still not yet done with celebrating the original Black Widow.
Marvel Studios (via Hot Toys) officially unveiled a brand-new 1/6-scale Black Widow based on her appearance in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, featuring a screen-accurate Scarlett Johansson head sculpt with individually implanted premium wool for the character’s wavy red bob.
Since Johansson’s exit from the role after Black Widow, Florence Pugh has now taken the mantle and been placed center stage by Marvel Studios.
After leading the previous pseudo-Avengers film, Thunderbolts, Pugh’s hero is being positioned as a key part in the next major crossover event.
Much of Avengers: Doomsday‘s promotional art and merchandise has highlighted this, including Yelena alongside the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
She is also seen with her New Avengers co-workers on the main concept art for Doomsday.
Yelena Belova is also clearly important enough to the plot of Doomsday that she needs her own LEGO figure to go with her.
While the trailers so far have used Yelena in passing, it is notable that Pugh is dead-center in Doomsday‘s “Silence Your Phones” promo.
All of this seems to indicate that Yelena may have an even bigger role amongst the Avengers than her sister.
Speaking of Agent Romanoff, the new head sculpt for the Hot Toys figure includes separately rolling eyeballs, allowing collectors to adjust her gaze.
Johansson’s likeness has also been refined compared to her previous Age of Ultron Hot Toys figure (MMS288).
The latest Black Widow Hot Toys figure also features her stunning upgraded tactical Avengers suit, which now has functional USB-powered blue LED stripes running along the torso and arms, emulating the same glowing “Widow’s Sting” aesthetic that visually ties to her gauntlets.
The costume also featured a pair of Black Widow’s bite gauntlets, a tactical belt with the classic MCU Black Widow emblem, a thigh strap with a pistol holster, and soft-vinyl platform long boots.
Accessories also include electroshock batons in both extended and retracted forms, a compact dagger that stores on the belt, Romanoff’s signature pistol, a rifle, attachable blue energy-effect pieces for the Black Widow bite, eight pairs of interchangeable gloved hands, and a magnetic Avengers-logo display base.
This exclusive Black Widow figure from Hot Toys is available in a limited quantity of 3,000 units in selected markets. Scarlett Johansson’s Age of Ultron suit marked Natasha’s transition from a SHIELD operative to a full-time Avenger after the agency’s collapse at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Tony Stark’s upgrades on Romanoff’s suit are well presented in this official Hot Toys figure, while still keeping her grounded and tactical roots among the more armored members of the team.
Giving Natasha Romanoff the Artisan treatment is also significant because this version is considered the high-end standard of Hot Toys figures, signaling nostalgia for Phase Two and recognition that Johansson’s MCU character still has collector pull even after the character’s death in Avengers: Endgame.
Will Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff Return Before the Multiverse Saga Ends?
Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.’s respective returns in Avengers: Doomsday raise the question of whether Scarlett Johansson could stage a similar comeback in either Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars at the latest. Evans and Downey’s returns signaled that anything is possible in the MCU, which explains why fans are demanding and speculating that Johansson could be next in line for Marvel comebacks.
Still, there are some potential setbacks. In March 2025, Johansson cast some doubt on an MCU comeback, firmly saying, “Natasha is dead:”
“Natasha is dead. She is dead. She’s dead. Okay? They just don’t want to believe it. They’re like, ‘But she could come back!'”
This is in addition to Johansson’s current busy schedule filming her secret (and seemingly highly important) role in Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part 2 alongside Robert Pattinson’s titular Dark Knight. The fact that Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova is labeled as the new Black Widow in Spider-Man: Brand New Day also makes things very complicated in the comeback route.
Still, as the Multiverse Saga winds down, many would agree that it would be a missed opportunity for Johansson not to return for at least one final moment in Avengers: Secret Wars. Giving her a chance to share the screen with the rest of the original Avengers and Yelena once again would definitely be a surreal moment, as it allows the MCU to fully close the chapter on her character and embrace a new one with Yelena leading the charge.
