One Black Widow star recently commented on the prospects of them showing up again in the MCU.
Currently, Black Widow stars David Harbour and Florence Pugh are confirmed to be appearing in next year’s Marvel Studios movie, Thunderbolts.
The big anti-hero team-up has previously been teased as a spiritual successor to Scarlett Johansson’s previous solo outing. Marvel Studios Director of Visual Development Andy Park once stated that the project is like “a Black Widow sequel.”
The claim makes sense, seeing how three of the new team’s main members were first introduced in Black Widow: Taskmaster, Red Guardian, and Yelena Belova.
Despite that, at least one big name from that movie might not be joining the party.
In a new interview with Comicbook.com, Rachel Weisz, who played Melina in Black Widow, commented on if her character might be returning to the MCU.
The actress noted how she doesn’t know she’ll return to the MCU and that “no one’s mentioned [Melina] to me [her] for quite some time:”
“I don’t. No one’s mentioned her to me for quite some time. I think she’s still living with her pigs that she experiments on. She loves her pigs, they’re buddies.”
It’s known that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has thought about how Melina might return in the future. In July 2021, shortly after Black Widow‘s release, Feige teased how it was “a safe bet” that Weisz’s new character would return and that it’s something the studio “definitely want[s]” to happen.
Will Weisz Skip Out on the MCU’s Thunderbolts Movie?
Rachel Weisz is part of the long list of loose threads that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been racking up over Phase 4. Just like Brett Goldstein’s Hercules or Kit Harington’s Black Knight, there’s no indication when audiences will next see Melina.
Thunderbolts would have been an easy opportunity for just that, but if the actress asn’t heard anything at this point, then the odds aren’t looking so good.
However, it’s worth pointing out that claims like this from actors aren’t always the most trustworthy. Ask Lars Mikkelsen, who just got confirmed as Grand Admiral Thrawn in Ahsoka, despite recently claiming not to be involved.
While Thunderbolts was claimed to be a spiritual Black Widow sequel in the past, the current rumor is that the movie is now getting reworked.
Marvel Studios recently hired Lee Sung Jin to rewrite the Thunderbolts movie, taking over for Eric Pearson, who wrote Scarlett Johansson’s 2021 MCU blockbuster.
No matter what form the big event film takes, one would think that Melina might come up in a conversation. After all, both Red Guardian and Yelena’s last moments in Black Widow were alongside Rachel Weisz’s character.
Thunderbolts hits theaters on July 26, 2024.
