When Black Widow finally hit theaters (and Disney+) in 2021, the film was advertised as a proper farewell to Scarlet Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff.
The film delved into Widow‘s backstory, spending its opening act not on Romanoff the Avenger but Romanoff the child, who was living in America with “family.” Everything, however, was not what it seems.
Photo: Disney Plus
It turns out that the young Natasha and her sister Yelena (Florence Pugh) and “parents” Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) and Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) are actually Russian operatives who soon flee the country and return to the USSR.
Source: nme.com
At the heart of the film was a story about family, especially for Yelena, who remembers her time in America with Romanoff and her “parents” as the best days of her life.
A Disappointing Third Act
While the first two acts of Black Widow explored Natasha’s longing for a family and the pain and joy of reconnecting with the closest thing she ever had to one, the third act devolved into a CGI action spectacular.
Image: techradar.com
For many fans, this was a disappointing ending to a film that had a lot of heart.
What Went Wrong
According to Black Widow star David Harbour, who played Red Guardian in the film, the third act was being reworked even as shooting was underway.
Image Credit: Marvel Studios
“Yeah, I mean, we were, I think, gonna go and then I think they did want the opportunity to change some stuff. The interesting thing about Marvel that’s so great about them is they do rework stuff. Even big productions. Like ‘Black Widow,’ the entire third act was reworked as we were shooting, which is incredible. And so, they just want that freedom.”
Here Come The Thunderbolts
Harbour and Florence Pugh are set to reprise their roles from Black Widow in the upcoming Thunderbolts film. Harbour says the script for the new ensemble movie is “really great.”
“The script we have is really tight and really great. And our director, Jake [Schreier], thinks it’s great. But they just want the freedom. They don’t want to be stuck in the middle of a shoot and then having to go like, ’We can’t rewrite this.’”
Photo: Marvel
As part of Disney and Marvel’s long-term strategy, Marvel Studios will be slowing down their production rate. Hopefully, this leads to more polished films and less frantic re-writing. The MCU will be better served.
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