After years of demand, fans have finally been treated to the first look at Marvel's Black Widow, in which Scarlett Johansson's super-spy confronts the ghosts of her past. Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, the film reunites Natasha Romanoff with old friends -- or, rather, "family" -- and foes alike.
Each of those characters is firmly rooted in Black Widow's comic book history, but they can be a bit dizzying for anyone entrenched in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but not necessarily conversant in the source material. Let's dig into the dossier and find out just who Black Widow will fight, who will help her out, and who might stab her in the back.
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Yes, Black Widow will indeed feature Scarlett Johansson in the role she has played since 2010's Iron Man 2. Known as Natasha Romanoff when she's not undercover, much of Black Widow's history in the MCU remains a mystery, even after her many appearances.
The film will pull the covers off much of that mystery, as it takes place within Black Widow's past. The film should finally reveal what motivated her all of these years, right up until her heroic sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. That no doubt includes the guilt behind her red-soaked ledger, her history as a ballerina, and the Red Room experiments that honed her body to physical perfection.
The main feature of the trailer is the fight between the titular character and a blonde counterpart she refers to as "sis." Fans of the comics will recognize her as Yelena Belova, Natasha's attempted successor who sometimes is an ally and other times is an enemy.
Trained to replace Natasha, Yelena actually surpassed all of Natasha's records in the Red Room before setting out to try to kill her and establish her superiority. From there the character has had a strange history involving briefly becoming a robotic Super-Adaptoid. But even sticking to the more typical cloak-and-dagger direction of the film, it's difficult to classify her as an ally or a threat without knowing more.
An extreme deep-dive into a much more obscure character, Rachel Weisz's Melina shares a Red Room history with the Natasha similar to Yelena.
Because Melina could never quite top Natasha's skill, she eventually donned power armor to become Iron Maiden. Almost certainly a villain in waiting for Natasha, if Iron Maiden does don her power armor she'll not only be far stronger than Natasha, but completely resistant to the Widow's Bite that is her signature weapon.
David Harbour's Alexei Shostakov is possibly one of the most important characters in Natasha's history. In the trailer he dons the Red Guardian costume he is best known for, but in the comics his history dates back to well before he wore the mask.
Initially Natasha was brainwashed to believe her service to the government resulted from the debt she felt after the death of her heroic husband. Alexei was that husband, but his demise was a ruse so he could serve as Russia's answer to Captain America.
While not particularly tied to Black Widow in the comics, Taskmaster's debut in the MCU nevertheless has been hotly anticipated. The mercenary villain is best known for his ability to perfectly mimic physical movements of his opponents, and he carries an arsenal of weapons that permits him to better imitate his foes. The trailer even shows him shooting a bow much like Hawkeye, and with Taskmaster copying all of Black Widow's moves to use against her, it's difficult to say how she could possibly come out on top in a fight.
Not all of the characters seen in the teaser are new to the MCU. The opening moments of the trailer depicts flashbacks to earlier films, with Nick Fury and Hawkeye appearing prominently. Both have lengthy histories with Black Widow in the comics, but even on screen they are known as allies and confidants. It's unknown if they will appear in the timeline of the film itself, but Black Widow is a perfect place to further explore those relationships.
Also seen in the new footage is William Hurt's "Thunderbolt" Ross. While the character is best known for his association with the Hulk, his appearances in Civil War and Infinity War established his growing presence in the government's ranks. Taking a personal investment in the affairs of superheroes through the Sokovia Accords, it's entirely possible that the film could set Ross up for future appearances in his persona as Red Hulk.
Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha, Florence Pugh stars as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei aka The Red Guardian and Rachel Weisz as Melina. The film opens May 1, 2020.