Can Marvel redeem themselves with a ‘better’ Black Widow?

Black Widow screenwriter Jac Schaeffer doesn’t mind the possibility of disappointing Marvel fanboys. What does this mean for the future of the MCU’s next female-led film?

Natasha Romanoff is a long-time staple in the Marvel fandom. After leaving the assassin life behind to join S.H.I.E.L.D., she later became a founding member of the Avengers and fought alongside the well-known heroes under the name Black Widow.

In its most simple form, her character is not at all problematic. She starts out on the wrong side of the fight and becomes a hero. But Stan Lee first brought her to life on the page in the 1960s, and plenty of fans — women in particular — are slightly wary of the trademark catsuit, among other things.

Set to premiere next year, a Black Widow solo film will attempt to tell Romanoff’s story without the “discriminatory comic canon,” according to screenwriter Jac Schaeffer.

But what is the discriminatory comic canon? In this context, think back to how Black Widow’s character has already been depicted in the films, especially early on. Of course, she’s a girl with a troubled past, but for the love of God, don’t put her in front of Tony Stark as little more than something nice to look at.

Are Black Widow’s catsuit-wearing, sidekick-fighting days over? Kudos to Marvel Studios for recruiting women like Schaeffer, who has promised to write a script that will do away with Romanoff’s revealing attire, a constant need for a love interest, and so much more.

Schaeffer wants to bring “more sympathetic villains, less glamorization of weaponry, and stronger representation of marginalized voices” to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that’s what she’s going to do with this film.

It’s not that the MCU hasn’t ramped up its efforts to accomplish these goals over the past few years. Valkyrie is now “officially” bisexual, and Thanos — despite the fact that, yes, he was a very bad dude  — was technically trying to save the universe. Technically. So he wasn’t all bad, right?

But despite the fact that female-led Captain Marvel was slammed long before its premiere, and Black Widow is in danger of the same treatment, Schaeffer just shrugs. It takes a lot to make a movie, and she’s decided not to give precious fuel to any of that fire.

What do die-hard comic book movie fans want that Schaeffer isn’t going to give them? ScarJo in beyond form-fitting outfits probably sits at the top of your list of predictions, but that’s only the beginning.

Comic book history is packed full of villains, for example, who only exist to give the heroes something to fight against. That’s the way their stories were told, and we’re not here to degrade the classics. But the introduction of Taskmaster into the MCU could provide plenty of opportunities to forego a primary focus on brutal violence for something like, oh I don’t know … stellar character development?

Natasha Romanoff was created in a different time. While women were often used as plot devices, rather than being treated as strong characters — even within the last decade — times are changing. As they should be.

It’s a big enough deal that Black Widow is getting her own movie, on the heels of Captain Marvel and following the incorporation of strong female characters like Valkyrie and Okoye. Those in charge are also recognizing that Scarlett Johansson’s character is long overdue for an upgrade.

Storytelling evolves, as should the characters at the center of each tale.

Whether or not the MCU “failed” Black Widow is up for debate. But this could be their chance to redeem themselves, and give our girl the sendoff she truly deserves.

What do we want to see? Romanoff using her smarts to overthrow her opponents — not just her weapons — never hurts. And please, give us some of that sweet, sweet character growth we’ve been deprived of since Iron Man 2. You don’t just walk away from a dark place without going through it. Show us some of that.

It’s quite possible the Black Widow we see in 2020, portrayed in the era following Civil War, during which her character suffered more insulting tropes than she could carry (because catsuits, it turns out, don’t have pockets), will feel like a completely new Natasha Romanoff.

And honestly? We can’t wait to meet her.

Jac Schaeffer’s Black Widow releases on May 1, 2020.