It has been nearly a decade since The Avengers brought together the century's most beloved super team. Although Iron Man, Thor and Captain America all had their own movies prior to the team-ups, fans have consistently complained about how ridiculous it was that Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (the only original Avenger) didn't get her movie. (Hawkeye was also not granted a film, but let's face it, no one was signing up to watch Jeremy Renner make CGI bullseyes in two and a quarter hours.They've now fixed everything. Black Widow stars in her own movie! It's odd that she got it only after her character died in Avengers: Endgame. But, hey, it's better late than never!Here's a quick guide to what you should know about Natasha to prepare for Black Widow (the first Marvel movie to hit theaters since 2019). The trailer is first.Then, onto the Q&A.How did Black Widow become an Avenger?Natasha Romanoff, a former Russian operative and SHIELD agent, doesn't need to have superpowers in order to be powerful. She was raised in the Red Room, which was a Russian spy facility that turned young girls into living weapons. However, she defected to the Red Room with the help of Clint Barton/Hakeye, then-SHIELD agent. Since then, she's been a good man.After first appearing as a supporting character in Iron Man 2, Natasha joined The Avengers. She considered the Avengers her extended family until Captain America: Civil War.What happened?It's worth watching. The important thing is that the Avengers split up. Natasha was initially on Tony Stark's side, but she sided with Captain America during a crucial battle at Berlin Airport. Hawkeye, Ant Man, Wanda Maximoff and Falcon were all captured by Team Cap and taken to prison. But Natasha managed to slip away, almost disappearing, after her betrayal.But she returned, right?Yes, she did join Captain America and Falcon at one point. They were a vigilante group for several years as evidenced by their travels in Infinity War. Thanos was then able to take control of her and she died after a long, complex series of events.Okay, but is she still Marvel or dead?Natasha, unlike Vision, Gamora and Loki is now dead in the MCU. To get the Soul Stone, she gave her life for the Avengers. There's no going back. Gamora was able to come back from it, but it was because the Avengers created a paradox with time. Black Widow doesn't get a paradox.This movie is about a dead Avenger.Yes. Yes. Black Widow is set between Natasha's disappearance into exile during Civil War and her appearance with Team Cap in Infinity War.What did she do then?It seems that Natasha reconnected with her past to embark on a new adventure, as evident by the Black Widow promotional material. These include Yelena Belova, a Red Room graduate who is sort of her sister (Florence Pugh), a Russian super-soldier named the Red Guardian (David Harbour), who may have some fatherly connection to Natasha; and Melina Vostokoff, her mother (Rachel Weisz). It's easy to see that they will have to fight a bad man, based on Marvel's patterns.What do we know about the bad guys?Taskmaster is an elite assassin who can replicate any person's movements by simply watching them. Taskmaster is one of the most dangerous human fighters within the MCU. He can use their opponent's moves at any time during a fight. The trailer suggests that Taskmaster has been closely studying the Avengers and will use a lot iconic Marvel hero moves against Black Widow. Bravo for some cool fight choreographyAlthough we already know the ending of Natasha's story, it's still cool to get to know her better before Black Widow's final appearance in the MCU. Black Widow is the first of four Marvel movies to be released in 2021. There will be many more questions once Shang-Chi, the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals and Spider-Man, No Way Home get closer to their release dates. We'll see you there.Black Widow premieres July 9 in theaters and online at Disney+ (with Premier Access).
