Scarlett Johansson Shuts Down Black Widow MCU Return: "Natasha Is Dead... Let Her Have Her Hero Moment"

Scarlett Johansson made her heroic exit from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Endgame when Natasha Romanoff sacrificed herself to save the world. But, the character still got her own solo film two years later with a prequel story.

Black Widow filled in some gaps in Natasha’s past, introduced Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova as her successor, and had its fair share of high-octane action. Still, many fans felt it was a case of “too little, too late.”

Now, with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon, and speculation is running wild about which past heroes could return. With Marvel cracking open the multiverse, the idea of bringing back Natasha, or one of her Variants, isn’t far-fetched. But Johansson? She’s not having it.

"Natasha is dead. She is dead. She's dead. Okay?" Johansson told InStyle. "They just don't want to believe it. They’re like, 'But she could come back!' Look, I think the balance of the entire universe is held in her hand. We’re going to have to let it go. She saved the world. Let her have her hero moment."

Of course, that doesn’t mean Marvel couldn’t bring Black Widow back. Variants exist, and they don’t all have to look the same. If Johansson isn’t interested in returning, Marvel could easily recast. I’m not saying the would or should, but they certainly could.

During the interview, she also touched on why she avoids taking photos with fans unless she’s at an event, which is something that sometimes rubs people the wrong way.

"It really offends a lot of people. It doesn't mean I'm not appreciative, of course, that people are fans, or happy to see me. But I always say to people, 'I'm not working.' [And that means] I don't want to be identified as being in this time and place with you. I'm doing my own thing."

Johansson’s history with Marvel hasn’t been without its bumps. After Black Widow was released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ during the pandemic, she sued Disney over lost box office bonuses. The dispute was eventually settled, and despite the drama, her relationship with Marvel Studios remained intact.

Looking back, she does wish there was more room to explore Natasha’s past, particularly her connection with Hawkeye.

She previously said: "I probably would have gone further back in the Black Widow story. I would have loved to have seen the Hawkeye, Black Widow, some of that stuff. You see early parts of her life [not that origin]."

So, what do you think? Should Marvel bring Natasha back, or should her story remain as it is?