While the Avengers: Doomsday cast will be expansive, one Marvel Cinematic Universe star is adamant that she is not on its roster. Franchise mainstay Scarlett Johansson has consistently maintained that her character’s pᴀssing in Avengers: Endgame is permanent and her solo film, Black Widow, will remain her swan song. Despite this, audience members speculate that she may still show up, especially because Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU in spite of his original character’s death.

One such speculator is Johansson’s Black Widow costar David Harbour. The two recently did an interview together for Interview Magazine in which he called her out as a possible secretive addition to Avengers: Endgame. He stated: “Oh, come on, Scarlett. We all know you’re the secret character. We all know the Black Widow comes back from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.” For her part, Johansson denied any involvement with the film. Rather, she reminded Harbour of the stakes set up in Avengers: Endgame: “If I come back from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, then half the world’s population dies. Didn’t you see Endgame for Christ’s sake?“

What Scarlett Johansson’s Comments About Black Widow Returning To The MCU Mean

Previously, Johansson shut down returning to the MCU for a similar reason—she believes Natasha’s story has been told. The character only received one solo movie, but her story was told across all four Avengers movies, as well as other films in the MCU, like Iron Man and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. She explained that “it would be very hard for [her] to understand in what capacity [returning] would make sense for [her], for the character.” The actress continued:

I miss my buddies and really would love to be with them forever, but what works about the character is that her story is complete. I don’t want to mess with that. For fans too—it’s important for them.

However, Johansson has been clear about one capacity in which she would return to the MCU: Directing. Having just directed her first film, the multi-hyphenate star would be interested in doing so for the franchise because Marvel films, especially those with more human elements, “are the big movies that [she loves].“

There aren’t currently any films on the MCU slate without a director, so it’s unclear what project she could direct. However, after the successful reception of Thunderbolts*, it might be interesting to see Johansson’s take on a movie about Natasha’s Black Widow sister, Yelena Belova. Florence Pugh’s performance was a highlight of Thunderbolts*, and it’s no doubt audiences would like to see more of her story.

Our Take On Scarlett Johansson’s Comments About Black Widow Returning To The MCU

Johansson’s tenure in the MCU has been impressive, but she appears to be done with the franchise, at least as an actress. Additionally, she chose to have her producer credit removed from Thunderbolts*, further signifying that she may no longer want to be linked to the brand, though in that case, she explained she wanted it removed because she wasn’t actively involved in that movie. That being said, it could be as simple as Johansson wanting to work in a different arena for a while.

She spent a decade of her life working for Marvel—it’s natural to want a change. Though it’s unlikely she’ll crop up in Avengers: Doomsday, Johansson’s MCU days might not be behind her.

Source: Interview Magazine