Black Widow was released on Disney+'s "Premier Access" service during the height of the pandemic, making it one of the only Marvel Studios movies many fans haven't watched on the big screen. That was far from the biggest controversy surrounding the blockbuster, though, and the spin-off ended up being somewhat overshadowed, as a result.
Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, the movie filled in some big gaps and introduced some characters who are going to be key to the MCU's future.
Yelena Belova, who we've already seen make an impact in Hawkeye, gets a comic-accurate look in the concept art from the recently released "Art of" book for the movie. We did see something along these lines in that Disney+ series, but it would have been fun to watch Yelena don this in Black Widow (it's a superior costume to the one Florence Pugh ended up wearing too).
An even bigger talking point, however, might be Natasha Romanoff's short-haired makeover!
Illustrated by Marvel Studios' Director of Visual Development Andy Park - and shared on social media by a fan - we see Scarlett Johansson depicted with a short hairstyle and costume very much in line with how she appeared in writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee's Uncanny X-Men #268.
This is how the character looked on the page for several years and is a take on the hero a lot of people hoped would make it into the MCU. In terms of continuity, this could have also explained why Black Widow's hair was shorted when we caught up with her in Avengers: Infinity War.
Do you think Marvel Studios made a mistake not heading down this route in Black Widow?
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