When Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters last year, fans were convinced Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow was safe. She had an already announced solo film on the way, but that sacrifice on Vormir and a later teaser trailer confirmed that Black Widow is actually a prequel set before the events of the record-breaking superhero ensemble (Avengers: Infinity War, to be precise).
Johansson has called Black Widow a "standaline franchise" on a number of occasions, but just did it again in a video interview being shared on social media.
In the clip below, the actress praises co-star Florence Pugh, describing the English actress as her "co-star in the Black Widow standalone franchise." This has led to fans speculating online that Pugh's Yelena Belova will take over this "standalone franchise" as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's new Black Widow.
That popular theory has been making its way through message boards for some time, though it's equally as possible that Johannon was just talking about her co-star in this standalone film.
The prevailing theory is that Belova's Black Widow is going to join General "Thunderbolt" Ross's team of Thunderbolts, and there are rumors that a post-credits scene will set that up. Nothing is anywhere near being confirmed, however, and there are several ways to take these remarks.
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