There has been talk of the original line-up of Earth's Mightiest Heroes appearing in Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars since shortly after the projects were officially announced, but of the six characters who made up the team that assembled in the first Avengers movie, Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff always seemed the least likely to return.
Romanoff was killed off in Avengers: Endgame when she sacrificed herself so that Clint Barton could acquire the Soul Stone, and although the former assassin did return for a solo Black Widow prequel movie, Johansson has claimed to be done with the character on a number of occasions.
Now, Daniel Richtman is reporting that the Jurassic World Rebirth star is a lock to reprise her role for the next Avengers movies.
Aside from Robert Downey Jr. (Doctor Doom), the only other actor to be confirmed is Chris Evans, who is believed to be playing a Steve Rogers variant under the Nomad mantle. If Johansson is set to return (we're sure Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo will also be back), it could lend some credence to the rumor (though it really seems more like speculation at this point) that an "evil" team of Avengers will join Doom to face off against a new roster of heroes.
Richtman has also heard that Marvel Studios is developing three new animated shows set in the MCU, but we don't have any more to go on just yet.
How would you feel about Scarlett Johansson returning as Black Widow? Let us know in the comments section down below.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. Both films will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.
Have another look at some photos Downey Jr. shared to Instagram after the big reveal below.