Scarlett Johansson first played Natasha Romanoff in 2008's Iron Man. The actor bid farewell to the role over a decade later when Black Widow sacrificed herself to help save the universe in Avengers: Endgame.
Despite that, a Black Widow movie (set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War) followed two years later. The movie filled in some gaps in Natasha's past and gave the MCU a new Black Widow in Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova. However, it wasn't the origin story many fans had hoped for.
As for Johansson, the movie's debut on Disney+'s short-lived "Premier Access" service saw her sue Disney for the box office profits she lost out on. Ultimately, things were made right, and we learned that she would return to the MCU with an executive producer credit on Thunderbolts*.
If you waited through the credits for that must-see Avengers: Doomsday tease, you might have noticed that Johansson's name was absent. In a conversation with Thunderbolts* star David Harbour for Interview Magazine, the Jurassic World Rebirth star explained why she requested that her name be taken off the movie.
Johansson: Alright. Wait, so today is the release day?
Harbour: Yes. It’s the opening day of a movie that basically you are the seventh Thunderbolt in. Your character is all over this movie. Have you seen it?
Johansson: No.
Harbour: Okay. You are an executive producer on it. Congratulations.
Johansson: I asked to have my credit removed because I wasn’t involved.
Harbour: You hated the movie that much? [Laughs]
Johansson: No, you’re just wanting that to be the case.
Harbour: I think you’d be proud of us.
Johansson: I am proud of you.
Many actors would happily take the executive producer nod (and the money which comes with it). Still, it's admirable that Johansson didn't want a vanity credit for a movie she had no real involvement with.
The expectation was that she would have a say in how Black Widow's characters were portrayed, but for whatever reason, it didn't happen. Chances are it's down to her being busy not just with Jurassic World Rebirth, but her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great.
It's unclear what the future holds in store for Johansson in the MCU. She's repeatedly said we won't see her return as Natasha Romanoff in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, but rumours persist that she might be involved with a Blonde Phantom project.
Stay tuned for updates on that as we have them.
In Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes - Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?
"Thunderbolts* redefines superhero storytelling to deliver a moving and powerful story that does for the 'Multiverse Saga' what The Avengers did for the 'Infinity Saga' in 2012," we said in our review. "These heroes have earned their place on a Wheaties box."
The cast of Thunderbolts* will be led by Florence Pugh as Yelena Boleva, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Lewis Pullman as "Bob."
Written by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo, and directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters.