Black Widow (2021)

 

In the comics, when Black Widow made her first appearance two Bond films had already been out in theatres - Dr. No and From Russia with Love. The release of Goldfinger was set to hit on September 1964, just a few months after Widow's comic book debut . Tales of Suspense issue #52 (April 1964), and it is obvious that many characteristics were shared with Ian Fleming's Tatiana Romanaova, the Soviet Army corporal officer instructed to send Bond to his doom.

In the beginning the Romanoff character was an alluring agent, shifting evening wear and alliances with the avengers, it was the better part of this century that she has been evolved into a symbol for feministic ideals, thanks in large part to the portrayal of the MCU's writing and character development,  and largely by her inhabiting star Scarlett Johansson.

Secure in weaponizing her femininity, fighting skill, counter interrogation of psychological profiling & manipulation, Black Widow is a formidable assassin, removed of compromise thanks to the Red Room. An institution who creates élite Assassins or Black Widows and graduates them with sterilization to remove the maternal instinct, for a  pure unrelenting  killer instinct. Her character defected to become a shield agent then promoted to becoming an Avenger thanks to Nick Fury's hiring, but positioned secondary to its Trinity of leading heroes, Her Budapest counter assassin Hawkeye were regulated as supporting characters for the majority of phase 1 & 2 within the MCU.  These assassins were given more fleshed out backstory in The Age of Ultron, with Clint Barton being a family man, and Natasha a lonely, but beautiful monster on par with Banner's disposition of without having ties or relationships.

This film maps out when she was taken to the Red Room, the same time Carol Danvers became Captain Marvel and met Nick Fury in 1995. Natasha was a sleeper agent in Ohio, USA, discovered by S.H.I.E.L.D. and fled back to Russia, to be enrolled into the Red Room/Black Widow program at the age of  9. The film quietly supports the concept of a time variant. Captain America went back  in time to return all infinity stones, before anyone realizes they were gone.  In those time jumps he himself was respectively frozen under water, Red Guardian in the movie claims to have fought Captain America in the 1980's which would make Alexi amongst his fellow prison inmates a liar, but of his conviction in his story holds some truth as Steve never returned to his present and decided to live throughout time hidden with Peggy Carter.  Quietly being once again a man out of time, but by choice, not to disrupt the timeline.

The Black Widow movie fits between a period of time, after the events of Civil War, but before Infinity War, and concludes with the moments leading to the team breaking out from the raft.  Like Tatiana Romanaova, she finds herself attracted to her British spy and lethally was willing to save his life at the cost of ending hers. Although Taitana died at the hands of her Boss, Natasha is wanted fugitive, but sacrifices herself in Infintiy War so that Clint Barton and his family could live.