Rumor: Is Scarlett Johansson returning as Black Widow for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars?

A new rumor from industry insider Daniel Richtman suggests Scarlett Johansson is returning as Black Wido for Avengers: Doomsday.

What’s old is new again, as Marvel Studios plans for the future of its cinematic universe. After announcing that Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans would return for surprise roles in Avengers: Doomsday, a new rumor from industry leaker Daniel Richtman suggests Scarlett Johansson could also reprise her role as Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, for the upcoming superhero event film. Technically, Johansson’s character died while sacrificing herself to obtain the Soul Stone in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Still, when has that stopped Marvel from rewriting history to tell a new story?

Johnasson’s return to the MCU is a curious proposal. Following a dispute with Disney about the Black Widow solo film, she repeatedly said that she had no plans to play Black Widow again. However, time heals many wounds, and getting the band back together (plus a lucrative payday) could entice Johansson to suit up. While Downey’s role as Doctor Doom is confirmed, rumors suggest Chris Evans returns to the franchise as a Steve Rogers variant called Nomad. Hayley Atwell is also reprising her role as Captain Carter. If Downey, Evans, and Johansson return for more Avengers madness, could Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, and Mark Ruffalo also return? If the rumor about Doctor Doom assembling an “evil Avengers” team is true, I would not be surprised if Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars represent a reunion of the World’s Mightiest Heroes.

Joe and Anthony Russo direct Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars for Marvel Studios. Films leading up to Doomsday include Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Other projects in various stages of development are Marvel’s Blade revival, a fourth film in Sony’s Spider-Man franchise, a third Black Panther movie, and multiple television series, including Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Daredevil: Born Again, Ironheart, Wonder Man, Vision Quest, a Nova series, a Black Panther series, Spider-Man Noir starring Nicolas Cage, X-Men ’97 Season 2, and more!

How likely is it that Scarlett Johansson will return to the MCU for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars? Are you excited about the classic MCU actors getting back in the game? Is this the best way for Marvel to move forward, or do they need to find a new angle? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.