Now that Marvel’s Hall H SDCC announcements have been made, we now know that Black Widow will be Marvel Studios’ first Phase 4 movie. Rumors had been flying for months that the movie would occur in the past. However, it was only speculation as to where it would fall in the MCU’s timeline… Many fans assumed the movie would deal with how Natasha Romanoff became Black Widow. A recent article in Entertainment Weekly has shed more light on the exact timeline.

Black Widow

It has been confirmed by Black Widow writer Jac Schaeffer and actor Scarlett Johansson that the movie will indeed be set directly after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Johansson also gave some insight as to what Romanoff is dealing with.

“Where we find Natasha in her life at this point is very specific. She really is in a dark place where she’s got no one to call and nowhere to go. She’s really grappling with her own self. When something huge explodes and all the pieces are landing, you have that moment of stillness where you don’t know what to do next — that’s the moment that she’s in. In that moment, you actually have to face yourself.”

– Scarlett Johansson, Entertainment Weekly (July 2019)

Additional ‘Black Widow’ Details

Black Widow will also introduce several new characters. One of those characters, who will be played by David Harbour, will be Alexei. For those not in the know. Alexei Shostakov is the alter ego of the Red Guardian in the comic books. The Red Guardian is a super-soldier and basically the Russian version of Captain America.

Entertainment Weekly’s photo of the cast of Black Widow.

Additional new Black Widow characters include Florence Pugh’s character, Yelena Belova. The actress herself has described the character as Natasha’s “sister figure.” Rachel Weisz will portray Malena, a “seasoned spy and assassin.” The only character still shrouded in mystery is who O.T. Fagbenle will be playing exactly.  He has said publicly that his character is a “fixer.” While Marvel has not confirmed it or not, it is widely agreed upon by fans that his character is most likely the Taskmaster.

Black Widow is due to hit theaters in May 2020.