page_title: Natasha Romanoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
section_title: Characterization
hierarchical_section_title: Natasha Romanoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe) / Characterization
caption_attribution_description: English: Scarlett Johansson speaking at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.
context_page_description: Natasha Romanoff is a fictional character portrayed by Scarlett Johansson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—sometimes known by her alter ego, Black Widow. Romanoff is a spy and an expert hand-to-hand combatant, trained in the Red Room from childhood. She eventually becomes part of the counter-terrorism agency S.H.I.E.L.D., through which the character was introduced to the franchise in Iron Man 2, and then of the Avengers, defending her teammates and the Earth against various threats. The character will headline her own film, Black Widow, which is set to be released on November 6, 2020.
context_section_description: In Iron Man 2, Romanoff is introduced as Natalie Rushman, an undercover spy for S.H.I.E.L.D. posing as Stark's new assistant. Johansson dyed her hair red before she landed the part, hoping that it would help convince Favreau that she was right for the role. Johansson said that she chose the role because "the Black Widow character resonated with me... [She] is a superhero, but she's also human. She's small, but she's strong... She is dark and has faced death so many times that she has a deep perspective on the value of life... It's hard not to admire her." She stated that she had "a bit of a freak-out moment" when she first saw the cat-suit. When asked about fighting in the costume, Johansson responded 
  "[A] big part of me is like 'can I move in this? Can I run in it? Can I like throw myself over things with this?' And I think just the prep, you just have to put in the hours. That's what I realized is that just putting in the hours and doing the training and repetition and basically just befriending the stunt team and spending all day, every day, just over and over and over and over until you sell it."
  
  In The Avengers, the character's close friendship with Clint Barton is indicated, about which Johansson said, 
  "Our characters have a long history. They've fought together for a long time in a lot of battles in many different countries. We're the two members of this avenging group who are skilled warriors – we have no superpowers. Black Widow is definitely one of the team, though. She's not in the cast simply to be a romantic foil or eye candy. She's there to fight, so I never felt like I was the only girl. We all have our various skills and it feels equal".
   Regarding her training, Johansson said, "Even though Iron Man 2 was 'one-for-them,' I'd never done anything like that before. I'd never been physically driven in something, or a part of something so big. For The Avengers, I've spent so many months training with our stunt team, and fighting all the other actors, it's crazy. I do nothing but fight—all the time." Johansson earned $4–6 million for the film.
  In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Screenwriter Christopher Markus said that Black Widow was a "great contrast" to Captain America, describing her as "incredibly modern, not very reverent, and just very straightforward whereas Steve is, you know a man from the 40s. He's not a boy scout, but he is reserved and has a moral center, whereas her moral center moves." The Russos added, "She's a character who lies for a living. That's what she does. He's a character who tells the truth. Give them a problem and they'll have different ways of approaching it. She's pushing him to modernize, and he's pushing her to add a certain level of integrity to her life." When asked about Romanoff's relationship with Rogers, Johansson responded, 
  "By a series of unfortunate encounters, they will be in a situation in which their friendship becomes more intimate. They share many similarities because they live on the defensive without relying on anyone. Also, the two have been working for the government throughout their professional careers. With their friendship they begin to question what they want and what is their true identity."
  Producer Kevin Feige stated that more of the character's backstory is explored in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Johansson elaborated, "In Avengers 2 we go back... we definitely learn more about Widow's backstory, and we get to find out how she became the person you see. All of these characters have deep, dark pasts, and I think that the past catches up to some of us a little bit." Regarding where the film picks up Widow's story, Johansson felt it was a continuation of what was seen for her character in The Winter Soldier, with the fact that "'[Widow] never made an active choice. [She's] a product of other people's imposition.' That's going to catch up with her. That's bound to have a huge effect. There's got to be a result of that realization... You'll see her actively making some choices in her life, for better or worse." A mixture of close-ups, concealing costume
caption: Scarlett Johansson speaking on the Black Widow panel at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.
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