Avengers: Endgame has arrived (well, for most of us depending on where you live) but the merchandise reveals keep on coming. This time, it's courtesy of Hot Toys as they have unveiled the Black Widow action figure based on Scarlett Johansson's appearance in the Marvel Studios movie.
Fans have been particularly intrigued by Natasha's story arc, especially as her changing hair colour has led to a lot of speculation about just how much time has passed since the events of
Infinity War.
Her costume has also undergone some serious upgrades and she now looks more like her comic book counterpart than ever before. That's bound to be welcomed by fans who have been disappointed by some of the previous efforts and these images provide our best look yet at her updated appearance.
So, to check out the entire gallery, simply click on the "View List" button down below!
Black Widow looked very cool in
Avengers: Infinity War but her Secret Avengers costume was a huge departure from what fans were used to seeing. In this movie, Natasha is clearly returning to her comic book roots.
A mainstay of the MCU since
Iron Man 2, Natasha has been there for every major event in the history of The Avengers and her popularity continues to grow. As a result, it's really no wonder Marvel Studios is giving her a solo movie!
That's set to be released next year and while it's possible that at least some of it will be set in the present day, rumours are pointing to the movie being an origin story that finally sheds some light on how she went from the Red Room to joining S.H.I.E.L.D.
A lot of moments in Natasha's past have been teased, including a run in with The Winter Soldier, her first meeting with Hawkeye, and the moment Nick Fury sent her in to start spying on Tony Stark. Something tells me that most of the movie will revolve around her time in Russia, though!
That obviously has a lot of potential but assuming it does remain in the past, the movie will almost certainly be a standalone one-off rather than the launch of a new franchise revolving around the Avenger.
According to a number of reliable sources, Black Widow will put the spotlight on the Y2K virus and that makes sense for a lot of reasons. Whether Marvel Studios will utilise special effects to make Scarlett Johansson look like she's in her late teens/early 20s obviously remains to be seen.
Going back to
Avengers: Endgame, it seems as if we can expect to see the hero struggling to deal with the aftermath of Thanos' attack and the fact that so many of her friends were wiped out when the Mad Titan snapped hisn fingers and murdered trillions.
As a regular human, some fans wonder what a character like Black Widow can bring to the table in a movie like this but she's a skilled fighter and more than capable of holding her own in a fight. Don't forget that she went head to head with Proxima Midnight, a member of The Black Order!
One of the biggest changes to the character's appearance is, of course, her hair. Some time must have passed since
Captain Marvel's post-credits scene because her natural red hair has started growing out and the only bit of blonde we see is at the end of her ponytail.
While Black Widow's costume has previously used the black and blue colour scheme, there's a lot of red in this version and that obviously pays homage to her comic book appearance as well.
In terms of weapons, Natasha's trademark stingers return alongside those batons and her pistols. She's going to need all she can muster to make an impact against Thanos and his army of Outriders and Chitauri (if that is indeed what he'll be commanding here).
What do you need to know about this action figure? According to the official description, it's delicately crafted based on the appearance of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in the movie and features a newly developed head sculpt with remarkable likeness and beautifully braided hair sculpture in her distinctive color.
In terms of her costume, Black Widow has a tactical battle suit styled with red markings, highly detailed weapons including articulated pistols, batons, and a movie-themed figure stand with an interchangeable graphic card. Not a bad haul, eh?
The toy makers add that,
"As one of the most compelling characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Widow’s hand-to-hand deadly combat skills are unmatched. Teaming up with Captain America, this master spy can’t quit at the moment, especially since the Avengers’ next mission appears to be an incredibly impossible one."
Speculation continues running rampant that Marvel Studios is planning on killing off some big names in
Avengers: Endgame but they've already wiped out half the universe, so who knows if that's true or not. Either way, characters with movies coming out over the next few years can probably be considered safe!
While a romance between Black Widow and Bruce Banner was teased by Joss Whedon, the Russo Brother abandoned that plot thread with a throwaway hello in
Avengers: Infinity War. Either they weren't a fan (like a lot of fans) or simply didn't have the time to continue exploring that.
There is, of course, a chance that
Avengers: Endgame will address that but based on what we saw in the trailers for
Infinity War, there was a conversation between Bruce and Natasha which was cut down and is probably now going to remain on the cutting room floor.
The Russo Brothers have indicated that there are a lot of
Avengers: Endgame deleted scenes but in recent years, not many of them have shown up on the Blu-ray releases for any Marvel Studios movie. Perhaps they're holding on to them for some sort of special box set release somewhere down the line (a trick Lucasfilm pulled with
Star Wars for years).
Anyway, this is a very cool costume and Black Widow definitely looks badass in the highly anticipated superhero ensemble. Getting to see her in action promises to be a lot of fun and you have to hope the Russos will give her plenty of moments to shine on screen.
What do you guys think about this Black Widow action figure based on Avengers: Endgame? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.