Fans have been waiting years for Natasha Romanoff to get her own Black Widow solo movie in the MCU, and the time has finally come – albeit after Natasha was killed off. The release of Black Widow is bittersweet in that it’s what a lot of fans have wanted to see for a long time, but the film is also an epilogue or tribute of sorts given that Scarlett Johansson’s fierce Avenger sacrificed her life in Avengers: Endgame and is no longer in the MCU. That’s not to say Johansson won’t ever pop back up (just ask Tom Hiddleston’s Loki how death affected his MCU future), but Natasha’s arc has certainly come to an endpoint of sorts, and Black Widow finds the character diving into her past to reveal what, exactly, that “red” in her ledger is in reference to.
So with Black Widow finally here, you may be wanting to go back to watch all the Black Widow movies in order to watch Natasha’s entire arc from beginning to end. Johansson made her MCU debut well before the name Thanos had ever been uttered, and evolved quite a bit throughout her various supporting roles in different Marvel movies.
Below, we’ve put together a list of all the Black Widow movies in order to watch before you see the solo film, while also revealing where Black Widow fits in the character’s chronology. Let’s dig in.
Black Widow Movies in Order of Release
Iron Man 2 – May 7, 2010
Marvel’s The Avengers – May 4, 2012
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – April 4, 2014
Avengers: Age of Ultron – July 17, 2015
Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016
Avengers: Infinity War – April 27, 2018
Avengers: Endgame – April 26, 2019
Black Widow – July 9, 2021
Black Widow Movies in Chronological Order
Iron Man 2 (2010)
The first time we meet Natasha Romanoff is in Iron Man 2, where she’s first introduced as Tony Stark’s personal assistant “Natalie Rushman.” As it turns out, Natasha has been tasked with spying on Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and S.H.I.E.L.D., and the majority of the film finds the character leaning hard into the “spy” aspect of her role. In truth, Iron Man 2 does a fairly poor job of dimensionalizing Black Widow – even by Johansson’s own admission the character is overly sexualized in this particular movie, and she doesn’t really do much beyond serving as “eye candy” while she hacks her way into computers and shows off a bit of her fight skills. But Iron Man 2 is notable in that it was a stumbling block for Marvel – they realized they were trying to set up too much, too inelegantly in one movie, and learned their lesson. So while this is technically Natasha’s introduction to the MCU, it’s a bit of a shaky one to be honest, and somewhat inessential.
Marvel’s Avengers (2012)
When Joss Whedon was hired to write and direct Marvel’s Avengers, he revealed that he was intent on fleshing out the Natasha Romanoff character. And indeed, Marvel’s Avengers is the movie that made audiences fall in love with Nat, as Johansson gets a chance to flex her comedy muscles while also proving that Romanoff is compassionate (as glimpsed through her relationship with Hawkeye), capable (as evidenced by how she manipulates Loki), and endearing (she, frankly, doesn’t take crap from anybody despite the huge egos flying everywhere). The story chronicles the formation of the titular Avengers, of which Natalie is part via her working relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. But her big heart is revealed through the lengths she goes to rescue her co-worker and friend Hawkeye from under Loki’s spell.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
While Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a Captain America movie, it’s also kind of a two-hander between Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Natasha Romanoff. The story finds the duo on the run when it’s revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated by Hydra, and they must discover the truth before it’s too late. The movie is a paranoid thriller of sorts, but thematically hits upon some interesting things as Natasha and Steve are both characters working for governments they don’t fully trust. Natasha, of course, defected from the Russian spy program to work for S.H.I.E.L.D., and Steve was unfrozen and introduced to a world he didn’t fully understand. The characters have some terrific chemistry, and the film almost flirts with romantic feelings between the two. Almost.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
This is a fairly controversial film in the Black Widow chronology, as it introduces the romantic relationship between Natasha and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). I’m pro-BruNat, and I find their scenes in this film particularly enchanting, as they also give color to both characters. Most divisive is a scene in which Natasha reveals that as part of the “Red Room” training program in Russia, she was forcibly sterilized. She refers to herself as a “monster” in relating to Banner’s struggles, not in reference to the fact that she can’t have children, but in how both she and Banner do not have/have not had full control or agency over their lives and bodies. It’s a devastating scene that further dimensionalizes Natasha, but this film also marks both the beginning and end of her romantic flirtation with Bruce as he ends the film heading off into space and future Avengers installments pretend like the whole thing never happened.
But Age of Ultron — which is set in the wake of the dismantling of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Winter Soldier — also does a great job of showcasing Natasha’s heroism, as she works to save every human she can as Sokovia is being flown up into the sky, and ends the film as co-captain of the Avengers with Steve Rogers. All around, this is a key film in Natasha’s story arc.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Natasha doesn’t have a ton to do in Captain America: Civil War, which takes place some time after Age of Ultron, but her actions speak pretty loudly in the film as she sides with Tony Stark over Steve Rogers when it comes to signing the Sokovia Accords – a document that would allow a UN panel to oversee the actions of the Avengers team. It’s fascinating in that her friendship with Rogers is tested but she also sees the need for some kind of oversight to prevent innocent people from getting hurt. And then of course in the film’s climax, Natasha’s heart wins out and she allows Rogers and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) to escape, which puts a target on her back in the eyes of the government.
Black Widow (2021)
The Black Widow movie picks up shortly after the events of Captain America: Civil War left off, as Romanoff is being hunted by Secretary of State Thadeus Ross (William Hurt). With nowhere to turn, she sets out for one of her safehouses overseas, but that brings her into contact with her “sister” Yelena (Florence Pugh) from when she was part of a Russian spy family implanted in America. Together, the two must seek out the family they once knew to close the door on the past once and for all. The film ends before the events of Avengers: Infinity War begin, and is a largely contained mystery-thriller that finally delves into Natasha’s past while also showing how significantly she’s grown.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Audiences were a bit surprised when Avengers: Infinity War was released to find that Natasha and Steve Rogers really don’t factor into the plot all that much. Part one of a two-part epic, Infinity War begins very shortly after Black Widow ends and largely Thanos’ story with Tony Stark serving as the primary protagonist, as Romanoff, Rogers, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen), Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), and others are still on the run following their actions during Captain America: Civil War. They eventually find refuge in Wakanda and team up with Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) before Thanos snaps half of the universe’s population out of existence.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The end of Natasha’s story (for now) is told in Avengers: Endgame, for which she plays a major role. Indeed, nearly the entire first hour of the film puts Natasha in the lead, as she’s spent the five years following the Snap trying to keep some semblance of the Avengers together. When an action plan is initiated to go back in time and re-capture the Infinity Stones, Natasha accompanies Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to Vormir to retrieve the Soul Stone, which can only be acquired with an act of sacrifice. Natasha tragically sacrifices herself (after fighting with Hawkeye over who would go), and her fall over the cliff is the last we see of her alive in the MCU. It’s a sad end to Natasha’s story, but Black Widow reflexively fleshes out her arc so that in rewatching Endgame, her story is even more fulfilling.
Black Widow Movies Streaming
All of the aforementioned Black Widow movies are streaming on Disney+.