It seems Scarlett Johansson is finally back working on the MCU with Thunderbolts! However, fans may be shocked to discover her role in the upcoming project.
Scarlett Johansson has had a tumultuous last few years with the MCU. Her headlining film Black Widow was released during the height of the pandemic, leading to a messy situation around the film’s early release on Disney Plus. The situation would conclude with Johansson suing the House of Mouse for a breach of contract, with the two parties settling out of court with undisclosed terms.
This left many fans unsure if Scarlett Johansson would have a future in the MCU. While Black Widow herself was gone, Disney had high hopes for their future collaborations. It had already been announced that the star had interest in producing a project for the studio, and Florence Pugh’s leading role as Yelena Belova in Thunderbolts made many thing that a flashback cameo might be in the cards. While Johansson has made her return to the Marvel universe, it’s seemingly not in the way many fans would have expected.
Scarlett Johansson’s Thunderbolts Role Revealed
Disney has confirmed in a press release that Scarlett Johansson will, in fact, be making her return to the MCU with Thunderbolts. However, she won’t be playing Black Widow. The actress will instead be taking the role of executive producer, joining longtime Marvel bigwigs and creatives such as Louis D’Esposito, Jason Tamez, Brian Chapek, and Kevin Feige. The project also serves as Tamez’ first executive producing credit, having previously only served as line producer on the studios’ TV lineup.
For those unaware, the role of executive producer is primarily associated with gathering funding for a project. This also means they have quite a bit of sway when it comes to the direction of the final product. So even though Scarlett Johansson won’t be making a return as Black Widow, Thunderbolts may end up being the MCU project that she’s had the largest influence on due to her new role behind the camera.
Thunderbolts is currently set to hit theaters on May 2, 2025. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
