‘Black Widow’ Was Marvel’s Most Underappreciated Work of 2021
What a year to remember, the MCU expounded on the endless amount of incredible stories for its fans this past year, and we discuss why Black Widow was Marvel’s most underappreciated work of 2021.
Spider-Man: No Way Home didn’t just end the year with a bang, it ended the year with an atom bomb explosion as the third film in Sony and Marvel’s Peter Parker Saga has easily become one of the most successful films ever.
Source: Marvel Studios
With a year that also saw the debut of the beloved Shang-Chi in the highly anticipated Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Simu Liu stood out as one the best MCU debuts of 2021.
The introduction of Marvel’s first foray into long-form storytelling also took place as Disney+ became the home of some incredible Marvel stories of the year.
Source: Marvel Studios
Series like WandaVision, Loki, Hawkeye, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier all presented relevant and incredibly well-developed series that took many adored Marvel characters into new and exciting places, exploring just what makes them some of the MCU’s most interesting characters.
With all of the stories being told from the Marvel Universe this year, there is still one that feels like it just doesn’t get the same amount of attention, while still being one of the best projects of the year.
So, we’re making the case that Black Widow is Marvel’s most underappreciated work of 2021.
Perhaps it was the fact that it was the first theatrical release of Marvel’s pandemic schedule, or it was the controversy surrounding the distribution method that led to the near divorce between Disney and the film’s star, or perhaps it was the limited scope of the film.
Source: Marvel Studios
Regardless of the reason, Black Widow stands out as one of the more interesting, action-packed, and well-made projects of 2021.
Scarlett Johansson was incredible as a Natasha Romanoff forced to confront a past that took everything from her, and Florence Pugh’s debut as Yelena Belova gave the first hint of the phenomenal trajectory for which that character is currently on.
Photo: @ImAFilmEditor
David Harbour may have had the funniest performance in any Marvel project this year, and Rachel Weisz rounded out an exceptional cast that brought humanity to this horrible world.
There was the underwhelming Taskmaster reveal that robbed the MCU of what could have been an incredibly interesting mercenary, but it overalled served the incredibly poignant untold story of the origin of the MCU’s Black Widow.
Black Widow. Image: Marvel
The action was incredible, and it felt like Marvel’s exploration into the James Bond films that have so dominated pop culture. While also exploring incredibly powerful themes that worked to embolden the MCU’s first female superhero, it give her a story that truly displayed her immense worth to this world.
No one pulled punches when it came to Natasha (in a very literal sense), and the film makes no qualms about showing the Avenger being put through the wringer during the film, with the physical battering the character goes through being on par with anyone in the MCU’s history.
Photo: Marvel Studios’ BLACK WIDOW
L to R: Melina (Rachel Weisz), Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Yelena (Florence Pugh)
Photo: Jay Maidment
©Marvel Studios 2020
But it is this lack of softening that allows the character, and the film, to stand with its head so high; to boast in its hero’s resolve to stand again, oppose evil, and do what is right.
That is why Black Widow was Marvel’s most underappreciated work of 2021.
