With new films and television programmes taking place throughout its tangled history, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a beast that never stops growing. The fact that Black Widow is a prequel film that takes place before Natasha Romanoff’s death in Avengers: Endgame has been known for a time. But where exactly does Black Widow belong in the overall Marvel universe? Let’s talk about the Black Widow timeline location now that the film is finally accessible in cinemas and on Disney+ Premiere Access. A word of caution: There are numerous MCU spoilers in this conversation.
After Avengers: Endgame
While the exact timing of the Black Widow post-credits sequence is unknown, we can be certain that it takes place after Natasha’s passing in Endgame. Yelena is caught by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the same person who hired John Walker (Wyatt Russell) at the conclusion of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as she is cleaning Natasha’s tomb in the scene. The Contessa reveals something in this scene that lets us date the post-credit sequence for late 2023 or early 2024. Yelena has been working for the Contessa for some time, and her next target is a surprise in and of itself. The Contessa attempts to explain her appearance by claiming that she is merely paying her respects, indicating that the two women haven’t spoken since Natasha was alive. Fall 2023 saw the burial for Tony Stark, thus it’s safe to presume Natasha received a similar experience at the same time.
We’ll get additional parts of the chronological jigsaw as new MCU films arrive in theatres and Marvel Studios shows arrive on Disney+. However, Black Widow already does a fantastic job of connecting the past and present.
Back to Civil War
After a brief introduction that informs the audience about the harsh training the Widows undergo in the Red Room, we are immediately transported to 2016, following the combat that takes place at the Leipzig-Halle Airport in Captain America: Civil War. While their comrades remain behind to divert Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and the other superheroes who signed the Sokovia Accords, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) flee the airport conflict in a plane while their allies remain there to aid them. In order to allow Steve to go, Natasha (Scarlett Johansson), a member of Team Iron Man, now holds off King T’challa (Chadwick Boseman). Natasha is last seen in Civil War running from Secretary Ross (William Hurt), who Tony says would pursue her after the betrayal.
At this time, the major action of Black Widow begins as Ross and his army encircle a building where Natasha is allegedly hiding. Ross is told to back off and leave Natasha alone by Natasha over the phone. Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), and “the other man,” who is clearly referring to Scott Lang, have already been apprehended, according to Ross (Paul Rudd). One of the opening sequences of Black Widow takes place at the same time as the conclusion of Civil War since Natasha is fleeing and the three heroes are being transported to the super-prison known as The Raft. Tony discovers the truth about Zemo (Daniel Brühl) and travels to meet Steve and Bucky in Siberia while Natasha is on the run.
Natasha resolves to go to Europe, but as she learns through her adoptive sister Yelena, her history soon catches up with her (Florence Pugh). Yelena is also on the run after escaping the Red Room’s mental control. Natasha, who once believed she had put an end to the inhumane training facility, teams up with her adoptive family to bring down the Red Room. These are the main scenes in Black Widow, but the film continues to make references to the American Civil War.
Natasha has her hair dyed blonde much like in Avengers: Infinity War moments before the credits roll. Natasha, who is blonde, later runs across Mason (O-T Fagbenle), the drug dealer friend who bought her a jet. Not just any plane, though, but the one Sam, Natasha, and Steve fly in Infinity War. It’s a creative way to connect the Civil War’s events to Team Cap’s revival when Thanos assaults Earth, but it appears that Natasha had an even more crucial role in the interval between the two films.
Natasha responds to Manson’s question about what she’ll do with the jet by saying she’ll “break some pals out of prison.” We discover that Steve has broken into The Raft to free his super pals at the conclusion of Civil War. However, it appears that Steve was not acting alone, and Natasha may have contributed to the prison break by giving her plane so that everyone could escape. Prequels like Black Widow can fill in the blanks left by earlier films, and the MCU’s attention to detail is praiseworthy. However, the Black Widow credits scene sends us into the future, so we’re not quite done.
When Does the Black Widow Prologue Take Place?
Even if the fact that Black Widow is a prequel comes as no surprise, the opening scene of the film transports us back to 1995, when Natasha Romanoff (Ever Anderson), then 11, lives in Ohio with her family. Together with her mother Melina (Rachel Weisz), father Alexei (David Harbour), and younger sister Yelena, Natasha appears to lead a typical life in the suburbs (Violet McGraw). The happy family is only a front for a three-year mission in which Alexei and Melina get to steal some mind-controlling technology from S.H.I.E.L.D., as we soon discover (actually Hydra at the time).
The Soviet spy family flees S.H.I.E.L.D. after their cover is exposed and meets a Russian commander in Cuba. Alexie is imprisoned in a Siberian facility, Melina returns to Russia to create mind-controlling chemicals, Natasha and Yelena are enrolled in the Red Room to undergo forcible training to become lethal Widow assassins. Yelena is the only family member who has never been inside the Red Room, and she is the only one who is unaware of their goal. Natasha spent some time in the Red Room prior to 1992, as evidenced by the fact that the first scene makes it quite obvious that she doesn’t want to return to the training facility.
It’s important to note that 1995 is a significant year for the MCU because it’s when the main events of Captain Marvel take place. Let’s not, however, get stuck in the dim past. It’s time to advance to 2016, though.
