Black Widow excels when it's different, but, unfortunately, the Marvel Cinematic Universe formula is ever-present to rear its head. In Black Widow, Marvel introduces Natasha Romanoff's (Scarlett Johansson) backstory, which shows she used to be part of a Russian spy program in the United States. The film starts out showing a young Natasha living with her fake parents, Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), and her fake sister, Yelena Belova (played later by Florence Pugh). Though the four of them aren't related, they grow as a family. Years later, they reunited to take down the Red Room, a Soviet-Russian program for brainwashing and training assassins.
With more than twenty movies under Marvel's belt, it's easy to see the MCU formula. No matter what genre, the films generally tend to follow a Marvel version of the hero's journey. They usually involve some magical items, such as Thanos' Infinity Stones; they'll have just the right amount of quips; there may be some cameos and plugs; and the hero may fight a shadow-version of themselves. But, regardless of the specific story, they all tend to end in a bombastic CGI battle. It's a formula that works time and time again.
Black Widow is best when it breaks out of the MCU mold. Early on, the film mixes in a complicated spy thriller and family drama. However, Marvel doesn't keep this going forever. Inevitably, the movie comes back to the formula, introducing outrageous battles and connecting the film to the overall MCU. Because of that, things don't necessarily always fit, sometimes even creating plot holes. But, in the end, for better or worse, the movie had to stick to the tried-and-true formula.
The Black Widow opening credits set the film's tone. For years, Natasha Romanoff talked about her dark past, how her life was taken away, and that there's "red" in her ledger. The opening credits finally show why. The credits feature Malia J's haunting cover of Nirvana's “Smells Like Teen Spirit," which plays over a harrowing montage of the Red Room harvesting and brainwashing its future assassins. In various scenes, guards separate Natasha and Yelena, terrified young women line up for the Red Room's choosing, children take fake family photos, and news footage plays various atrocities carried out by Russian agents. It's unlike anything Marvel has done, signaling that Black Widow isn't an average MCU movie.
Beyond the opening credits, Black Widow doubles as a spy thriller, introducing Natasha and her fake family as Russian operatives. It's almost like a mini-version of The Americans wrapped up inside a Marvel film. In the movie, Natasha watches the James Bond film Moonraker to drive home the spy-thriller point. She even gets her Bond-like version of Q in her well-connected friend Mason (O-T Fagbenle).
The film's quiet moments also set it apart. Natasha and Yelena are at the heart of the movie. The pair initially have a close-quarters fight that would easily translate into any gripping spy film, but eventually, they reconnect and repair their relationship. Additionally, the scene with the sisters and their fake parents at the dinner table is a clear highlight. Like Red Guardian putting on his ill-fitting old costume, they awkwardly wriggle and squirm their way back into their former family dynamic. Marvel boss Kevin Feige claimed it was his favorite scene in the movie.
Problems arise in Black Widow when it trades in quiet moments for Marvel spectacle. When the heroes finally make it to the Red Room, a fortress that's flying in the sky, the movie takes an abrupt turn. Again, there are some unusual choices, such as the big bad, Dreykov (Ray Winstone), revealing his schemes in a questionable Russian accent and initially protecting himself with confusing pheromone technology, which somehow keeps Natasha from attacking him. But here, spy aspects are quickly forgotten in favor of a flashy, explosive showdown in the sky. It culminates in Natasha fighting on Red Room debris as she plummets towards the ground sans parachute. Naturally, she comes out fine. Yelena, who did have a parachute, is actually a little more banged up.
The movie also has some problems connecting Black Widow to the MCU. Black Widow attempts to answer longtime Marvel questions, and it doesn't always work. For instance, there's a running gag in the MCU about Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and Natasha's mysterious mission in Budapest. In 2012's The Avengers, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Chitauri aliens attack New York, prompting Natasha to say, "Just like Budapest all over again." Black Widow reveals that Natasha and Clint tried to assassinate Dreykov in Budapest, and for a long time, they believed they killed his daughter. So Natasha's line is now confusing and slightly disturbing.
Ultimately, Black Widow is a puzzle piece in the greater MCU. Because of that, it was always going to stick to the MCU's reliable formula. After all, the MCU is all about creating an immersive, cross-platform experience for fans. Anything too different, such as an intimate family drama or a straight spy thriller, wouldn't make sense. Though explosive skydiving fights and pheromone pseudoscience eliminates any hope of Black Widow being a grounded MCU film, a lack of a wild ending would've been a glaring letdown. Marvel movies always bring the promise of a big action sequence, and anything besides that doesn't make sense.
The COVID-19 pandemic also worked against Black Widow. The movie was initially scheduled to come out in 2020 before being delayed until 2021. In that time, Marvel's Disney+ shows have introduced some tweaks to its usual formula with the unpredictable WandaVision and wildly chaotic Loki. Had the movie come out in its original release date, it could've perhaps worked better in Marvel's overarching plan, easing fans into the vastly different direction of the MCU's future.
Though it has its problems, Black Widow works overall. Its family scenes are standouts, and while it's not always graceful, the movie does answer some Marvel questions. Now, fans can finally know about Black Widow's past and the red in her ledger. The film also introduces Yelena to the MCU, teasing her further involvement in a credits scene. But most importantly, Black Widow is a fitting goodbye to a character that Marvel clearly dropped way too soon.
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