Could A 'Black Widow' Movie Look Like This?

If there's one thing that's still stinging many who want the best for Marvel, it's the unlikeliness in the wake of their "Phase Three" announcement that we'll ever get our Black Widow solo movie. Captain Marvel's Carol Danvers is worthy of celebration, for sure, but it's a loss nonetheless. Which is why we must be grateful to people like Nathan Edmonson, who write amazing sample scripts for a Black Widow solo movie, poking at our wounds with greatness.

Edmonson, who writes Black Widow's ongoing comic for Marvel, posted the first six pages of a Black Widow screenplay to his website, tweeting it out as a show of solidarity with the Black Widow fans who've so fervently kept the yearning for a Natasha Romanoff solo movie alive. "Here. I whipped this up a minute ago, just to prove I support!" he wrote Sunday.

It's important to note that by al indications this was not commissioned by Marvel, and considering the rules most studios have re: unsolicited screenplays, they probably couldn't even read it, let alone use it. But that doesn't stop it from being pretty great, and from being a good example of what a tip of an iceberg Black Widow is for the MCU at the moment: There's so much potential for spin-off storylines that it makes sense that there's such a palpable ache being triggered by a lack of action on the studio's part. You can have her pop up in the other movies all you want — there's a lot more to this woman and her story than they're showing us.

You should really go read the full six pages of the sample script, but here's a little snippet to serve as a sort of teaser:

There are a couple of things that — aside from its absence from the announced slate — make me doubt that we're going to be getting a Black Widow movie in any recent years. One revolves around Marvel itself, and the other around Scarlett Johansson: The Avengers' line-ups are about to go boom — probably as soon as Age Of Ultron, definitely in Civil War and Infinity Gauntlet. Considering how long Johansson's been bouncing from movie to movie as Natasha Romanoff, it wouldn't be a surprise if she decided to take a page out of Chris Evans' book and opt out of the endless Marvel parade pretty soon. This is obviously 100 percent conjecture, but it wouldn't surprise me if she's already turned down a Black Widow movie behind-the-scenes. I'm dying to see Natasha Romanoff get her solo glory, but I also doubt Marvel would just pull an Amazing Spider-Man and recast her, if they were ever on board in the first place.

Marvel's long-term plan, though, is unclear. We know the next five years, sure, and "Phase Three" is pretty meaty. What comes after that, though, is unclear — is Marvel continuing down this big glob of continuity for all eternity? How long does their massive experimental TV show intend to run, exactly?

And when it's done, can we please get a promise that the next era they launch will be led with a Black Widow movie this time, instead of an Iron Man one? You've already got multiple great screenwriters to choose from.

Image: Marvel; twitter