It’s been two years since we lost Natasha Romanoff at Vormir in Avengers: Endgame, and fans have still not accepted her passing.

The pandemic-delayed Black Widow prequel was somewhat of a tribute to one of the first MCU characters to debut, alongside Tony Stark’s Iron Man. The stand-alone film also served as a swan song performance for Scarlett Johansson, but we think there are still plenty of ways that Natasha could return in the MCU.

Black Widow Sequel

The most likely scenario to warrant Natasha’s return is a straight-forward sequel to Black Widow. Natasha has a lengthy history of being an agent, with many missions under her belt, and fans will also be quite happy to see Natasha and her adopted sister Yelena Belova go on other harrowing missions together.

There is also the possibility that the MCU will follow the comic book narrative, where Yelena picks up the Black Widow mantle. This also presents the possibility that a Black Widow sequel would follow Yelena instead of Natasha, as the MCU is setting her up to be one of the major superheroes of Phase 4 and 5.

MCU Films Set Before Natasha’s Death

While the MCU has a history of plodding along nicely, its timeline is by no means linear. We had the main Infinity Saga which continuously changed time periods to reflect the events of the independent feature. Iron Man was the first MCU film to release but it’s Captain America: The First Avenger that holds first place within the chronological timeline.

This means that any feature set before the events of Avengers: Endgame has the possibility of a Black Widow appearance. Even if she doesn’t appear, fans can still be comforted by the fact that she’s still alive. Whether it's a cameo or a bigger role, we're sure Kevin Feige will be keen to keep her return under wraps.

scarlett johansson black widow pose
Marvel Studios

Marvel Studios

The Multiverse

Finally, there is the Multiverse to address.

Nobody knows the extent of what the Multiverse will unlock within the MCU, but we know from the comics that basically anything goes. Spider-Man: No Way Home is expected to return past Spider-Man variants Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to the scene, thanks to the Multiverse, and Loki has also expanded this premise and introduced the concept of variants.

In short, if Marvel wants Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff to appear whilst the Multiverse is unlocked, it can be justified in some way. Sam Raimi’s upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to present weird and wonderful things within the MCU, but is it too soon to see the return of Natasha’s superhero landing?