For Johansson, fans, ‘Black Widow’ is a decade in the making

Scarlett Johansson has had quite a bit of time to think about a “Black Widow” movie

Scarlett Johansson has had quite a bit of time to think about a “ Black Widow ” movie. After all, she’s played the character in seven movies spanning 10 years. Yet unlike many of her fellow Avengers who got grand introductions in movies and sequels bearing their names on the marquee, she built the enigmatic Natasha Romanoff as a sideline scene stealer beginning with her introduction in 2010’s “Iron Man 2” through her exit in “Avengers: Endgame.” By the time her name was called for a coveted standalone, she knew that, above all, she wanted Black Widow’s film to be unexpected. And as the first lead actor to serve as a producer on a Marvel film, she actually had a say. The character, introduced in the comics in 1964, is inextricably tied to a Soviet-era spy aesthetic fitting of James Bond. But that seemed like the easy route.