Every Marvel movie and show from Phase 4, ranked worst to best

9. Black Widow

For years, Marvel fans hoped that one day Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), would get her own film. In Phase 4, that hope was finally realized. However, since Natasha was killed during the climactic events of Avengers: Endgame, it meant that Black Widow was always going to be a little different than the average Marvel movie.

Set during the period between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, Black Widow shows how Natasha went into hiding after the Sokovia Accords only to be drawn back into action by her estranged family…all of whom happen to be connected to secret Soviet programs. The movie dives deep into the lore behind the Red Room, where Russian operatives like Black Widow were conditioned since childhood to become some of the most dangerous assassins in the world.

The dynamic between Johansson’s Natasha, her sister Yelena (Florence Pugh), and foster parents Melina (Rachel Weisz) and Alexei / the Red Guardian (David Harbour) is fun and endearing in a dysfunctional way. There’s nothing normal about this family, which makes it all the more satisfying when they finally team up to invade the seemingly impenetrable aerial fortress that contains the Red Room. Black Widow has strong characters, a compelling story, and sound design that really makes you feel every blow in its grounded action scenes.

It’s an emotional send-off for Natasha, because even though she’s successful in her mission for this movie, we all knew that she was heading toward her demise in Avengers: Endgame. Natasha Romanoff became the heart of the Avengers team over the course of the Infinity Saga, and Black Widow reminded us why she was worthy of that role and what challenges she had to overcome in order to fill it.