MCU

The Ultimate MCU Timeline: Marvel Movies in Chronological Order

How to Watch Marvel Movies in Order: 2026 Guide

27th January 2026

This is the definitive linear path through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, combining the “Sacred Timeline” movies, the Disney+ originals, and the “Street Level” legacy shows (Daredevil, Luke Cage, etc.) which are now canon. How to use this guide: Eras 1-5 cover the “Infinity Saga” and the “Defenders Saga” (Street Level). Era 6 covers the “Multiverse Saga” and the new Phase 6 releases up to present day (Jan 2026). Era 1: The Origins & The Golden Age (1940s – 1995) The story begins with the creation of the Super Soldier and the early days of S.H.I.E.L.D. Captain America: The First Avenger (Set in WWII) Agent Carter (Seasons 1 & 2) Setting: 1946. Peggy Carter fights early Hydra threats. Captain Marvel (Set in 1995) Note: Introduces Nick Fury and the Skrulls. Era 2: The Assembly (2008 – 2012) The world discovers superheroes. Iron Man (2008) Iron Man 2 The Incredible Hulk Thor The Avengers (2012) Crucial Event: The “Battle of New York” changes the world and triggers the events of the TV shows below. Era 3: The Age of Miracles & The Defenders (2013 – 2015) While the Avengers handle global threats, “Street Level” heroes rise in New York City to fight the crime left in the Avengers’ wake. Iron Man 3 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season 1, Ep 1-16) Thor: The Dark World Captain America: The Winter Soldier Watch Order: Watch this immediately after Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ep 16 to see the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. play out in real-time. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season 1, Ep 17-22) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (Set in 2014) Daredevil (Season 1) Why here? Matt Murdock begins cleaning up Hell’s Kitchen after the Battle of New York. [Shop Amazon: Daredevil Complete Season 1 Blu-ray] Jessica Jones (Season 1) Avengers: Age of Ultron Ant-Man Era 4: Civil War & The Fracture (2016 – 2017) The Avengers split up. This period is dense with “Street Level” stories occurring simultaneously. Captain America: Civil War Black Widow (Set immediately after Civil War) Black Panther Spider-Man: Homecoming Luke Cage (Season 1) Iron Fist (Season 1) The Defenders (Limited Series) The Event: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist team up against The Hand. The Punisher (Season 1) Doctor Strange (Spans 2016-2017) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Seasons 3-5) Note: Deals with Ghost Rider and the Kree/Inhuman conflict. Era 5: The Infinity War (2018 – 2023) The Snap occurs, and the universe enters five years of chaos. Thor: Ragnarok Ant-Man and the Wasp Avengers: Infinity War Avengers: Endgame (Spans 2018 – 2023) Era 6: The Multiverse Saga & The New World Order (2023 – 2027) Current Timeline. The Avengers are gone, the Multiverse is breaking, and new political powers (Kingpin, Red Hulk) are rising. The Post-Endgame Shuffle (2023-2024) Loki (Seasons 1 & 2) Timeline Note: Exists outside of time, but best viewed here to understand the Multiverse. WandaVision The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Eternals Spider-Man: Far From Home Spider-Man: No Way Home The “Modern” Era (2025 In-Universe) Hawkeye Moon Knight She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Connection: Daredevil returns here with a lighter tone. Ms. Marvel Thor: Love and Thunder Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Secret Invasion The Marvels The “Now” (2026-2027 In-Universe) This is the current cutting edge of the story as of early 2026. Echo Key Event: Kingpin begins his rise to political power. Deadpool & Wolverine Note: Deals heavily with the timeline and the “Fox Universe” legacy. [Buy on Amazon: Deadpool & Wolverine 4K UHD] Agatha All Along Daredevil: Born Again (Season 1) Timeline: Set in late 2026/early 2027. Matt Murdock and Kingpin (now Mayor Fisk) clash in a city where vigilantism is being outlawed. [Read the Inspiration: Daredevil “Born Again” Trade Paperback] Captain America: Brave New World Timeline: Early 2027. Sam Wilson faces President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Red Hulk). Thunderbolts* Timeline: Mid-2027. A team of anti-heroes (Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, U.S. Agent) is assembled by Val for a black-ops mission. Ironheart Timeline: Set after Wakanda Forever and Brave New World. Timeline Divergence: The Retro-Future The Fantastic Four: First Steps Placement: Tricky. This movie takes place in an alternate universe (Earth-828) set in a retro-futuristic 1960s. When to watch: Chronologically, it happens in the “past,” but narratively it sets up the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. We recommend watching it last (after Thunderbolts*) as a prelude to the timeline collision. [Pre-order Merch: Fantastic Four “First Steps” Apparel & Comics]

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The Ultimate MCU Timeline: Marvel Movies in Chronological Order

The Ultimate MCU Timeline In Chronological Order (2026)

28th February 2026

“Trying to navigate the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe can be a daunting task for even the most dedicated fans. If you want the definitive way to watch every movie and series, you need the MCU timeline in chronological order. As of 2026, with the arrival of the Multiverse Saga’s climax, keeping track of the history has never been more vital. Our guide breaks down the entire journey from the 1940s to the present day.”  My face when I remembered I had to include Agents Of Shield, the One-Shots and the Netflix shows in this list. Full List: The MCU Timeline in Chronological Order (2026 Update) Phase 1: Starting the MCU Timeline in Chronological Order 1. Captain America: The First Avenger 2. Agent Carter Season 1 *4 3. Agent Carter Season 2 *4 4. Agent Carter One-Shot 5. Captain Marvel 6. Iron Man 7. Iron Man 2 8. The Incredible Hulk 9. The Consultant One-Shot 10. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer One-Shot 11. Thor 12. The Avengers (aka Avengers Assemble) 13. Item 47 One-Shot Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline   Phase 2  I know the feeling Tone. 14. Iron Man 3 15. All Hail the King One-Shot 16. Agents of SHIELD Season 1, Episodes 1-7 *1 17. Thor: The Dark World 18. Agents of SHIELD Season 1, Episodes 8-16 *1 19. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 20. Agents of SHIELD Season 1 Episodes 17-22 *1 21. Guardians of the Galaxy 22. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 23. Daredevil Season 1 *3 24. Agents of SHIELD Season 2, Episodes 1-10 *1 25. Jessica Jones Season 1*3 26. Agents of SHIELD Season 2, Episodes 11-19 *1 27. Avengers: Age of Ultron 28. Agents of SHIELD Season 2, Episodes 20-22 *1 29. Daredevil Season 2, Episodes 1-4 *3 30. Luke Cage Season 1, Episodes 1-4 *3 31. Daredevil Season 2, Episodes 5-11 *3 32. Luke Cage Season 1, Episodes 5-8 *3 33. Daredevil Season 2, Episodes 12-13 *3 34. Luke Cage Season 1, Episodes 9-13 *3 35. Ant-Man 36. Agents of SHIELD (season 3, eps 1-10) *1 37. Agents of SHIELD (season 3, eps 11-19) *1 38. Iron Fist Season 1 *3 Watching Phase 2 this way really helps the MCU timeline in chronological order feel more cohesive. Phase 3  Me by the end of this list probably. 39. Captain America: Civil War 40. Black Widow 41. Agents of SHIELD (season 3, eps 20-22) *1 42. The Defenders *3 43. Agents of SHIELD (season 4, eps 1-6) *1 44. Doctor Strange 45. Black Panther 46. Agents of SHIELD (season 4, eps 7-8) *1 47. Agents of SHIELD: Slingshot (season 1, eps 1-6) *1 48. Agents of SHIELD (season 4, eps 9-22) *1 49. Spider-Man: Homecoming 50. Thor: Ragnarok  The reaction of other people when I told them I was doing this article. 51. Inhumans *5 52. The Punisher *3 53. Runaways *6 54. Agents of SHIELD (season 5, eps 1-10) *1 55. Jessica Jones Season 2 *3 56. Agents of SHIELD (season 5, eps 11-18) *1 57. Cloak & Dagger Season 1 *7 58. Cloak & Dagger Season 2 *7 59. Luke Cage Season 2 *3 60. Iron Fist Season 2 *3 61. Daredevil Season 3 *3 62. Runaways Season 2 *6 63. The Punisher Season 2 *3 64. Jessica Jones Season 3 *3 65. Ant-Man and the Wasp *8 66. Avengers: Infinity War 67. Agents of SHIELD (season 5, eps 19-22) *1 68. Agents of SHIELD (season 6) *1 *2 69. Agents of SHIELD (season 7) *1 *2 70. Runaways Season 3 *2 *6 71. Avengers: Endgame Phase 4: The Multiverse Saga Begins Following the events of Endgame, the MCU timeline in chronological order becomes slightly more complex as it branches into the Multiverse. Loki Season 1 & 2: Technically takes place outside of time, but best viewed immediately after Endgame. *9 What If…? Season 1-3: Multiversal stories branching from the end of Loki. *10 WandaVision: Set 3 weeks after the Blip (2023). The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: 6 months after the Blip (2024). Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Set in early 2024. Eternals: Set in late 2024, concurrent with Spider-Man: Far From Home. *11 Spider-Man: Far From Home: Summer 2024. Spider-Man: No Way Home: Starts in Summer 2024 and ends in December 2024. Hawkeye: Christmas 2024. Moon Knight: Set in early 2025. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Set in 2025, following No Way Home. Ms. Marvel: Set in Autumn 2025. Thor: Love and Thunder: Set in late 2025. Werewolf by Night: Late 2025. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Set in late 2025. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special: December 2025. Phase 5: Variance in the MCU Timeline in Chronological Order Phase 5 expands the corporate and cosmic stakes of the MCU timeline in chronological order, leading directly into the events of 2026. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: Set in early 2026. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Set in 2026, following the Holiday Special. Secret Invasion: Set in 2026, dealing with the fallout of the Skrull infiltration. Echo: Occurs in early 2026, five months after Hawkeye. The Marvels: Set in late 2026, following the events of Ms. Marvel and Secret Invasion. Deadpool & Wolverine: While largely “outside of time” in the Void, its impact on the MCU timeline in chronological order is felt in late 2026. Agatha All Along: Set in late 2026, following the release of the Scarlet Witch’s spell. Captain America: Brave New World: Set in early 2027 (released Feb 2025), dealing with President Ross and the new world order. Daredevil: Born Again Season 1: Set in early 2027 (released March 2025). Thunderbolts:* Set in mid-2027 (released May 2025), following the team-up of the MCU’s anti-heroes. Phase 6: The Road to Doomsday (Present 2026 Updates) As of February 28, 2026, the MCU timeline in chronological order has entered the highly anticipated Phase 6. The Fantastic Four: First Steps: (Released July 2025). While the film is set in a retro-futuristic 1964, the “First Family” is officially integrated into the main MCU timeline in chronological order by the end of the film. Wonder Man: (Released January 2026). Set in the present day (2027-2028 in-universe), this series explores the Hollywood side of the superhero world. Daredevil: Born Again Season 2: (Current February 2026 Release).

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Charlie Cox Returns: Daredevil in the MCU & Future Projects

28th January 2026

Fantastic news for fans of Netflix’s Daredevil broke overnight, after it was confirmed by Kevin Feige himself that Charlie Cox is the MCU’s Daredevil. After Daredevil was cancelled back in 2018, when plans for Disney+ were set in motion, fans of The Man Without Fear were left disappointed. This bombshell was especially disappointing considering that the third season left us on somewhat of a cliff-hanger regarding Bullseye being introduced as the main antagonist in season 4. Ever since then, the question of Daredevil in the MCU has been left hanging, until now. MCU mastermind Kevin Feige recently did an interview with Cinemablend, where he confirmed Daredevil would not be recast in the MCU. If/when the character next appears in a Marvel movie or original series, he will in fact be played once again by Charlie Cox. Whilst this is exciting news for fans of that version of the character, it should be noted that this doesn’t necessarily mean that Cox will appear in the MCU anytime soon, as he has not officially been casted in any upcoming projects. All this really means is that another actor will not play Matt Murdock within the MCU. Check out Feige’s direct quote regarding the matter below and you can decide for yourself what this could mean. “If you were to see Daredevil in upcoming things, Charlie Cox, yes, would be the actor playing Daredevil. Where we see that, how we see that, when we see that, remains to be seen.” As I said above, Charlie Cox has yet to be officially cast as Daredevil in any upcoming projects, that said though, there are a few different spots where he could re-emerge within what is currently taking place in the MCU. It has been heavily rumoured, (and backed up by a leaked photo,) that Charlie Cox will appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home as Matt Murdock. The rumour goes that after the film opens with Peter Parker being wanted for the murder of Mysterio, Matt Murdock will be the lawyer brought in to clear his name. We won’t know until next week whether or not he will appear as Daredevil in the upcoming Spidey sequel or just as Matt Murdock, though I’d say it is pretty certain that he will indeed show up in some form. Over on Disney+, the upcoming She-Hulk series centres around Jennifer Walters, who just happens to work as a lawyer in her day job. Could we see the two cross paths in the courtroom at some point? Hawkeye is also currently streaming to the platform every Wednesday and the previous episodes have hinted that The Kingpin could be making an appearance in a later episode. If Kingpin does indeed show up, does that mean we could also be getting an appearance from The Devil Of Hell’s Kitchen? As is the case with Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio has not officially been cast in any upcoming MCU properties at the time of writing. That said, we can presume that if Cox will remain as the MCU’s version of Daredevil, then D’Onofrio will more than likely remain the MCU’s version of Kingpin. Hawkeye is certainly dropping a lot of hints towards Kingpin and at this point, if he doesn’t show up, then a lot of people are going to be left disappointed. So with all of that being said, what do you make of Feige putting rumours and worries to rest regarding the future of Daredevil within the MCU? Are you excited to see the character onscreen again? Let us know in the comments section down below.

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Review – Black Panther: The Long Shadow #1

26th November 2021

Review – Black Panther: The Long Shadow #1 Publisher: Marvel Comics Writer: John Ridley Artist: Juann Cabal Colorist: Federico Blee Letterer: Joe Sabino Release Date: November 2021 I have been excited to review Black Panther: The Long Shadow #1 since it was initially announced. This is a new series that follows on from Jason Aaron’s brilliant Avengers run and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther run. Both of those series had some respective major events take place surrounding T’Challa, some of them being nothing less than universe-shifting. Instead of dropping all of that baggage and starting afresh, John Ridley instead chooses to embrace the previously established lore of the preceding runs and works it into the story he is telling. This works remarkably well and rather than causing convolution and confusion, it instead helps this T’Challa’s universe feel lived in. Balancing those elements is what allows the plot of The Long Shadow #1 to flow and feel easy to follow, even if you haven’t read Coates’ previous Black Panther run. It is also a wise decision to choose to follow on from Coates’ run in terms of allowing readers to tie this comic’s plot and design elements into the MCU. This is because Ryan Coogler’s MCU version of the character took a lot of inspiration from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ run. This results in the onscreen and on-page versions of T’Challa and his supporting cast feel familiar to each other. Generally, I really enjoyed the way that Ridley wrote T’Challa in this issue. I had a good time reading through his dialogue and enjoyed reading his interactions with the other various Avengers team members present in the issue. T’Challa here feels consistent to what we have seen of him before, which is always something that is appreciated when a writer is swapped out between runs. However, there was one thing that I didn’t love in terms of the writing in the issue. Although this is an exciting first issue packed with plenty of action, it is rather exposition heavy. A lot of pages feel somewhat arbitrary, as they exist purely to set up future plot elements and things that will only become important later in the run. This is particularly obvious on the last page of the issue, which is used to tease where this run will go in the future. Whilst it was a visually interesting page, it felt slightly cheap and on-the-nose. Speaking of the visuals, Juann Cabal’s artwork was a real stand out in this issue for me. His pencils and inks in combination with Federico Blee’s colouring resulting in vibrant, dynamic panels that were always interesting to look at. The opening sequence in the issue is a particularly glorious feast for the eyes and the crisp, beautiful illustration continues throughout. Overall, this is a solid first issue. Frankly it is worth picking up for Alex Ross’ stunning front cover alone, but you will also find a compelling plot setup on the inside along with the enduring, charming characters that we all know and love from the Marvel universe. I am looking forward to seeing where this run goes and will definitely be picking up future issues when they drop. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Black Panther: The Long Shadow #1, check out what he thought of the Black Panther movie here. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com

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Is Eternals Bad? Marvel Movie Review & Final Verdict

28th January 2026

Review – Eternals Directed by: Chloe Zhao Produced by: Kevin Feige & Nate Moore Written by: Chloe Zhao & Patrick Burleigh Starring: Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie & Salma Hayek Release Date: November 5th 2021 In the beginning… Prior to seeing the film, I was excited that I was going to get to review Eternals; Marvel’s latest blockbuster. Although I don’t know a great deal about the Eternals, (I have only read Neil Gaiman’s run and the Manifest Destiny TPB,) I thought this would play to the film’s advantage as I wouldn’t be constantly comparing them to their more powerful comic-book counterparts. I am a fan of an MCU movie and based on the trailers for Eternals, this outing looked like it could lead to lots of in depth existential analysis and discussion. Unfortunately, that is not really the case. Positives There were parts of the movie that I did enjoy. The cast did a fine job with what they were given to work with and there were no weak links amongst the new group of heroes. The use of CGI and special effects made for some stunning visuals and certain scenes were damn-near breath-taking to witness on the big screen. In fact, there are no elements of this film that I would say were quintessentially poor. The direction is serviceable, the performances were fine, the script was okay, the cinematography and lighting were adequate and the musical score was sufficient. The problem is that not one of these aspects blew me away, the whole thing just felt passable. Negatives One thing I did somewhat struggle with was the tone of the movie. This is one of the most straight-faced entries into the MCU so far. It makes sense to use this tone when going for the existential quality that this film strives for when it is discussing godlike eternal beings that have overseen the creation of the universe. The issue is that the film introduces these ideas and then doesn’t ever commit to following through on them. Instead, it flirts with these deep, mind-boggling concepts and then cuts to yet another CGI laser fight. It is almost as if whenever the movie starts to tap into something more profound, it gets scared and reverts to what it knows as an MCU movie. The unfortunate result of this non-commitment to what it wants to be results in a somewhat bland, forgettable, safe movie that isn’t much fun to watch. Sure, they attempt to chuck in a few cheesy quips here and there to remind you that you are watching an MCU movie, but Eternals is never anywhere near as much fun as something like Shang-Chi. Forever detached Another thing that somewhat took me by surprise was just how disconnected this movie felt from the rest of the MCU. Other than the odd throwaway line referring to Thanos or, ‘The Blip,’ this movie could have taken place at literally any point in the MCU timeline. It would not have mattered one bit if the events of this film took place after the first Avengers, after Civil War, or after Endgame. It would have been near enough the exact same movie. Some may find that notion refreshing, an MCU movie that you can watch without having seen the prior 20-something films and tie in TV shows. For me though, it just made the whole thing feel redundant to a certain extent. I never felt connected to the characters in the same way that I did with the Avengers heroes and so the stakes here never feel as high. Summary Overall, I cannot bring myself to give this film a bad rating, because it wasn’t a bad film. In fact, it was a pretty good film that just unfortunately failed to blow me away. Based on the scale of certain aspects of the movie’s plot and the potentially universe-altering stakes on the line, Eternals should have created more of an impact and felt less like an extraneous optional piece of Marvel content. If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Eternals, you can check out what he thought of Captain Marvel here.

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Shang-Chi Review: The Best MCU Action Since Winter Soldier?

28th January 2026

Review – Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton Written by: Destin Daniel Cretton & Others Produced by: Kevin Feige Starring: Simu Liu, Michelle Yeoh & Tony Leung Release Date: September 3rd 2021 Introduction Last night, I went to see Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings mostly for review purposes and I came away really enjoying it. I probably enjoyed it more than I expected to. I went in not quite as excited as I usually am for a new entry in the MCU and I feel that is mostly due to the superhero-fatigue I have been feeling from the bombardment of content that we have been getting recently. Though, Shang-Chi feels fresh and manages to avoid feeling weighed-down by the ties of the MCU that I feel somewhat tainted Black Widow and Spider-Man: Far From Home. This really aided in my enjoyment of the film. Normally I feel that if a solo MCU film doesn’t heavily tie into the bigger picture, it isn’t as worth my time, but here it is what lead to me enjoying the movie as much as I did. Fight! First off, let’s address the reason that most people will go to see this movie; the martial arts on display. The combat sequences in this film are incredible. The choreography and stunt work is a joy to witness and is also very well-shot. There were two fight sequences in the film that I thought worked particularly well. The first was the bus sequence, which I thought was a fantastic way to introduce to the audience what Shang-Chi can do. The whole scene was wonderfully dynamic and I thought that everyone in the scene did a great job. The second sequence that stood out to me was the hugely creative fight that took place on scaffolding outside of a skyscraper. Again, it was a breathtakingly exciting sequence and looked astonishing on the big screen. The danger felt present and real throughout this scene and some of the acrobatics on display were truly mind-blowing. Technical Aspects The other technical aspects of the movie were also up to scratch. I mentioned already that I felt that the fight sequences were well-shot, but the cinematography throughout the entire film was pretty great to look at. Bill Pope has a history of capturing dynamic fight sequences in a way that is still easy to follow and comprehend and this is no exception. I also thought that the CGI was well-implemented and never took me out of the movie in any major way. This is pretty impressive when you consider how out-there the movie ends up in the last act. The lighting was also exquisite throughout the entire film and the score did a great job of adding to the spectacle of what was unfolding onscreen. The script was also pretty good for the most part. There was the odd throwaway comedic line that fell slightly flat, but for every one dud line, there were ten other that merited a chuckle. The plot of the film was also pretty straightforward, but this was actually something that I appreciated. Not everything has to follow a convoluted plot full of double crosses and a requirement to have seen the last 20 movies in the series. Summary Overall, I had a great time with Shang-Chi. It is by no means a flawless film and it isn’t even the best MCU movie, but it is still the most fun I have had with a superhero movie in years. The fight sequences are spectacular and worth the price of admission alone and I am very much looking forward to seeing what they do with this character in the future. If you enjoyed Dan’s review of Shang-Chi, you can check out what he thought of Thor: Ragnarok here. If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE

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Review- Black Widow: Is It Too Little Too Late?

14th July 2021

Review – Black Widow (2021) Run Time: 2hrs 14mins Directed by: Cate Shortland Produced by: Kevin Feige Written by: Eric Pearson, Jac Schaeffer & Ned Benson Starring: Scarlet Johansen, Florence Pugh, David Harbour and Rachel Wei Release Date: July 8th 2021 Prduction company: Marvel Studios Introduction So, after countless delays from a certain world-changing event in 2020, (No not the Snap the other one) ‘Black Widow’ was finally released to a fairly positive public reception reportedly making $158 million at the global box office and earning $60 million on Disney Plus worldwide. However, although it has made bank at the box office and broke records, critical success does not always indicate fan praise. So, the real question is, ‘Is this a Good Film?’ Or is it too little too late for everyone’s favourite Russian Super-Spy? In this review, I am going to break down what I believe to be some of the key points of the film, which means and say it with me now, Spoilers ahead! Black Widow: Opening Well, I’ll be completely honest, yes this is a great film. Is it perfect, Well no, very few films are in the eyes of the ravenous Marvel fandom. Now before you go clicking off this review to go back to scrolling through social media, let me tell you why this is one of the best Solo MCU outings in recent years, despite some of its flaws. ‘Black Widow’ starts in 1995 where we see a happy family in a suburban neighbourhood in Ohio. All is not as it seems however as it turns out that the family are a Soviet sleeper cell comprised of The Red Guardian, Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), and their surrogate daughters Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson/Ever Gabo Anderson) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh/Violet McGraw). When their mission to steal S.H.I.E.L.D. intel is complete, the family escapes to Cuba and rendezvous with their boss, General Dreykov (Ray Winston), who has Romanoff and Belova taken to the Red Room for training. This is where we get a phenomenal opening sequence set to a haunting cover of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ that splices through the events of Natasha life after being taken to the Red Room, showing her involvement in several recent Political events and how prominent Ray Winstons, General Dreykov has been in recent history, being pictured with a bunch of world leaders through the years. This opening sequence allows the viewer to understand how Natasha was manipulated into, committing several war crimes and how many of the other ‘Widows’ were also by extension trafficked and controlled showing a very poignant look at the idea of modern slavery. This is also a great touch by Marvel to acknowledge that Black Widow was a cold-blooded Killer with plenty of Red in her ledger before redeeming herself into a hero, which is one of the key themes in the film. From this point, we fast forward to 2016, just after the events of Civil War where Natasha finds herself on the run from the US government going into hiding from General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt). Meanwhile, Yelena is currently still a Black Widow, being controlled by Nanites and being forced to hunt down those who are attempting to, Spoiler, Break all the ‘Widows’ free from their programming. This is one of the first flaws the film has in my opinion as although Yelena has red in her ledger as a ‘Widow’ due to her being controlled with nanites against her will it feels slightly less impactful than Natasha’s ‘earned’ red, that came because of her consciously making the choice to commit murder as a Black Widow. Yelena is then broken out of her programming by her target being sprayed in the face by an antidote to her mind control, leading to a heartbreakingly amazingly acted scene by Florence Pugh shown through her facial expressions and physical acting. Black Widow: Family Matters The characters in this film are all honestly endearing and charming, with the idea of them being one big family unit, emphasising a lot of the humorous moments to great effect. The dynamic of Scarlet Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz as a dysfunctional family is fantastic as Pugh and Harbour especially show off their comedic chops to cut through some of the darker subjects in the film. Pugh especially uses her humour to darkly poke fun at how as a ‘Widow’ she cannot have children due to having a forced hysterectomy which is surprisingly dark for an MCU film. In terms of acting ability, each individual shines through with some convincing Russian accents from Harbour and Weisz with Pugh especially knocking it out of the park with her accent. The only person who fails to nail the voice is Ray Winston who due to his native cockney accent does sound like a cartoonish bond villain, which although not great does actually serve to emphasise his innate cheesiness as this looming figure with over-amplified Russian Traits. Black Widow: The Villains As the film progresses, we are slowly introduced to more characters in Natasha’s life as well as events in her past including the infamous Budapest event mentioned by Nathasha and Hawkeye all the way back in the first Avengers film. This event plays a key part in this film as well, as it turns out to defect to S.H.I.E.L.D Natasha had to assassinate General Dreykov, however, she caught Dreykov’s Daughter as Collateral Damage in the crossfire, an act that haunts her through the film. It turns out however neither Dreykov nor his daughter were killed and in turn are the main antagonists for the film with Dreykov planning on releasing thousands of Nanite brainwashed ‘Widows’ onto the planet tapping into what he describes as “A natural resource the world has too much of.” Girls. Although this feels like a slightly heavy-handed metaphor for ‘Girl Power’ and female empowerment, this illustrates a juxtaposition of the ideas of Women being treated like garbage for

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