Oppenheimer star Emily Blunt was in talks to play Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before Scarlett Johansson ultimately scored the role.
On an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Blunt discussed her various offers for roles in Marvel films, the biggest of which was to play Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow in Iron Man 2. According to the Jungle Cruise star, she was offered the role all the way back in 2010, when the character first appeared in the MCU, but was contracted to make the Gulliver’s Travels adaptation at the time and had to turn it down.
Despite missing it narrowly due to contract conflicts, Blunt gave praise to Johansson’s portrayal of Black Widow, stating that “the best girl got it.” Johannson has gone on to star in nine different films across the MCU, which culminated in 2021’s Black Widow, the character’s first solo appearance film and the Marriage Story star’s last major outing as the titular character.
Emily Blunt’s Superhero Close Calls
Black Widow was reportedly not the only Marvel role Blunt has encountered in her career, either, as the actor said she participated in talks for Peggy Carter, Captain Marvel, and even Sue Storm/Invisible Woman from the Fantastic Four. Blunt clarified that she never received official offers for these roles, however, and that they were simply preliminary discussions in which producers mentioned her name.
While Blunt has strayed away from the MCU for the time being, her husband and A Quiet Place co-star John Krasinski did join the Fantastic Four in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Illuminati leader Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic. Blunt does not have any upcoming MCU roles to date, though with Phase 5 heating up and a slew of new Marvel projects on the horizon, a new opportunity could arise. A reboot of the Fantastic Four is in the works at Marvel, though the studio is reportedly looking to hire younger talent for the film’s lead roles and has confirmed that even Krasinski will not be reprising his role as Reed Richards.
The actor has found success with Disney’s first-party productions in recent years, however, as she took top billing alongside Dwayne Johnson in Jungle Cruise and played the titular role in Mary Poppins Returns. The Golden Globe-winning actor most recently appeared in Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic Oppenheimer, which released to massive critical acclaim and box office performance.
Oppenheimer is in theaters now. Black Widow and the rest of Scarlett Johansson’s MCU career is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Happy Sad Confused, via Deadline