What The Avengers’ Wasp Plan Would’ve Meant For Black Widow

The original plan for The Avengers gave Black Widow’s role to Wasp, which would’ve meant a different story for Scarlett Johansson’s character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Years before Ant-Man introduced Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne a.k.a. Wasp, there were plans for her to debut in 2012’s epic team-up movie. Wasp would’ve been featured alongside Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, and Hawkeye, filling the role Black Widow ultimately played. If it happened, Natasha Romanoff’s MCU story might have played out in an entirely new way.

Johansson appeared in The Avengers after debuted as Black Widow in 2010’s Iron Man 2. This propelled her to return in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, while her status as an original Avengers member ensured her place as a significant character in the MCU’s future. This led to Black Widow’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame and the development of her long-awaited solo film, which finally arrived in 2021. As Black Widow became an MCU star, Marvel’s plans for Wasp took years to come to fruition. Her debut in the long-gestating Ant-Man movie finally came in 2015 after Edgar Wright departed. Lilly went on to return for its sequel, and Wasp eventually appeared in an Avengers movie thanks to Avengers: Endgame.

Black Widow and Wasp are two of the MCU’s most prominent female superheroes, but they have incredibly different stories and futures. Johansson’s time playing the spy is likely done after Black Widow, while Lilly is confirmed to return in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in 2023 – which could set up her return in additional MCU properties. This might include Wasp officially becoming a member of the Avengers, fulfilling a role she nearly had from the beginning. But, that would’ve meant significant changes to what became of Black Widow.

Wasp Almost Replaced Black Widow In The Avengers

When Marvel Studios was originally developing The Avengers, there were multiple moving parts for director Joss Whedon to figure out. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and Hulk were always going to be part of the team due to their prominence in the MCU. Whedon’s early ideas for The Avengers included Wasp, though, instead of Black Widow. This was at the same time that he considered using Obadiah Stane’s son as a secondary villain. The Avengers‘ Wasp plan would’ve made her the only female member of the Avengers, replacing Black Widow, and Whedon was interested in Zooey Deschanel playing the shrinking hero.

Since so few of these early story ideas are known, how much Wasp’s role differs from what Black Widow did is a mystery. Marvel potentially could’ve made Wasp a SHIELD agent (like what happened in Marvel’s What If…?). This may have enabled much of the story to stay the same despite the swap. Otherwise, everything from Hulk’s recruitment to discovering Loki’s plan would’ve played out differently. However, The Avengers‘ development came as Marvel saw audiences respond positively to Scarlett Johansson in Iron Man 2 while Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man kept being pushed back. The result was Black Widow stepping into Wasp’s The Avengers role.

Would Wasp Replace Black Widow In Other MCU Movies?

In the alternate timeline where Wasp was in The Avengers instead of Black Widow, Hope could’ve continued to take roles Natasha ultimately had. The MCU as audiences know it saw Black Widow return shortly thereafter in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. She then returned with the other Avengers in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. It was only after these appearances that Johansson starred in Black Widow. However, the original MCU plan could’ve meant Wasp replacing Black Widow in many of these movies.

Black Widow missing out on the Battle of New York and Wasp forging a connection with the Avengers instead of her would incite many of these changes. Wasp would surely replace Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron next, as it would only make sense for her status as an Avenger to remain and help them take on Ultron. From that point on, her MCU future would continue to be with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. It would be Wasp, not Black Widow, who then played a pivotal role in the Sokovia Accords debates and what happened to the Avengers afterward. It is possible this would all happen as Wasp continued to play a prominent role in the Ant-Man franchise too, meaning she’d have an even bigger role in the MCU overall than Black Widow received.

What Black Widow’s MCU Story Would Be Without 2012’s Avengers

With Wasp taking many, if not all, of Black Widow’s MCU roles, what would Natasha’s future look like? Building off Iron Man 2‘s events, it would make sense for her to play a role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier still. Marvel would be looking to bring her back in some capacity and a SHIELD-focused story is a perfect place for it to happen. The question becomes how big of a role Black Widow would play this time around. She wouldn’t be an established friend of Captain America’s, so she potentially could’ve filled the Agent 13 role. That might have meant her developing a romance with Captain America. There is also the possibility that due to The Avengers not fleshing out her heroic nature, Black Widow could’ve been part of Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘s Hydra twist.

Assuming Marvel wouldn’t turn one of its biggest heroes into a villain, this new MCU future for Black Widow becomes more tantalizing. The next logical move would be to make Black Widow a member of the New Avengers from the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron. This might even mean Wasp training Black Widow on what it takes to be an Avenger. She’d be a fresher face in the superhero scene then when Captain America: Civil War happens. As a result, she’d probably play a smaller role in the film. This could mean Black Widow would side with Captain America from the very beginning, allowing her to then be part of his Secret Avengers team still.

Since Black Widow would be more of a supporting MCU character based on this trajectory, that could impact whether or not she would’ve received a solo movie. On one hand, Marvel may have wanted to give her a franchise sooner to elevate the character. However, it is more likely that Black Widow would instead potentially just play important roles in other movies instead. Appearances in Spider-Man: Homecoming or the Ant-Man franchise could’ve happened as a result.

Would Wasp Or Black Widow Die In Avengers: Endgame?

Arguably the biggest sliding door moment for Black Widow’s MCU story that comes with missing out on The Avengers is whether or not she would still die in Avengers: Endgame. It is quite likely that Wasp would replace Black Widow in this moment too. She would be the one who audiences have seen more of, and Marvel was quite clear during the making of the movie that it was about the original Avengers. This means that Black Widow potentially would’ve been dusted by Thanos’ snap instead of a survivor. As a result, Wasp and Hawkeye (or Ant-Man) could’ve been the ones to make a trip to Vormir. In any case, Wasp’s death would be much more impactful to audiences than Black Widow’s.

Instead of dying in Avengers: Endgame, it is probable that this alternate version of the MCU would have a place for Black Widow to play a bigger role moving forward. Her solo movie in Phase 4 would help elevate her status further and be a franchise starter for Scarlett Johansson, instead of Black Widow passing the baton to Yelena Belova. Natasha’s MCU future could then grow to include sequels and appearances in future movies and Disney+ shows. All of this could’ve been different if Wasp replaced Black Widow in The Avengers.

About The Author

Cooper Hood
(5626 Articles Published)

Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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