Marvel Studios tried to pull a fast one by dropping the Black Widow trailer at midnight. However, they’re not as sneaky as they think – we still uncovered the trailer’s secrets. From an Ursa Major reference to a potential death, here’s every Easter Egg and reference hidden in the Black Widow trailer.
We’re No Longer a Long Way from Budapest
If you’ve been paying attention throughout the MCU, you know that Black Widow and Hawkeye have history in Budapest. In Avengers (2012), Natasha tells Clint, “It’s just like Budapest all over again” and then in Endgame, Clint tells Natasha, “We’re a long way from Budapest”. Well, it looks like we’re going to get a glimpse into this history in Black Widow.
The very first scene in the trailer is a shot of the Liberty Statue, or Freedom Statue, in Budapest, Hungary. Interestingly, the statue was originally erected in 1947 as a remembrance to the Soviet liberation of Hungary in World War II. With Natasha’s Soviet roots, this statue could be a symbol of her time in Hungary.
We see more symbols and hints at Hungary throughout the rest of the trailer. Immediately after the Marvel Studios logo, we see Natasha at a train station. If you check out the sides of the frame, you’ll notice Hungarian flags line the station.
Around the 35 second marker, we also see a shot of a man in a suit in front of a blue truck. This man is General Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross and on the side of the truck behind him, it says “Varga es tarsa – Szarazfoldi es tengeri szallitmanyozas”. According to Google translate, this is Hungarian for “Varga and Company – Land and Sea Transport”.
The Black Widows
In the trailer we’re introduced to multiple Black Widows. The first is the one Natasha fights in an apartment – Yelena Belova. Natasha refers to Yelena as “sis” in the trailer, but she’s not her actual sister by blood. Instead, they’re more like sister spies, both trained as assassins in the Red Room. In the comics, Yelena and Natasha were frenemies and even had their faces surgically swapped.
The other woman that we see with Yelena and Natasha in the trailer is Melina Vostokoff, also known as the Iron Maiden. Melina has been through the Red Room program five times and was allegedly Yelena and Natasha’s mentor.
Now, if you take a look at the Black Widows’ clothing choices throughout the trailer, you might see a theme that reveals their true intentions. Natasha wears both dark colors and the new white suit during the trailer, potentially suggesting she has a dark past but has turned to the world of heroism. Yelena is also seen throughout the trailer in a dark jacket and white shirt which could indicate that her moral compass is a little broken.
However, Melina is always seen wearing black. This is in line with many fan theories that suggest Melina will ultimately betray Natasha and Yelena in the film. The theory suggests that Natasha and Yelena will fight to shut down the Red Room and Melina will attempt to stop them.
Apartment Where Natasha Fights Yelena
When Natasha fights Yelena in a very mirrored fight, there are some items in the scene that might provide clues about the location and time of this fight. Behind Yelena at the start of the fight, there’s a poster for a German opera called “Die Vögel” which could suggest that this fight is in Germany or that Yelena is planning an operation in Germany.
There’s also a Guitar Hero World Tour drum set in the room, which was released in 2008. If we assume that Yelena isn’t a fan of the classics, this scene likely takes place around 2008, or between Iron Man and Iron Man 2.
On the wall of the apartment, we can also see a map of Budapest, which could suggest Yelena is involved in the Budapest event that the MCU has been hinting at.
The Red Room
The Red Room is somewhat of a Russian spy academy where children were taught ballet, murder, and the essential elements of becoming a Russian spy. During the trailer, we get a quick glimpse at a dark room with two people and what looks like operational maps laid across the top of the screen. This dark room is likely a Red Room operation center. If you look at the silhouette on the left, it looks a lot like a young Melina Vostokoff that we see later on in the trailer. Therefore, this might be a shot of a Red Room operation center from the past.
At the top of this scene, there are also 16 screens that look like overhead maps with glowing red markers on them. These glowing red dots look very similar to the glowing red armbands that we see on some of the Red Room trainees in a training scene featured later in the trailer. Could this mean that the maps in this scene are tracking devices that monitor all of the Red Room operatives around the world? This map could also relate to the map Yelena has in her apartment, which could suggest that she’s on a mission to find her fellow sisters.
Ursa Easter Egg
In the Red Room operations center shot, there’s a bear statue sitting on a desk. Given the Russian theme of the movie, this bear might be a reference to Ursa Major. Ursa Major, also known as Mikhail Uriokovitch Ursus, is a Russian shape-shifting mutant that takes the form of a bear. He is part of the Winter Guard, along with Red Guardian who we already know is in Black Widow.
Black Widow’s Sister Might Not Make It
After the trailer introduces Red Guardian, we see the cozy little Russian family sit down for dinner and vodka. In this scene, you might notice that Yelena’s vest looks eerily familiar – it’s the same one that Black Widow wears in Infinity War.
Unless all the Red Room spies like shopping at the same store, this might mean that Yelena doesn’t make it out of Black Widow alive. It could also suggest that Natasha used Yelena as an alias when she went into hiding after Civil War. Interestingly, Natasha also dyed her hair blonde during this time period – as we know from Infinity War – which also makes her look more like Yelena. Could this mean that Black Widow was moonlighting as Yelena after Civil War to prevent herself from being found?
The Opening Line is a Tribute to Infinity War
In the beginning of the trailer, we hear Natasha saying, “I used to have nothing. And then I got this job, this family, but nothing lasts forever”. Sound familiar? This quote is extremely similar to the one she says to Steve Rogers at the beginning of Avengers: Endgame.
In this scene, Natasha is talking to Steve after checking in with the rest of the Avengers. They talk about how they can’t move on and she says, “I used to have nothing. And then I got this – this job, this family. And I was… I was better because of it. And even though they’re gone, I’m still trying to be better.”
As she says this line in the trailer, we also see clips from previous MCU movies. The ballet dancers are a flashback to Natasha’s Red Room memories in Avengers: Age of Ultron and there’s a shot of Natasha leading Captain America and Bruce Banner onto the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier from The Avengers (2012). We also see some personal shots between Hawkeye and Natasha from Avengers (2012) and Natasha and Nick Fury from Captain America: Winter Soldier. Interestingly both of these characters have a connection to Budapest, which could foreshadow their potential appearance in Black Widow.
The Logos at the Beginning and End of the Trailer
The iconic Marvel Studios logo has been changed for this trailer. It’s now black and red, the iconic colors of Black Widow from the comics and it’s in the shape of an hourglass – much like the hourglass shape that can be found on the underside of a black widow spider.
At the end of the trailer, we see a red and black silhouette of Black Widow walking down a corridor as it transforms into an hourglass. This image is a tribute to Black Widow’s iconic security fight scene in Iron Man 2.
Scenes with General Thaddeus Ross are Flashbacks
At San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Kevin Feige confirmed that Black Widow will take place after Captain America: Civil War but before Infinity War. However, the General Thaddeus Ross that we see in the trailer doesn’t fit this timeline.
The General Ross that we met in Incredible Hulk was a much older version of the one we see in the Black Widow trailer. Now, we know that Incredible Hulk took place around the same time as Iron Man 2 because we see Nick Fury watching the events at Culver University in the film. Since Iron Man 2 occurs before Civil War, we can only assume that the young Thaddeus we see in the trailer is a flashback to events in Natasha’s past.
The voice that we hear Natasha talking to when she says she’s done running from her past is also General Thaddeus Ross, which could suggest that he is involved with Natasha’s pivotal life change and her eventual decision to join Nick Fury. Now in Civil War, General Ross is actually Secretary of State Ross and he was a big supporter of the Sokovia Accords. With Black Widow taking place after Civil War, the voice we hear in the trailer could also be Secretary Ross talking to Natasha after the events of the Sokovia Accords.
Black Widow’s White Suit
The new white suit that we see in the trailer is from the comic Black Widow Deadly Origin. Natasha needed the suit in the comics in order to blend in while traversing through winter landscapes. Therefore, we can expect Natasha to wear the suit during some of the icy scenes we see in the trailer.
In Deadly Origin, we learn about Black Widow’s deadly origins and is likely what the upcoming film will be based on. Interestingly, the comic starts out with a plane fight, which we also see in the trailer.
Russia’s Captain America
In the trailer, we’re introduced to David Harbour’s character, Red Guardian. Now Red Guardian was developed as Russia’s cure to Captain America and his backstory ties very well into Natasha’s. Prior to becoming Red Guardian, the man was known as Alexi Shostakov. Alexi was one of the Soviet Union’s best pilots and he was actually married to Natasha (or Natalia as she was known in the comics) prior to her Red Room experiences. They were both eventually tapped to help the KGB and the agency eventually transformed Alexi into Red Guardian.
After becoming Red Guardian, Alexi was told that he could no longer have contact with his past friends or his wife. Therefore, a Soviet official told Natasha that her husband had died in an explosion. The KGB anticipated that she would want to avenge her husband, and therefore put her into training to become a Black Widow.
Although this is the story in the comics, Marvel Studios will surely take some liberties with the character of Red Guardian. David Harbour has already said his character has roots set in the Cold War, which would make him significantly older than Natasha in the MCU. Therefore, we might not see the two as former lovers in Black Widow.
Taskmaster is a Villain
The person dressed in all black with a Hawkeye-looking bow and an urban assault vehicle is Taskmaster. Taskmaster has the ability to mirror the moves of anyone else through brief observation. This makes him an extremely formidable enemy for Natasha and Yelena who seem to mirror their own moves.
No actor has been announced as playing the role of Taskmaster, which has led to many fan theories about who is under the mask. Many believe that the name of the actor hasn’t been revealed because it’s actually someone who is already starring in the film – Melina. This could mean that Melina will be secretly working against Natasha and Yelena throughout the film as they potentially fight to take down the Red Room.
Black Widow’s Fake IDs
Natasha has a bunch of fake IDs in the trailer. There’s a British Columbia license with the name “Samantha Renee Berezan,” a California driver’s license, UK passport, and a document with Hebrew on it. Now, I haven’t found any connections between the name or the locations to the film, but there is a radio in the corner of this shot, likely indicating this is another flashback scene.
……………….
Have you uncovered any other secrets hidden in the Black Widow trailer? Leave your thoughts in the comments!