Film guide · 2021

Black WidowComplete Guide

The parts that are hard to follow from the film alone, explained with a story summary, a character map and key terms.

Released
2021
Runtime
134 min
Set in
2016

Good to know before watchingNo spoilers

Set right after Civil War

Released in 2021, but set in 2016, between Civil War and Infinity War.

Natasha's past

We finally see her childhood and how she was trained as a spy.

Yelena's debut

Yelena, later central to Hawkeye and Thunderbolts*, first appears here.

Stay through the credits

A scene leads into Hawkeye.

Character mapSpoilers

Who's who in Black Widow (set in 2016), with Natasha at the center. Her 'family' is at the top, the Red Room below.

Because of copyright, we can't use stills, posters or any other images of the characters as they appear in the film. All face photos are freely licensed photos of the actors themselves (non-human characters are original illustrations made for this site; people without a photo are shown with initials).

Drag to move, pinch (or scroll on a computer) to zoom. Tap a person to read about them.

All characters

About the images

Face photos are freely licensed photos of the actors from Wikimedia Commons, cropped to a square and resized. Non-human characters are original illustrations made for this site, and people without a photo are shown with a placeholder (initials).

StorySpoilers

Read the story (spoilers up to the ending)

1. A family in Ohio

In 1995, Natasha and Yelena live in America as part of a fake family.

2. Natasha on the run

In 2016, Natasha is hiding from the government in Norway.

3. Sisters reunited

Natasha and Yelena reunite in Budapest.

4. The family again

They track down their 'father' Alexei and 'mother' Melina.

5. The Red Room in the sky

The four storm the Red Room's flying headquarters.

Read the detailed scene-by-scene story

Key terms

The Red Room
A secret program that kidnaps girls and trains them as spies, called Widows.
Widows
Spies raised by the Red Room, their minds chemically controlled.
The red gas
An antidote that frees the Widows from mind control.
Budapest
Where Natasha and Clint fought on an old mission, often mentioned between them.

Confusing parts, explainedSpoilers

Contains spoilers about the ending.

Were they a real family?

No. They pretended to be a family for a mission. But to Natasha and Yelena, it felt like a real one.

Who is Taskmaster?

A fighter who can copy anyone's moves. It turns out to be Antonia, Dreykov's daughter.

Why does Natasha break her own nose?

Dreykov gives off a scent that stops any Widow from attacking him. Severing the nerve in her nose breaks the lock.

Easy-to-miss details

The vest

Yelena loves Natasha's many-pocketed vest and ends up taking it.

The pose

Yelena teases Natasha about her signature superhero landing pose.

The blonde look

By the end, Natasha starts moving toward her blonde look from Infinity War.

The ending and post-creditsSpoilers

After the end credits

Yelena visits Natasha's grave, and Valentina tells her Clint Barton killed her sister.

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