Scarlett Johansson reveals what she wants next from Marvel — and it’s not replaying Black Widow

It’s over. Scarlett Johansson has made it perfectly clear that her time as Black Widow is behind her. And this time, she’s not leaving any narrative loopholes or multiverse backdoors open.

“Natasha is dead. She is dead. She's dead. Okay?” she told InStyle, adding, “They just don't want to believe it.”

For fans still hoping to see Natasha Romanoff rise from the ashes of Avengers: Endgame, the message couldn’t be more direct: we should let her have her hero moment and rest. After all she went through, well, we know she deserves it.

That does not mean, though, that Johansson is done with Marvel. What she wants next, though, has nothing to do with jumping off rooftops in a black bodysuit. Her ambitions have shifted quietly and deliberately from center stage to behind the camera. And she’s not shy about it.

At Cannes 2025, where her directorial debut Eleanor the Great premiered to a standing ovation, Johansson made her new creative direction crystal clear by saying she would like to direct a Marvel film.

This isn’t a move rooted in nostalgia or an attempt to reheat an old franchise arc. Johansson is chasing something more meaningful. For her, spectacle means nothing if there isn’t something real underneath it, and after portraying one of Marvel’s most emotionally grounded heroes for over a decade, she knows exactly where to look for it.

What comes next isn't just a goodbye to a character we adore. It gives us a look at what Scarlett Johansson's future as a director will be like. Who better than one who knows the Marvel universe inside out to reshape it from a different angle? Because for her, this is no longer about staying relevant. What matters now is what she creates.

The Black Widow chapter is closed

Scarlett Johansson has made it unmistakably clear that her time as Black Widow is over, and she is done entertaining fan theories about her return. In recent interviews, she has expressed both amusement and exasperation at the persistent belief that Natasha might somehow come back. For Johansson, the character’s death wasn’t just a plot point. It was a full-circle moment that deserves to stand.

That insistence on closure is especially striking in a cinematic universe where few endings are ever permanent. In the MCU, even death can feel negotiable. Yet Johansson is adamant that Natasha’s final act should remain untouched. That choice has weight; it shows respect for the narrative that made one of Marvel's most realistic and emotionally complex heroes.

Letting go of a character so deeply tied to her public identity wasn’t just a narrative decision. It was personal. Johansson is not interested in nostalgia or in repeating herself. What matters now is honoring what Natasha represented and protecting the emotional truth behind her sacrifice. For her, that story is already complete.

Scarlett Johansson wants a new role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Just because she is finished playing Black Widow does not mean she is finished with Marvel. Scarlett Johansson still thinks the universe she helped shape has potential for creativity.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Johansson shared what draws her to the idea of directing within the MCU.

“It would be fun,” she said. “The movies that I like that are big action movies also have the human connection and emotional depth.”

That is the kind of storytelling she is interested in now. Stories that use action not as an end in itself, but as a vehicle to explore vulnerability, tension and connection, and this shift makes sense. Her years portraying Natasha Romanoff gave her firsthand experience with balancing physical intensity and emotional nuance. She knows how to ground even the most high-concept story in something relatable. And that instinct is something she wants to carry into her work behind the camera.

Johansson is not chasing nostalgia. She is not looking to repeat what has already been done. What she wants is the space to create something new, something personal, something meaningful. Using the Marvel universe as a canvas, but painting with a different brush.

Directorial ambitions fueled by Cannes success

Scarlett Johansson’s interest in directing did not start with Marvel. It began with a much more personal project. Her feature debut, Eleanor the Great, premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and was met with a standing ovation.

Eleanor the Great as a film is a quiet character study centered on a late-in-life awakening, a major change from the large-budget movies she is usually known for. But its warm reception showed that Johansson’s instincts as a storyteller go far beyond acting.

Reflecting on this shift in her career, she told the Associated Press,

“At some point, I worked enough that I stopped worrying about not working, or not being relevant, which is very liberating.”

It is a revealing statement, not just about the pressure of staying visible in Hollywood but about how she has redefined success for herself.

That sense of freedom seems to be shaping her next moves. With Eleanor the Great, Johansson proved she can handle quiet introspection. What excites her now is the idea of bringing that same emotional depth to large-scale stories. She is not looking to attach herself to a franchise for the sake of visibility. She wants to explore human complexity in worlds that usually prioritize spectacle.

She arrived at Cannes as a filmmaker with a clear point of view and the confidence to build something entirely her own. If Marvel is ready to let her do that, it could open the door to a new kind of storytelling within the MCU.

From producer to director: her evolving creative role

Scarlett Johansson has spent years shaping stories from the inside, and her work behind the scenes has already started to redefine her relationship with Marvel. She served as executive producer on Black Widow, a role that marked her first major step into the creative process beyond acting. It was not just about lending her name to the credits. It meant helping steer the film’s tone, structure and emotional core.

She has also been connected to other Marvel projects in a producing capacity, including Thunderbolts*. While her exact involvement in future Marvel projecs remains under wraps, it points to a growing trust between Johansson and Marvel Studios. That trust is not based solely on star power. It is built on creative collaboration and an understanding of what gives these stories meaning. If producing gave her influence, now directing gives her authorship. And this evolution feels earned.

Johansson knows the mechanics of the Marvel universe. How it moves, what it risks and how it connects with audiences. She wouldn't be coming in as an outsider trying to change the recipe as director. She helped construct it, and now she's ready to help expand its possibilities.

Marvel has changed her, and now she wants to change Marvel

Scarlett Johansson has been a central figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for over a decade. From her first appearance in Iron Man 2 to her emotional farewell in Avengers: Endgame, she helped define the tone and heart of the franchise.

The experience shaped her too, not just as an actress, but as a storyteller too. And now, with a decade of hindsight and a new creative path ahead, she looks ready to take a directorial helm at Marvel, right?

What makes her perspective unique is how deeply she understands the emotional stakes behind the spectacle. Natasha Romanoff was never about flashy powers or one-liners. She was about consequence, guilt, redemption and sacrifice. These are the themes Johansson wants to carry forward, not by playing them again but by directing them into something new.

Her departure from the role of Black Widow is an evolution, not a rejection. Marvel gave her a platform to grow and now she wants to use that growth to push the franchise further. She is not interested in revisiting the past. She is interested in building stories that reflect what she values now. Emotional honesty, human connection and creative control.

The idea of Johansson returning to Marvel not as a character but as a filmmaker feels like a necessary and welcome shift. She has given Marvel some of its most real and human moments. Letting her shape new ones from behind the camera might be exactly what the future of the MCU needs.