Black Widow set photos may reveal the return of a fan-favorite character

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

This article contains possible spoilers for Marvel's BLACK WIDOW

While little is known about Marvel's upcoming BLACK WIDOW feature, a new batch of photos from the set of the film could have just revealed that a fan-favorite character is set to play a part in the mysterious events of Natasha's long-overdue solo mission. Steel yourselves for some possible spoilers, true believers, because the new pics hailing from Just Jared reveal that William Hurt has been spotted on the set of Marvel's BLACK WIDOW. Hurt plays General "Thunderbolt" Ross in the Marvel universe, and in the past has served as a thorn in the sides of Earth's Mightiest Heroes time and again.

Set between the events of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, Marvel's highly-anticipated superspy spectacle stars Scarlett Johansson as Natalia Alianovna "Natasha" Romonoff, known to her friends and enemies as Black Widow.

Shortly after photos of Hurt cruising the BLACK WIDOW set surfaced online, podcaster Charles Murphy theorized that Ross could play a larger role in MCU events yet to come. According to Murphy, General Ross' inclusion could lead to a possible introduction of the Thunderbolts, another superhero ensemble of the Marvel universe.

When last we saw General "Thunderbolt" Ross, the character was in attendance at Tony Stark's funeral – during the final moments of AVENGERS: ENDGAME. While Ross is notorious for butting heads with the Avengers – Tony in particular – it's to be thought that by the time Stark had passed that any animosity between the two characters had been laid to rest. When you consider the timeline of BLACK WIDOW, it's possible that General Ross is looking to take Natasha down after she defied her superiors during the events of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. There's also a chance that General Ross is part of an after-credits sequence for BLACK WIDOW, a scene that would have him inviting Yelena onto his "Thunderbolts" superhero squad.

Who's Yelena, you ask? Yelena Belova first appeared in the pages of Inhumans #5 (circa March, 1999). She was trained as a spy and an assassin in the Red Room and was later instructed to kill Natasha Romonoff. In time, Natasha and Yelena became allies, with Yelena later taking the Black Widow title from Natasha for a limited time.

Directed by Cate Shortland from a script penned by Ned Benson, BLACK WIDOW will serve as the MCU's second female-fronted superhero film after directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's CAPTAIN MARVEL starring Brie Larson. Joining Johansson on BLACK WIDOW are Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova; Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff; and David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian. Robert Downey Jr. is also rumored to star as Tony Stark, though his part in the film has yet to be confirmed.

Marvel's BLACK WIDOW is set to open in theaters on May 1, 2020.