"Black Widow" Was Supposed To Have An RDJ Cameo, And I'm So Glad It Didn't

I love Tony Stark just like the rest of you, but I'm glad we got to see Natasha on her own.

🚨Spoiler alert: Turn back now if you haven't seen Black Widow!🚨

I, like many of you, have not been able to stop thinking about Black Widow since I saw it.

© Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / © Marvel Studios / Courtesy Everett Collection

What's there not to love? A long-deserved standalone film focusing on one of the most visible MCU women AND featuring Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour?!

The movie made us feel all sorts of emotions as it tackled Natasha Romanoff's (Scarlet Johansson) complex storyline (fucking finally), along with uncovering her family dynamic and exposing the horror of the Red Room.

© Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / © Marvel Studios / Courtesy Everett Collection

And given that the movie picks up after the events of Captain America: Civil War, screenwriter Eric Pearson said an early version of the script originally planned to feature a Robert Downey Jr. cameo.

Jay Maidment / © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

Rumors were swirling on the internet about the potential addition of RDJ.

"I do remember now that one version of the script, prior to me, literally had written into it the end moment of Civil War with Tony and Natasha, but it was old footage," Pearson told Comicbook.com's Phase Zero podcast.

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"It would have been, 'Hey audience, remember where we are, we're going to key off of this moment of her.' So it wouldn't have been Robert Downey Jr., at least to the best of my knowledge. That was the only time that I saw Tony Stark's name in, [it] was just a flag planted reminder of 'Hey we're right at the end of Civil War,'" he continued.

And because the footage wasn't new, the team decided to leave it out. Instead, Black Widow makes its place in the MCU timeline known by featuring Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) coming after Natasha following her breach of the Sokovia Accords in Civil War.

© Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / © Marvel Studios

Director Cate Shortland and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige agreed to let Natasha stand as is: "Initially, there was discussions about everything, about all of the different characters," Shortland told Total Film. "What we decided was, and I think Kevin was really great, he said, 'She doesn't need the boys.' We didn't want it to feel like she needs the support. We want her to stand alone. And she does."

© Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / © Marvel Studios / Courtesy Everett Collection

Exactly!!!

And while no Avenger other than Natasha is in the movie, there is a photo of one slipped in near the end of the post-credits scene, which is sure to set up many, many more conflicts in the universe.