Jaw-Dropping Marvel Retcon: Black Widow Receives Shocking Disrespect 4 Years After Her Tragic Demise

Marvel Studios has once again shown a lack of respect towards Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow in Secret Invasion. Johansson's portrayal of Natasha Romanoff, starting from Iron Man 2 in 2010, established her as a vital member of the Avengers and she even sacrificed her life in Avengers: Endgame to save the universe. Despite her significant presence in the MCU for over a decade, Romanoff's character has always been overshadowed, with her first solo project, Black Widow, only being released in Phase 4 and set before her death. Unfortunately, Secret Invasion continues to diminish the importance of Black Widow's story in the MCU.

Phase 5's Secret Invasion has provided significant revelations regarding the MCU's history and the personal life of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, the former Director of SHIELD. In episode 3 of Secret Invasion, titled "Betrayed," it is revealed that Talos and a handpicked group of Skrulls had clandestinely operated as Fury's spy network for several decades. This covert alliance allowed Fury to ascend the ranks of SHIELD with unparalleled knowledge and authority. A flashback to 1998 suggests that among the group of Skrull spies was Fury's eventual wife, Varra, also known as Priscilla. Varra delivered a crucial piece of information to Fury, rendering a significant portion of Black Widow's MCU backstory obsolete.

Why Secret Invasion Mentioned Dreykov

In Secret Invasion episode 3's flashback, Priscilla hands Fury a document stained with blood, claiming that it will greatly disrupt Dreykov's men. In response, Fury acknowledges that it appears she has already achieved that. During the 1990s, Dreykov held a prominent position in the Soviet Armed Forces. Therefore, it is logical that SHIELD, Fury, and his clandestine Skrull network would have been monitoring the General's activities in 1998. However, it seems that they may not have been fully aware of the extent of Dreykov's operations within the Red Room. Secret Invasion suggests that the Skrulls had already weakened Dreykov long before Romanoff and Barton's mission to eliminate him, which occurred in 2008.

Secret Invasion's Dreykov Retcon Changes Black Widow's Past

The mystery surrounding Dreykov's daughter has loomed over the MCU ever since Loki mentioned her to Natasha Romanoff in The Avengers. However, Black Widow finally shed light on the significance of this. In the 2000s, Clint Barton was ordered to eliminate Romanoff, but he soon realized that she could be a valuable asset to SHIELD. As part of her defection, they were assigned the mission to assassinate General Dreykov. Their plan involved using his daughter, Antonia, as bait to ascertain his location, ultimately leading to the successful bombing of the building he was in. The Budapest mission became legendary in the MCU and was referenced numerous times. However, the recent reveal in Secret Invasion episode 3 undermines its glory.

In a surprising twist, Secret Invasion episode 3 uncovered that Priscilla and Fury's Skrull spies had actually played a critical role in weakening Dreykov, potentially placing him in a more vulnerable position for Romanoff and Barton to eliminate. This revelation diminishes the pride associated with Romanoff and Barton supposedly taking down Dreykov all on their own. Secret Invasion episode 3 is just the latest example of the MCU's tendency to discredit Black Widow.

New episodes of Secret Invasion release every Wednesday on Disney+.