Why ‘The Black Widow’ might reboot the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel officially announced its massive upcoming slate that will kick off phase 4 of the MCU starting with "The Black Widow" solo movie coming to theaters May 1, 2020. Black Widow finally getting her own movie should come as no surprise, as the superspy is one of the OG Avengers and is played by Scarlett Johansson, one of the biggest actresses in the world.

However, there is one big potential problem: Black Widow is, for lack of a better word, dead, as she sacrificed herself to help the other Avengers get a hold of the Soul Stone. Obviously, this means that "The Black Widow" will be an origin story set in the past but it also begs the question: could "Black Widow" being the first movie in phase 4 mean that the MCU is finally ready to embrace the multiverse?

Confused? Well, it's possible that "The Black Widow" could just be a standalone origin film but given the interconnectivity of the MCU, that feels unlikely. "Captain Marvel," the last movie before "Endgame," took place in the 90s but it still managed to connect itself to the larger narrative ("Captain America" did the same thing). This makes it feel highly unlikely that "Black Widow" will be a stand-alone story that marks the end of Johansson's time with Marvel, especially considering the fact that it has been chosen as the movie to start the post-Iron Man and Captain America era of the MCU.

This is where the multiverse comes into play because it could potentially allow the titular secret agent to find her way back into the story while also finally opening up the MCU to other universes. The MCU has been hinting at the multiverse theory for a long time, most recently via Mysterio in "Spider-Man: Far From Home," but so far, it has only dipped its toes into the complex tapestry of parallel realities.

The multiverse theory makes even more sense when you look down the rest of the phase 4 schedule, as a lot of the upcoming shows and movies seem to suggest the possibility of alternative universes, as they are packed with dead members of the MCU. Loki, who died in "Infinity War," will be getting his own show in 2021, while Vision, who was murdered by Thanos, is set to have a major role in "WandaVision," another show set to air on Disney+.

Is Marvel just getting really into prequels? Maybe (although Vision and Wanda don't meet until Ultron so that doesn't really make sense) but how would that explain "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?" At this point, Marvel is basically winking at comic book fans with its seeming embrace of the multiverse.

So when "Black Widow" hits theaters next year, don't be surprised if its a badass espionage flick that also sets the foundation of the Avengers diving deep into the wonderfully weird world of the multiverse. This would open it up to infinite possibilities, including rebooting storylines and bringing back characters who are currently dead.

This article originally appeared on Fatherly. Follow @FatherlyHQ on Twitter.