Emily Blunt talks about missing out on the MCU's Black Widow role

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Before Scarlett Johansson eventually landed the part of Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Oppenheimer star Emily Blunt was in negotiations. In an interview, Blunt talked about the several Marvel movie roles that had been offered to her, with the largest one being the part of Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, in Iron Man 2. When the character made her MCU debut in 2010, the Jungle Cruise actor claims she was approached for the part but had to decline because she was committed to filming the Gulliver’s Travels adaptation at the time.

Blunt, who almost missed it because of contractual issues, praised Johansson for playing Black Widow, saying that “the best girl got it.” The culmination of Johannson’s nine MCU appearances was 2021’s Black Widow, the character’s first standalone film and the Marriage Story actress’s final significant appearance as the eponymous heroine. Additionally, Blunt said that she had discussions for the roles of Peggy Carter, Captain Marvel, and possibly Sue Storm/Invisible Woman from the Fantastic Four during her career, in addition to Black Widow. However, Blunt made it clear that she never received formal offers for these parts and that these were only first conversations in which producers brought up her name.

While Blunt has temporarily left the Marvel Cinematic Universe, her husband and fellow A Quiet Place actor John Krasinski did appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Illuminati leader Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, joining the Fantastic Four. Blunt hasn’t been cast in any prospective MCU parts as of yet, but with Phase 5 heating up and a slew of new Marvel projects on the horizon, a fresh chance might present itself. Marvel is now working on a reboot of the Fantastic Four, but it’s been revealed that even Krasinski won’t be returning to play Reed Richards. Instead, the company is apparently trying to cast younger actors in the film’s key roles.

However, the actor has recently seen success with Disney’s first-party projects as she co-starred in Jungle Cruise with Dwayne Johnson and performed the title role in Mary Poppins Returns. The epic biography Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, in which the Golden Globe-winning actor most recently starred, was released to rousing critical and commercial success.