Black Widow may not have the flashiest costume when compared to her counterparts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that doesn't mean her look doesn't get as much consideration as everybody else. While it's true you have to really look to see the differences between Scarlett Johansson's character and her concept art, the differences are certainly there. Check it out:
With Black Widow's costume being a black body suit, most of the nuances that have changed over the years have possibly gone unnoticed. However, when Marvel Studios artist Andy Park shows us his original concept design, we're forced to pay attention and realize how much the suit has evolved, and how it could have looked.
Park's design makes Black Widow's costume look more like a costume than it ever really does in the films. While we're sure Black Widow has her uniform made by the same people who handle the rest of the outfits for the Avengers, it always looks like something made of simple fabric, that you can just buy anywhere, we're sure the armor is all after market. The only outfit that really looked like it was designed to be a superhero costume was the version we saw in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which lit up for some reason.
The raised stitching in Park's design doesn't really come through in the final product. He also gave her a second belt which Scarlett Johansson doesn't end up wearing. While she does have the belt that includes the hourglass buckle, to remind you that her name is Black Widow, it's much more prominent in the design than in the final product. In addition, the wristbands, which Black Widow uses to stun Black Panther, are a bit more prominent in Captain America: Civil War then they appear to be in the image.
In its own way, designing a new costume for Black Widow has to be one of the more challenging jobs at Marvel Studios. Every hero has seen slight variations in their outfit over the course of the MCU movies, and Black Widow is no exception. However, as she has one of the most subtle costumes, those changes have been equally so. How does one make significant changes, without changing the basic concept of the outfit? She's the Black Widow, so the costume has to be pretty much an all-black suit, so from the get-go your options are limited.
What do you think of the concept design and its evolution to the screen? Are there any significant changes you'd like to see for Black Widow going forward in the MCU? Let us know what you think in the comments.
