Scarlett Johansson is nominated for two Oscars this year for a pair of incredible dramatic performances in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story and Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit. She’s certainly shown some incredible range throughout her career. But what if she never took on the role of Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? What other role might have she taken on? Maybe Loki?
Photoshop artist Marvefx has imagined this reality and it looks awesome. Take a look:
Now, this is badass… but then again, this is Scarlett Johansson we are talking about here! It looks like she could rock both roles, but Tom Hiddleston couldn’t exactly play Black Widow, could he? It’s fun to imagine different actors playing other Marvel roles then what they were given. Something of this sort will certainly be explored in Disney+ series, What If…?
In the upcoming animated series, What If…? will explore situations in which Marvel characters' MCU histories unfold differently. As one example, Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter is pumped with Captain America’s super serum and becomes the patriotic symbol of heroism in World War II. A lot of actors from the live-action movies will be back to voice their characters too.
Scarlett Johansson has had many roles throughout her career, but playing a villain such as Loki hasn’t really popped up yet. How would she have informed the role differently than Tom Hiddleston? It would be out of her comfort zone for sure, but it may have been a great piece of casting!
And Loki has been depicted as a female character before. In 2009’s Mighty Avengers saga in the comics, the Trickster God was reborn as a woman. This version masqueraded as Scarlet Witch and formed her own team of Avengers. In another telling of Loki’s origins by young adult novelist MacKenzi Lee, the villain is introduced as gender-fluid and pansexual as well.
Although Tom Hiddleston's Loki was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, a different version of that character will return to the MCU through his own Disney+ series, which will air in Spring 2021. The show by Rick & Morty writer/producer Michael Waldron is also rumored to feature this female Loki character following Sophia Di Martino’s casting in the project.
Loki will follow the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and directly connect to it. And while not officially confirmed yet, it's rumored the series will also connect to Thor: Love and Thunder, which will be released on November 6, 2021 and rounds out Marvel’s Phase Four. Doctor Strange 2 has lost Scott Derrickson as its director and is swiftly looking for a replacement. The fourth Thor film looks to be on track, since Taika Waititi recently said it will begin filming in August.
Check out all the movie release dates for Marvel’s highly-anticipated Phase 4 and Phase 5.
