Marvel’s Cinematic Universe started over 18 years ago and has changed cinema, becoming a blockbuster franchise like no other. Countless movies have soared past that billion-dollar milestone, and despite facing plenty of criticism over the years, the MCU remains popular across the globe; but its unprecedented success truly began in 2012 with The Avengers.
Following a series of solo movies, 2012’s The Avengers saw some of Marvel’s biggest heroes come together to take on their biggest threat yet, a move fans absolutely adored. It was the first MCU film to gross over $1 billion, and this big team-up paved the way for Marvel’s live-action universe to become the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time.
If there was any question as to how impactful this movie was for Marvel’s brand, Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s box office just proved that this superhero brand remains untouchable, having the second-best opening weekend at the box office ever. However, while almost all the original Avengers actors are still involved to some degree, one isn’t coming back.
Scarlett Johansson was already a big name before joining the MCU, but playing Black Widow made her one of the highest-grossing actors of all time and a true movie star. Additionally, her character laid the groundwork for so many great female superheroes, allowing women to feel represented in what had been a male-dominated scene for so long.
Sadly though, Johansson doesn’t look likely to return to this fictional world any time soon, as not only was Natasha Romanov killed off in Avengers: Endgame, but her relationship with Disney has also soured over the years. Even though Florence Pugh’s Yelena has stepped up as Black Widow’s replacement, it’s still heartbreaking to think Johansson almost certainly won’t be back.
In contrast, all the other OG Avengers have or will appear after Endgame — even those whose characters were killed off — proving Natasha’s death doesn’t completely close the door on an MCU return. That said, Johansson’s post-Endgame career has confirmed she doesn’t need Marvel to thrive, as her stock keeps on rising.
Scarlett Johansson Has Become A Bigger Star Since Leaving The MCU
There is no denying the MCU played a vital role in making Scarlett Johansson the star she is today, but she has managed to become an even bigger name since leaving. Black Widow may be the most notable role of her career, but Johansson hasn’t struggled for work since 2019, having appeared in some absolutely huge movies.
Following Avengers: Endgame, Scarlett Johansson went on to appear in Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit in 2019, receiving Oscar nominations for both roles. She then made her official MCU departure in Black Widow, a prequel that allowed Johansson her first and only solo movie as the character.
Since then, she has been involved in several animated hits such as Sing 2 and Transformers One, while also working twice with Wes Anderson on Asteroid City and The Phoenician Scheme. Leaving the MCU wasn’t the end of Johansson’s blockbuster roles either, as she starred in Jurassic World: Rebirth and is set to return in the sequel.
This gives her yet another major franchise going forward, and she has plenty of other exciting projects in the works. Her time with Marvel may be done for now, but Scarlett Johansson will switch to DC with The Batman Part II, as she was officially cast in 2025, sparking all sorts of speculation regarding her role in the film.
The highly-anticipated movie won’t hit screens until 2028, but it is easily one of the most exciting projects in Hollywood, and the fact Johansson landed a role in it reinforces her star power. Before that, she will also feature in an upcoming animated outing, Ray Gunn, while flexing her horror chops in 2027’s The Exorcist: Martyrs.
As if this post-Endgame resume wasn’t impressive enough, it’s only scratching the surface in terms of what she’s been in since her last Avengers film, not to mention the fact she made her directorial debut last year in her drama Eleanor the Great. Therefore, it’s safe to say Johansson’s success has only grown over the past seven years.
How The Other Original Avengers Actors Have Fared Since Endgame
When it comes to the other Avengers actors, things have been a bit hit-and-miss since Endgame, with no one quite matching Scarlett Johansson’s level of success. Mark Ruffalo has arguably come the closest, as he has been in a plethora of financially successful and critically acclaimed hits.
Like Johansson, Ruffalo has a pretty strong pedigree ahead of his appearance in The Avengers, making it no surprise he continues to thrive. His role in 2023’s Poor Things earned him an Oscar nomination, and he’s also found success on TV through multiple different shows, with Task being the biggest, where he’s currently working on a second season.
He has remained part of the MCU, appearing in the likes of What If…? and She-Hulk, both of which earned mixed receptions, and most recently, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which has been a mega-hit. Chris Hemsworth has also fared pretty well, as Furiosa and Transformers One were adored by the public.
He also found himself a new franchise with Extraction, while being the only original Avengers actor outside Johansson to get a solo MCU movie since Endgame, although the reception left a lot to be desired. Robert Downey Jr. is an interesting case, as his Oscar-winning role in Oppenheimer is arguably his greatest career achievement, yet it’s one of his only projects since Endgame.
Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth are the only two original Avengers to have never been nominated for an Oscar, with Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., and Scarlett Johansson all receiving at least one nomination.
Other than that, he has appeared in Dolittle — a family film that performed poorly — alongside The Sympathizer. Neither project set the world alight, making Oppenheimer the clear outlier. That said, his upcoming slate looks exciting, as he will return to the MCU in a new role, with RDJ playing the powerful Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.
After that, he will also be a key part of Secret Wars and has a new Sherlock Holmes film in the works. Chris Evans’ post-MCU career started hot with Knives Out, but many of his high-profile roles since haven’t been received too well, as Red One, Ghosted, Lightyear, and The Gray Man were all divisive at best.
Still, he has at least been in very high demand, with Deadpool & Wolverine and Don’t Look Up being his biggest highlights in recent years. Unfortunately, Jeremy Renner hasn’t been too active lately after being involved in a serious snowplow accident, but most of his post-Endgame projects have been good.
Hawkeye was a fun MCU return for Clint Barton, while Wake Up Deadman continued the success of the Knives Out series. Mayor of Kingstown undoubtedly stood out the most though, with the TV show giving Renner a strong leading role for several years.
Don’t Expect Scarlett Johansson Back In The MCU
With Johansson outshining her fellow The Avengers stars since their last outing together, there isn’t any real need for the actress to return to the MCU, and there certainly aren’t many signs that she’s considering it. With several heroes returning to Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast as they take on Doctor Doom, there is still room for some big surprises.
As a result, many fans may be hoping to see Johansson’s Black Widow return, especially after the confirmation that Chris Evans will be reprising his role as Steve Rogers. However, Steve technically never died, whereas Natasha’s sacrifice in Endgame was too significant to undo, especially since Yelena has filled the gap she left.
Ultimately, her story is done, and while she could appear in a new role, Johansson’s relationship with Marvel isn’t at its healthiest. Despite being part of the MCU for over a decade, Johansson sued The Walt Disney Company after the company released 2021’s Black Widow on Disney+ as well as in theaters, sparking a major dispute between both parties.
Eventually, a private settlement was reached, and her claims of not being bitter about the whole ordeal open up some hope of an eventual return. Still, with such a public disagreement muddying the waters and Natasha Romanov’s Marvel story complete, I’m not getting my hopes up about a Scarlett Johansson appearance in the MCU any time soon.
The Other Major Avengers Have (Or Could) Return
Hopes of Scarlett Johansson returning to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe may be slim, but this isn’t the case for the others. Every other OG Avengers actor is set to appear in the live-action universe at some point this year, apart from Jeremy Renner, and even then, there are plenty of easy ways to bring him back.
Mark Ruffalo has already appeared, having played a relatively significant role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which released on July 31. Bruce Banner and The Hulk have remained a small but constant part of the MCU since Avengers: Endgame, and while Ruffalo isn’t confirmed to be in Doomsday, he’ll almost certainly be a part of Secret Wars.
Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and Robert Downey Jr. will all be major parts of Doomsday later this year, reuniting this big trio. Hemsworth has continued to play Thor since Endgame and has essentially been the primary Avenger after the 2019 flick, sparking theories of a potentially dark fate in either Doomsday or Secret Wars.
In contrast, Endgame acted as Chris Evans’ farewell from the MCU outside a cameo as Johnny Storm in Deadpool & Wolverine, having played the character prior to joining the MCU. However, the actor will be back as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday, unlike Robert Downey Jr., who will move away from Iron Man to play the movie’s central villain.
After years of portraying Tony Stark, Downey Jr. will flaunt his talents as an antagonist, and Doctor Doom is by far one of Marvel’s scariest. This leaves just Jeremy Renner unaccounted for, but he could easily appear in one of the upcoming Avengers films, or Hawkeye season 2, since an offer was on the table.
Renner was unable to agree a deal to return, but it’s clear Marvel wants him back and has ideas for a second season of his Disney+ show, suggesting five of the six OG heroes from The Avengers could be back sooner rather than later.
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- Movie(s)
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Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, Werewolf by Night, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, The Punisher: One Last Kill
- TV Show(s)
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Inhumans, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Agatha All Along, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Wonder Man, Echo, Marvel Zombies, Eyes of Wakanda
- First Film
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Iron Man
- First TV Show
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Cast
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Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors
- Director
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Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, Shane Black, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, James Gunn, Peyton Reed, Taika Waititi, Ryan Coogler
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a long-running multimedia franchise drawn from the heroes, villains, and narratives of Marvel Comics. The MCU formally began with 2008’s Iron Man, with other successes forming the basis for the contemporary path from comic page to screen, including over 30 films and 20 TV shows.
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- Birthdate
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November 22, 1984
- Birthplace
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New York City, NY, U.S.A.
- Occupation(s)
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Actor, Director, Musician
- Notable Projects
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The Avengers, Marriage Story
- First On-Screen Role
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North (1999)
- Current Spouse
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Colin Jost
Scarlett Johansson is an American actor known for leading roles in both blockbuster franchises and dramatic films. She is widely recognized for portraying Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and received critical acclaim for performances in Lost in Translation, Marriage Story, and Jojo Rabbit. She has also worked as a singer and stage performer.