The Black Widow was introduced in Jon Favreau’s 2010 film “Iron Man 2.” Black Widow was a secret Russian spy dressed in a black catsuit and equipped with small weapons and acrobatic fighting skills. The role ultimately went to Scarlett Johansson who played the part in nine feature films.
According to “MCU,” Favreau was eager to work with Emily Blunt, favoring her in the role. She had recently appeared in the hit 2006 comedy “The Devil Wears Prada” as a catty secretary, and starred as the title character in the 2009 romance “The Young Victoria.” Blunt was well-established, poised for superstardom. The MCU was nothing but potential energy at that time, and many predicted (correctly) that the series would be massively successful. Blunt wanted in.
It seems, however, that “Devil” and “Travels” were part of a three-picture contract that Blunt had already signed with 20th Century Fox, and she was stuck. However much she might have wanted to play a high-profile superheroine role, she needed to play the Princess of Lilliput first. “Travels” was filmed in March 2009. “Iron Man 2” in April. Damn conflicts.
Lest one think Blunt ever felt she was “above” superhero material, she wanted to clarify that wasn’t the case, saying:
“It’s not beneath me. It’s not. I loved Iron Man, and I wanted to work with Robert Downey Jr. […] I was contracted to do ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ — I didn’t want to do ‘Gulliver’s Travels.’ It was a bit of a heartbreaker for me because I take such pride in the decisions that I make.”
Blunt would play an action hero in “Edge of Tomorrow.” She will likely get her first Oscar nomination for “Oppenheimer.” She’s done well enough.