Black Widow was supposed to lead the MCU charge last summer, culminating in the release of Eternals at the end of the year, but that was not able to happen due to the pandemic. As of this writing, movie theaters in North America are starting to reopen, with Los Angeles back on top for the third consecutive weekend in a row. Expectations are high on this summer providing a return to some form of normalcy, which will include the summer blockbuster theatrical experience, and from the looks of things, Black Widow will fit the bill for fans that have been waiting to see the movie for over a year now.

The movie will follow the release strategy of Mulan and Raya and the Last Dragon by being simultaneously released on Disney+ for a “one time lease for $30” of “premier access.” The strategy has worked out well thus far, but Black Widow is in a whole other category. Even with people getting more comfortable with revisiting movie theaters, it’s unclear what the landscape will be like in July when the movie opens. Regardless, Marvel Studios, along with other big studios, believe that this summer will be the big return after a year of closures and pushed back release dates.

In Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

Johansson reprises her role as Natasha/Black Widow, Florence Pugh stars as Yelena, David Harbour portrays Alexei/The Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz is Melina. Black Widow -the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe-is directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige.