At this point, even if you know nothing else about Black Widow, you probably know she deserves her own movie. Marvel fans have advocated so fiercely for her place in the roster of Avengers films that Saturday Night Live recently skewered Marvel’s unwillingness to deliver by making a parody that envisioned the film as a cliché-filled chick flick.
Now, thanks to a fan named Christopher Haley, we have a new (and better) alternative version of what a Black Widow might look like—one that takes Black Widow’s actual backstory into account.
Hint: it’s not a chick flick.
Finally, the spy Natasha movie we’ve been waiting for. The stylish title sequence features Portishead’s “Sour Times” as the perfect Bond-esque theme, references to Natasha’s Russian origins, and other actors like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s Ming-Na Wen and Clark Gregg.
Mostly, though, we’re into it for the implication that when she’s not hunting down international government officials, Natasha enjoys ballet-dancing.
Surely Marvel can appreciate this opportunity. Come on, guys. Why do you have to make another Thor movie when you could have an assassin who pirouettes? Between this and a stellar fan-made Black Widow trailer, your work has practically been done for you.
At least fans like Haley help make up for Marvel’s wasted opportunity.
A little.
Illustration by Aja Romano; Screengrab via Christopher Haley/YouTube