Avengers: Infinity War’s Black Widow Easter Egg Confirmed

Scarlett Johansson confirms the connection between Avengers: Infinity War and Black Widow, saying that Natasha’s green vest during the heroes’ fight against Thanos was originally Yelena’s. The Cate Shortland-directed film was supposed to kick off MCU’s Phase 4, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was pushed back multiple times and now it’s scheduled for a July 2021 hybrid release. Despite the delays, Marvel Studios is promising that the movie will be worth the wait.

Nat’s return on the big screen will be in conjunction with the introduction of new characters to the MCU, particularly her Russian spy “family,” which includes Yelena Belova, who fulfills the role of younger sister. Black Widow will see the Avenger deal with unfinished business from her past after Earth’s Mightiest Heroes broke up in Captain America: Civil War. Marketing for the movie has remained secretive, with the real identity of Taskmaster, the story’s main villain, still unconfirmed. But while the movie will be largely removed from the bigger MCU as it focuses on Nat’s world and her solo mission, it does have references to the lore it belongs to as part of Marvel Studios’ interconnected storytelling.

When Screen Rant visited the set along with a group of reporters, Johansson confirmed that Nat is wearing Yelena’s green vest from the Black Widow movie in Infinity War. The idea, apparently, came from MCU architect Kevin Feige, who thrives in making these tiny but important connections. The actress couldn’t get into specifics about how Nat got a hold of her sister’s vest, but she said that the piece of clothing has become an heirloom.

Well it actually is an important thing. It seems very superficial, but it actually is very unique, it’s a very meaningful thing. That’s totally a Kevin Feige thing. He loves all of that backstory stuff and things that connect characters to one another. When we designed it then, it was really just a different look for the character, but it’s fun how Kevin’s mind works in this – he’s like an imagineer in that way, where he thinks of all the little hidden things that people will give, things that are seemingly innocuous, some heart. It’s an heirloom, it becomes an heirloom in this unexpected, funny way.

The theory that this was the case popped up all the way back in late 2019 when Marvel Studios debuted the first trailer for Black Widow. At that point, the movie was still set to release in May 2020, but due to the global health crisis, that didn’t push through. It’s interesting that Johansson actually confirmed this hypothesis when people involved in MCU projects are usually tight-lipped about these matters. The great thing about this is that the conversation can now move forward to whether or not this was the case to how it actually came to be. Initially, speculations claimed that it might be Nat’s way of paying tribute to her sister, but that may not be the case as the reason could be more lighthearted than presumed based on Johansson’s comment.

Black Widow is more likely Johansson’s final appearance in the MCU as the character met her end in Avengers: Endgame. The standalone film is expected to be her send-off, albeit in an unusual way. But, Yelena is believed by many to continue being a major player in the franchise moving forward. So, it poses the question of how her vest became an heirloom when she’s presumably still around in the universe. Additionally, where was Yelena during the fight against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War? Black Widow will likely offer more answers.