First Look: Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

Published by Jeff Leins on: July 16th, 2009

Here is your first look at Scarlett Johansson as a redhead and in costume as Black Widow for Iron Man 2.  Entertainment Weekly has the exclusive images as part of their preview of Comic-Con before it starts next week.  Director Jon Favreau wowed audiences in 2007 at the geek festival and will be presenting new stuff next Saturday, July 25.

Pictured left is the cover of the issue.  On the left is ScarJo, center is Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, and on the right is Mickey Rourke as the villain Vanko/Whiplash (in case you haven’t seen his suit, here’s a better look).

Johansson plays Natasha Romanoff, “Stark’s mysterious new assistant,” whose alter ego is Black Widow.  In the comics, the character is outfitted with wrist-mounted weaponry called “the Widow’s bite.”  Below is another picture of Johansson in her leather cat suit and maybe a peek at the “bite.”  She ultimately defects to the U.S. side and joins the Avengers, which means more Scarlett in Marvel’s team-up sequel.

Rourke told EW he wanted to keep his character light, so he asked Favreau for a pet.  “I told Favreau, ‘I don’t want to just play him as a one-dimensional p—-. He let me have a cockatoo, who I talk to and get drunk with while I’m making my suit,” Rourke said.  You read that right, the bad guy talks to a bird.

Rourke plays a Russian nemesis, but the sequel actually has two enemies.  The other is Justin Hammer (played by Sam Rockwell), a fast-talking weapons manufacturer who fancies himself the next Tony Stark.  Of course, the two join forces to take down Iron Man.

Another member of the cast is Don Cheadle, who replaced Terrence Howard after negotiations fell through with Marvel.  He plays Lt. Rhodes and possibly dons his own metal suit to become War Machine.  Cheadle admits to EW he thought Iron Man was a robot before the first movie came out.

Gwyneth Paltrow is also back as Pepper Potts, who oddly enough doesn’t have a secret identity.  Or does she…?  (She doesn’t.)  She has been promoted to CEO of Stark Industries, according to the magazine.

If the Rourke quote wasn’t strange, Downey adds one of his own about the male counterparts in the movie.  “We’re horny. Not, like, can’t-bring-your-kids horny, but just…horny.”

Iron Man 2 is out May 7, 2010.