Marvel Studios’ Black Widow villain Iron Maiden is accidentally confirmed by the film’s Twitter emojis. The next Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to hit theaters is this spring’s Black Widow, which also serves to kick off Phase 4 of Marvel Studios’ franchise. Scarlett Johansson returns as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow for her first solo movie, though it’s also poised to be her last MCU outing, with Black Widow sacrificing herself in Avengers: Endgame to give her friends a chance at defeating Thanos once and for all. Now, Black Widow is set after Captain America: Civil War, picking up with Natasha after the events of that film.

Joining Johansson in the film are Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, another Marvel Comics character to operate under the mantle of Black Widow, as well as David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian, Russia’s own version of Captain America. Additionally appearing in the movie is Rachel Weisz as the mysterious Melina. Little is known about her character, but new information may have arrived via an unusual source: the Black Widow Twitter emojis.

In addition to unveiling the Black Widow Super Bowl TV spot during the big game, Twitter also debuted the Marvel movie’s official emojis that correspond with hashtags relevant to the film. #BlackWidow features the character’s symbol, while #NatashaRomanoff, #RedGuardian and #YelenaBelova have emoji versions of the characters. And while #Taskmaster doesn’t yet have an emoji, #MelinaVostokoff does and it’s a miniature of Weisz’s character. What’s curious is this is the first time Melina’s last name has been used, and it confirms she may be the villain Iron Maiden, since that’s the character’s evil alter-ego in the comics. See the emojis in the tweet below.

Previously, the Black Widow movie trailers have positioned Taskmaster as the main villain - though the character hiding under the mask has yet to be revealed. Some have theorized Weisz’s Melina may be Taskmaster, while others have speculated the villain will be played by one of the other supporting actors in the movie. Considering Melina Vostokoff is a villain in her own right in the comics, going by the name Iron Maiden, perhaps Black Widow is setting up for Weisz’s character to betray her “family” and turn against Natasha. The four characters - Nat, Yelena, Alexei and Melina - are said to be a family, and if they were betrayed by one of their own, it would make for a dramatic reveal.

Still, perhaps Melina won’t be the main villain of Black Widow, and Nat will only face off against Taskmaster. After all, Doctor Strange introduced a character that’s a villain in the comics - Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Mordo - who didn’t become an antagonist in the film. Instead, Mordo was set up to become a villain in a later film, and perhaps that’s what Marvel intends to do with Black Widow. Though Johansson’s Black Widow died in Avengers: Endgame, Pugh’s Yelena may live on to take on the mantle in the MCU, and she could face off against Iron Maiden. For now, fans can theorize about how Melina’s character fits into Black Widow, but they’ll have to wait until May to see what becomes of Iron Maiden.

Next: Black Widow: Who Is Playing Taskmaster?

Source: Twitter

  • Black Widow Release Date: 2021-07-09 The Eternals Release Date: 2021-11-05 Shang Chi Release Date: 2021-09-03 Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness Release Date: 2022-05-06 Thor: Love and Thunder Release Date: 2022-07-08 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Release Date: 2022-11-11