Scarlett Johansson set to earn what her male Marvel co-stars do on upcoming Black Widow film

After years of playing second fiddle to her many Marvel co-stars, Scarlett Johansson is finally preparing to take command of her own standalone superhero outing as Black Widow. And according to a new report, doing so will earn her a pretty penny.

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in <em>Avengers: Age of Ultron</em>. (Photo: Marvel Studios)
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron. (Photo: Marvel Studios)

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Johansson is set to earn $15 million to reprise her role as Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, in a film focused exclusively on the character. That paycheck equals the ones earned by both Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth for their participation in Captain America: Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and its upcoming May 2019 sequel. Moreover, it appears to be the largest salary any actor has nabbed for their first solo Marvel outing, as THR makes clear that Robert Downey Jr. only netted $500,000 for his maiden turn as Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man, while Chadwick Boseman received $2 million for his headlining role in this February’s Black Panther.

Given that Johansson’s first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — in 2010’s Iron Man 2 — earned her a low-seven-figure salary, this is a huge step up the economic ladder for the actress, and proves that the studio is firmly committed to keeping her around for the foreseeable future. That, in turn, suggests that Black Widow may be joining Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel at the future forefront of the franchise after Avengers 4, which will supposedly bring some closure to this phase of the lucrative series.

Though Cate Shortland has been hired to direct, the Black Widow film currently has no official release date. Johansson will next be seen as the heroine in the untitled Avengers 4, which debuts in theaters on May 3, 2019.

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