I have always been quite fond of Marvel Studios' interpretation of Black Widow. When she was introduced in Iron Man 2 back in 2010, Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff was poised to be realized as yet another fairly boilerplate female action hero; given little more to do than wear a skintight costume, be the subject of objectifying remarks by male characters, and engage in fight choreography that involves a lot of sexy hair-flipping. It wasn't until 2012's The Avengers that Joss Whedon (unsurprisingly) gave the character a lot more personality and utility, and his version of Black Widow would become the standard for all MCU movies going forward.
Though Natasha is still portrayed as a capable marksman and formidable hand-to-hand combatant, there is always much more of a focus on her skills as a spy: her abilities to blend in with her surroundings, read people and situations, and manipulate her opponents into giving her what she needs. Cleverly, this focus extends to her adversaries often underestimating Widow as just another catsuited, spin-kicking sex object, and her being aware of this and using it to her advantage. There is also much attention paid to the psychological and emotional toll that a life of deception and wetwork has taken on Natasha, and how that colors her decisions now that she's finally on the side of the heroes – whether or not that places her on the side of the law or the government.
As what I still believe is Marvel Studios' best standalone film, and the most central role Black Widow has played ahead of her upcoming solo picture, The Winter Soldier is a showcase of all of these qualities of her character while also being a perfect Captain America story and a solid government conspiracy thriller. Where The First Avenger was a pulpy retro sci-fi tale that would have been at home not only in the old comics, but also in Asimovian 1960s fiction serials, The Winter Soldier is in line with the modern Captain America books; concerning the time-displaced WWII hero unraveling a far-reaching secret evil plot that brings him up against old enemies, while also having to reconcile his beliefs and convictions with a U.S. government that has become infinitely more morally ambiguous, and a world that has become infinitely more complicated than the one he fought to protect decades ago.
The chemistry between Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson makes this film, and the relationship between Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, gives the action a greater depth. Seeing soldier Steve having to keep a low profile and rely on Natasha's espionage expertise reveals a new dimension to the character; the two bond in new ways as Steve's uneasiness about the government he once served unquestioningly places him in a similar conflicted headspace to the one Natasha's spent most of her life in. The outcome of this film's journey gives both a new perspective on their futures.
As one of the MCU's films with stakes that are less cosmic, and a story that's more grounded in reality, the practical action rounds out what is already a solid character and narrative base. The fight choreography in this movie is immensely impressive, especially the sequences featuring the titular Winter Soldier. Hell, Steve's elevator fight ended up being so iconic it was referenced shot-for-shot in a later film in the series. The classic Captain America villain – HYDRA scientist Arnim Zola – is also worked into the story in a creative way alongside Crossbones and Batroc the Leaper for a satisfying bit of fanservice. On top of all of that, I had also forgotten just how heavily this film sets the stage for Civil War a couple of years in advance.
Winter Soldier remains a standout in a franchise that contains several great films, and re-viewing it has me even more excited to finally see Black Widow star in the solo story that she honestly should've gotten like 5 or 6 years ago.