“Black Widow” and Norway’s role in the MCU (spoiler warning)

Norway is no stranger to appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Black Widow (2021) is the latest Marvel movie to hit the big screen. Its initial release was July 9, 2021, and it’s currently on in theaters and Disney+.

The movie features Scarlett Johansson in the lead role of Natasha Romanoff. Romanoff is a staple in Marvel movies, but this is the first one dedicated solely to her.

Norway in the MCU

With an entire cast covering some of the main gods in Norse mythology, Norway and the MCU are intrinsically tied.

Marvel has three Thor-focused movies so far: Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017). The Norse god is played by Chris Hemsworth, his father Odin by Anthony Hopkins, and his brother Loki by Tom Hiddleston. In addition, the series features a slew of other Norse mythology-inspired characters, such as Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Heimdall (Idris Elba).

In Thor: Ragnarok, Norway was where Odin chose to end his life – after Loki had exiled the Allfather, posed as him, and ruled Asgard for three years. The movie saw all Hel break loose, with Asgard ultimately being destroyed and many killed by the fire demon Surtur (Clancy Brown).

After all that – plus Thanos‘ (Josh Brolin) Decimation in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – the God of Thunder was left, well, down in the dumps for a while.

Since Asgard was destroyed, Thor made his new home in Norway. In Avengers: Endgame (2019), he was shown in “New Asgard,” a seaside village in Norway, where the remaining Asgardians slowly rebuild their lives. The details will likely be deciphered more in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).

Black Widow and Norway

Black Widow (2021) takes place in 2016, per the MCU’s main timeline, following the plot of Captain America: Civil War (2016).

In the movie, Romanoff (Johansson) is based out of Norway – but in the timeline, she’s there before Thor set up New Asgard (per the MCU timeline, he did so in 2023). This could mean the two characters spoke in between, and Romanoff recommended Norway as an advantageous place to settle. Maybe because of its relative isolation, maybe because of its Norse history, maybe something else.

So, why did Romanoff even choose the Scandinavian country? She fled there as a fugitive, choosing in because she was “pretty sure [Secretary] Ross (William Hurt) had no jurisdiction” in Norway.

With a fake ID in tow, Romanoff hid out in Norway, living in a trailer. The character’s time in Norway was short in Black Widow, but it pointed out the country’s seemingly growing importance in the MCU.

We’re excited to see what else Marvel has in store for Norway in the future!

Source: #NorwayTodayTravel

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