After making her directorial debut with Eleanor the Great, Scarlett Johansson may be perfectly primed to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, just not as Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow.

Johansson became a central part of the MCU during her time as Romanoff between 2010’s Iron Man 2 and 2021’s Black Widow. After Romanoff’s death, however, Johansson has remained adamant she won’t be returning as an actor.

Even so, following an executive producer credit on Thunderbolts* and her recent feature directorial debut, Johansson could rejoin Marvel Studios as a director for any number of possible upcoming projects.

Despite her previous legal disputes with Disney following the release of Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson still has a solid relationship with Marvel Studios. Since 2021, Marvel has been working on a project with Johansson that was still in development before 2023’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

We don’t know whether this project will be a feature film or a Disney+ TV series, or which heroes will be featured, but Johansson’s recent directorial debut with Eleanor the Great suggests she could take the role of director on her mystery MCU project.

These possible projects would be perfect for the MCU veteran.

While Johansson herself might dispute her role working behind the scenes on Thunderbolts*, she was credited as an executive producer on the 2025 crossover project. Jake Schreier brought back several reformed villains and antiheroes from the MCU’s history as the New Avengers in Thunderbolts*, which included several Black Widow-related characters. It would make sense for Johansson to reunite with Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and perhaps even Olga Kurylenko, should a sequel to Thunderbolts* be produced, as the crossover was practically a Black Widow sequel anyway.

For months now, there has been speculation that Louise Grant’s Blonde Phantom will be joining the MCU. Introduced to Marvel Comics back in 1946’s All Select Comics #11, super-spy Grant was one of the first female superheroes, acting as a secretary to private detective Mark Mason by day and crime-fighting vigilante by night. Johansson’s love for powerful women means she’d make a fantastic candidate to direct a project focused on the Blonde Phantom, and this hero is the perfect replacement for Johansson’s own Black Widow in the MCU.