When Does the Film "Black Widow" (2021) Take Place?
"Black Widow" is a political superhero film written by Eric Pearson with Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson [adapting "The Avengers" #38 (1967), "The Avengers" #40-#41 (1967), "The Avengers" #43-#44 (1967) all by Roy Thomas, as well as "Black Widow" #2 (1999) by Devin Grayson] that released July 9th, 2021. So when is "Black Widow" set?
It takes place on the fictional Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline in the year:
v
2016 AD
We know this because the beginning and end of the main action clearly happen during the main action of "Captain America: Civil War" (2016), which ends in March or April of 2016 AD. So it must be March or April of 2016 AD.
Additionally, there is an extended prologue that begins with a white time and place setting title card superimposed over the footage reading "OHIO 1995". Furthermore, at the end of the 1995 AD prologue the audience is given a relative time setting title card reading: "21 YEARS LATER". So it is 1995 AD during these scenes.
2016 - 21 = 1995.
Finally, there is an epilogue in an after-credits scene at the gravestone of a character who dies just before the climax of "The Avengers: Endgame" (2019), which takes place in October of 2023 AD, so it must be during or after October of 2023 AD. Furthermore, this short scene involves Yelena Belova getting the mission audiences see her carrying out in the television series "Hawkeye" (2021), which takes place in December? of 2024? AD. So it must be before December? of 2024? AD. Therefore, it is either late 2023 AD or early 2024 AD at this point.
This Geekritique article and video examines its exact setting.
It is a chronologically midway film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and can be watched either at its timeline point, before "The Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) as an extended flashback, before the TV series "Hawkeye" (2021) as an extended flashback, or (almost) entirely separately.
