Natasha’s Payday: Scarlett Johansson Will Make a Reported $15 Million for Black Widow Standalone Movie

Scarlett Johansson can finally look forward to a paycheck that has been a long time coming—Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the actress will land a $15 million payday for her upcoming standalone Black Widow film. And hey, it only took eight years (and six movies) since her character was first introduced in 2010’s forgettable Iron Man 2.

According to THR, that $15 million figure would be equal to what costars Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth earned for their appearances as Captain America and Thor in this year’s blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War. What isn’t known is what Johansson earned for appearing in the same film, as the numbers have been very, very different when reported in different publications.

Still, this is definitely a big moment for Johansson as a Hollywood star, in the same year that she also became the highest-paid female actress on the planet, moving past Emma Stone for that title. Naturally, she still trails far behind the highest paid men, but it would seem that some progress is being made.

As for what will actually be on display in the first Black Widow spin-off film, it’s hard to say. The tempting thing would be to go back and explore Black Widow’s creation as a super soldier and killer, but Johansson might conceivably be too old to go back and play that part. The events of Infinity War obviously complicate things, so the story might need to take place in the time period after the conclusion of that film’s second part.

Time will tell if the likes of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel will eventually be able to demand an even higher payday among the women of the MCU.