It's no secret that the theatrical release plan for Black Widow has been complicated at best. One of the first major blockbusters affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Widow was pushed back several times by Marvel Studios throughout 2020. However, it now finally seems as though the film has landed on a concrete summer release date, and Marvel has since been rolling out new promotional material. Earlier today, Marvel unveiled six character posters for the movie, which provide fans with an up-close look at all of the major characters.

The six posters in question feature Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, Rachel Weisz's Melina Vostokoff, David Harbour's Red Guardian, O-T Fagbenle's Mason, and the main villain Taskmaster. Notably, each poster features the actor's name, but no actor is associated with Taskmaster. There have been an abundance of fan theories as to who could be behind the Taskmaster mask ranging from Clint Barton to a Natasha clone. In the comics, his alter ego is named Tony Masters, but Marvel Studios has made no effort to connect Masters to the upcoming film. The fact that no actor has been named for the character could be an important clue.

Black Widow has been revealed to take place after the events of Captain America: Civil War and before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. It will follow Natasha as she returns home to her "family" and takes on Taskmaster and other forces that threaten humanity. It will be interesting to finally explore Natasha's past because for the most part it has been largely overlooked by the other MCU movies.

There have been rumors that other MCU actors may have cameos in the film given that Black Widow is technically a prequel. Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark has been a name heavily featured in those rumors, and it would make a lot of sense. After Civil War, it is implied that Natasha went into hiding because of her breaching the Sokovia Accords. Stark making a brief cameo near the beginning of the film could help casual audiences understand the timeline. Other actors that have been rumored to appear are of course Chris Evans's Steve Rogers, Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson, and Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff as they ultimately become Natasha's fellow vigilantes. The most probable cameo, however, could be Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton as he and Natasha's characters have long been interconnected through the comics and films.

In January, Marvel Studios released the official synopsis for Black Widow which reads, "In Marvel Studios' action-packed spy thriller Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger." Black Widow is definitively and decisively set to launch simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access in most Disney+ markets on July 9, 2021.