It won't be long now before the Marvel Cinematic Universe returns to the big screen with Black Widow, with a new TV spot reminding us of this. The newly released footage also has the titular superhero being reminded that she is much more than just a spy, she's an Avenger, a comment that seems to get under Natasha's skin for all the wrong reason.

Black Widow finds Natasha Romanoff forced to confront the darker parts of her famous 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 will provide some insight into the origins of one of the founding Avengers, even revealing details regarding the famous mission in Budapest.

Joining Scarlett Johansson, who will reprise the title role for what could be the final time, Black Widow is directed by Cate Shortland from a screenplay by Eric Pearson, and features a stellar supporting cast including Florence Pugh as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei/The Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz as Melina.

While audiences wait patiently for the movie to finally hit the big screen, early reactions have praised Black Widow for marking a triumphant return for the feature-length MCU with one critic saying, "Start to finish, the movie is great. Excellent surprises, emotional character moments, bad-ass action, and Scarlett Johansson finally gets to pour everything into the role. Director Cate Shortland nailed it. Bravo."

Another early reaction praised the movie's action sequences, comparing Black Widow to one of the MCU's best outings, 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. "Well, I certainly enjoyed #BlackWidow! As one comes to expect from a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, the movie is packed with crazy, eye-popping action and that signature brand of humor, plus a strong emotional core that pulls at the heartstrings. #BlackWidow is really going to please fans of Captain America: The Winter Solider. The film shares a lot of blood with TWS, without being an exact clone of it. Fans who enjoyed the way Black Widow was written in that film will find a lot to love here."

Black Widow will take a somewhat different approach to the Marvel universe, telling a prequel story that will presumably have an impact on the franchise going forward. Marvel Studios President, Kevin Feige, recently revealed that this could begin a new trend, with the MCU telling stories from earlier in the timeline. "Certainly this film and this story is a particular case for Natasha. But the notion of exploring the past, present, and future of the MCU is certainly in the cards for all of our characters," Feige said. "This particular story of this particular cast is very personal, very specific to Natasha."

After being delayed multiple times amid the ongoing global situation,Black Widow is now scheduled to be released in the United States on July 9, 2021, simultaneously in theaters and through Disney+ with Premier Access. It will be the first installment in Marvel's Phase Four of the MCU.