Black Widow screenwriter Eric Pearson has revealed his plans to sneak in a reference to iconic Marvel villain Doctor Doom in an early version of the movie’s script.
"I might've had a reference to [Doctor Doom’s home country] Latveria in there. I might have, but I don't think so. I don't think that lasted very long," Pearson told IGN.
It’s unclear why the reference to Latveria was cut, but that hasn’t stopped Pearson trying to make history by being the first person to cement Doctor Doom’s (literal) place in the MCU.
As he explained, "I'm always trying to throw Latveria into stuff. … It's like one of those things where you want to be the first one to say it on an Instagram post or something!"
Marvel sowing the geographical seeds of a wider fictional world in the MCU is nothing new. After all, Iron Man 2 famously had a reference to T'Challa's Wakanda, while talk of underwater earthquakes in Avengers: Endgame had many Marvel fans expecting Atlantis and Namor to rise above the waves.
Latveria, though, would top the lot. For one thing, Doctor Doom is almost always depicted as the ruler of the Eastern European state – meaning that Fox’s roster of characters (including Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Deadpool) would officially be fair game in the MCU. The villain has also been one of the most hotly-anticipated Big Bads that have yet to make their mark on Marvel Studios’ movies and shows.
But, for now, it seems Marvel has other plans. Doctor Doom and Latveria will have to wait. Besides, Black Widow has already teased future major developments with Ursa Major actor Olivier Richters saying that he’s playing the first mutant in the MCU – something that has neither been confirmed nor denied by Marvel.
One thing Black Widow has done, however, is set up a certain character’s future in its post-credits scene. Plus, director Cate Shortland has told us why a rumored cameo wasn’t needed in the finished product. No, we’re not talking about a certain Latverian ruler…
