Camera flashes hit me the moment I stepped onto the red carpet.
I stopped at the mark, turned slightly, and gave the photographers the usual sequence. Straight ahead. Smile. Smaller smile. Serious face.
This was the Black Widow movie premiere, and Disney, of coNot out of malice but out of fear.urse, had spared no expense. This was their first female-led superhero movie, after all.
The backdrop was massive, and the press line was crowded. Everything moved smoothly because somewhere nearby, a coordinator with a headset was one delay away from committing murder.
I stood alone for the first set of photos.
Then Scarlett joined me for more.
She had been ahead of me with the rest of the cast, posing with Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, and a few others. She said something to one of them, then walked over.
The photographers got louder immediately.
"Scarlett! Daniel! Over here!"
"Together!"
"Daniel, Scarlett, this way!"
She stepped beside me, sliding an arm around my waist. I put mine around her back.
"You look tired," I said, still smiling for the flashes.
"Of course I am," Scarlett said through her own smile. "I almost didn't come. I still have a bad headache."
"And whose fault is that?" I asked.
"Your fiancée's, actually."
I laughed a little, which made the photographers take photos with even more speed than I thought possible.
Margot, Scarlett, and a few of their other friends had taken a two-day trip to Australia to finalize where Margot and I were going to get married. She had narrowed it down to two places and wanted to see both in person.
Somehow, what began as a wedding-planning trip had turned into a girls' trip.
"I still have to talk to those two over there," Scarlett said, her smile never dropping as she looked toward a pair of organizers waiting near the next interview spot. "Maybe you can help me avoid them."
"Sure," I said. "Let's go."
We moved together, walking across the red carpet instead of stopping where we were supposed to.
Two organizers called for Scarlett.
We kept walking.
Inside, things became calmer. Not quiet, exactly, because premieres were never quiet, but at least the noise was less intense.
I met Florence Pugh first. She was funny. I really needed to do a movie with her in the future.Olga Kurylenko was lovely. Rachel Weisz, well, she had a special place in my heart, since I was a fan of the old Mummy movies.
That kind of made me think of Brendan Fraser. Where was he? I remembered something about him being blacklisted after he spoke out against a producer.
Needed to look into that.
I also talked to a few Disney executives. Eventually, I found Kevin.
Or Kevin found me.
"Danny," he said, smiling as we shook hands.
"Kevin," I said. "You know, I thought my invitation was going to get revoked."
He laughed. "What, because of your Spider-Man rant last week?"
I laughed too. "Yeah. What, no one got angry? The internet still hasn't stopped talking about it."
Kevin shook his head. "I just run the studio, Danny. Comics are not my department."
My Spider-Man rant had happened at a convention the week before. I had been there mainly to talk about Invincible with Matt. Somehow, and I still blamed the moderator for this, one of the audience questions turned into me talking about Spider-Man's current situation in Marvel Comics.
Which then turned into a rant.
A long one.
Mostly about One More Day and the editorial decisions that had let Peter Parker stagnate.
I had said some very scornful things about Marvel editorial. Very scornful.
I had also, because I apparently enjoyed throwing grenades into fandom spaces, contrasted that with DC's recent rise in comic sales and good storylines.
It had gone viral.
A part of me hoped it might actually change the timeline a little. Maybe Marvel would course-correct. Maybe the whole Paul situation would not happen. But then again, part of the blame for Spider-Man comics being the way they were had to be given to a section of the fanbase as well. There were some really big weirdos in there.
Kevin smiled at me. "For what it's worth, I did agree with some of it."
Soon enough, the premiere began.
I took my seat and settled in as the lights dimmed.
The movie played.
I had seen an earlier version before, though it had been unfinished in places. Some effects were rough, the sound was not locked, and a few edits were still temporary. Now, watching the final cut, I could see how much work had gone into polishing it.
And it was good.
Really good.
A solid Marvel movie in the best sense. It even had the scene I had contributed to, which, I have to say, did make the movie better.
It really did right by Black Widow.
Scarlett carried it beautifully, and Florence's Yelena made the whole thing even better.
Four weeks from now, Wonder Woman 2 will hit theaters.
The more tribalistic corners of both fandoms had already begun their crusade over which movie would make more money, which one would be better for female-led superhero films, which actress was more iconic, and which studio had "won."
Personally, I thought it might be close.
Black Widow had the Marvel machine behind it, plus years of audience affection for Scarlett's Natasha. Scarlett was now one of the best actresses in Hollywood.
Wonder Woman had the DCU's unstoppable momentum, along with goodwill from a lot of fans and the general public.
Anyway, both DC and Marvel were going to make a lot of money.
========
BLACK WIDOW OPENS TO $312 MILLION WORLDWIDE
Marvel's long-awaited Natasha Romanoff solo film scores a major global launch
Black Widow has opened to a strong $312 million worldwide, giving Marvel Studios another major box office win and finally delivering a solo showcase for one of the MCU's most popular original Avengers.
The Scarlett Johansson-led film launched with:
Domestic: $128 million
International: $184 million
Worldwide: $312 million
The opening places Black Widow among the strongest solo-character debuts in the MCU and gives Marvel a much-needed summer victory ahead of a crowded superhero season.
Domestically, Black Widow opened to $128 million, powered by years of audience attachment to Johansson's Natasha Romanoff and positive early word of mouth from premiere reactions.
The film played especially well with women, longtime MCU fans, and audiences who had been waiting for Natasha to receive a standalone story after years as a supporting player in ensemble films.
Internationally, the film earned $184 million across major markets.
Estimated top overseas openings include:
China: $42 million
United Kingdom: $22 million
South Korea: $18 million
Mexico: $15 million
Brazil: $13 million
France: $12 million
Germany: $11 million
Australia: $10 million
Japan: $8 million
Rest of World: $33 million
The international result is considered a strong start, particularly for a character-focused spy-action film without the same cosmic scale as some of Marvel's larger ensemble entries.
Early reception has been positive, with critics praising Scarlett Johansson's performance, Florence Pugh's breakout turn, the film's grounded action, and its more personal approach compared to many recent superhero films.
Audience response has also been strong, with many fans calling the film overdue and celebrating Natasha finally receiving the spotlight.
The opening also arrives just weeks before DC Studios releases Wonder Woman 2, setting up one of the most closely watched box office comparisons of the year.
Online debate between Marvel and DC fans has already intensified, with many tracking whether Black Widow or Wonder Woman 2 will finish higher worldwide.
For now, Marvel has landed first, and landed well.
.
.
.
Alice skipped ahead of me in a Wonder Woman costume, her cape fluttering behind her as she moved through the theater lobby.
I smiled as I kept my eyes on her.
We were at an early fan screening for Wonder Woman 2, and Alice had been waiting for this movie for months. She was easily the most excited. More than me.
She had the bracelets. The little tiara. The boots. The full costume.
My phone buzzed.
I pulled it out, glanced down, and immediately frowned.
Then the frown became annoyance.
Matt walked behind me with John, looking at his own phone.
"Dude," John said, "you should stop. This is crazy."
Matt glanced at his phone too, then shook his head. "No. Don't stop. If you stop, you lose. Think of your reputation."
I looked at the screen again.
Then I smiled. "Don't worry," I said. "How about this?"
I typed quickly and hit send.
John read the tweet almost instantly and burst out laughing.
"#AdlerReynoldsFeud is now trending," Matt said.
This whole thing had started yesterday when the first teaser trailer for Suicide Squad dropped. The trailer had revealed Vigilante, and let's just say his presence worked exactly as intended. It was only a small scene in the teaser, but the internet had already started talking. Some people compared him to Deadpool. Some said he felt like a mix of Deadpool and Kick-Ass. A few people were already declaring him their favorite character based on ten seconds of footage.
Ryan, of course, had seen all of that and tweeted something.
So I replied.
Then he replied.
Then I replied.
Then it became a thing.
"I need to delete most of this," I said, looking at the replies. "Graves and Raj have been calling me all evening."
Matt shook his head. "Cowardice."
"I believe it's called responsible brand management."
John said, "He's right, though. Some of these are getting clipped out of context."
John pocketed his phone. "Speaking of Ryan, I saw The Hitman's Bodyguard a few months ago. Good movie."
I looked at him.
"Maybe you should end this feud and make a movie with him," John said. "Clear the air."
I stopped walking.
Alice stopped too.
Matt froze beside us.
I slowly looked at John.
He was smiling.
I narrowed my eyes.
"You're no friend of mine," I said in my best Tywin Lannister impression.
Then I turned and walked forward with Alice.
At the entrance, one of the security guards recognized me and smiled.
"Mr. Adler."
I nodded toward John. "Don't let him in."
The guard blinked.
Matt burst out laughing.
John's smile fell. "Hey, come on, man."
The security guard, to his credit, stepped slightly in front of John.
John stopped.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
John then appealed to Alice, but she glared at him and stuck out her tongue.
"Et tu, Alice?"
I kept walking.
"Danny!" John called.
Matt was laughing so hard he had to lean against the wall.
"It was a joke!" John shouted. "A joke!"
I reached the entrance with Alice and looked back.
John stood there with the guard in front of him.
"Danny, seriously!"
Matt looked at me, still laughing.
I sighed.
Then I motioned for the guard to let him in.
The guard stepped aside.
John immediately hurried toward us.
"It was a joke," he said as he caught up. "You know it was a joke."
"You suggested I make a movie with Ryan Reynolds."
"For healing."
"It's treason. Betrayal of the worst kind."
"All right, all right. Feud to your heart's content."
We walked into the theater and found our seats.
Honestly, I was really looking forward to October and November.
The Usual Suspects would release first.
Then Suicide Squad.
That was going to be huge for Margot. Harley was already becoming one of those characters where you could feel the audience circling before the movie even came out. If the film worked, she was going to be a household name worldwide.
And if everything went the way I hoped, Vigilante would become a fan favorite too. And when the Deadpool movie came out, people would compare Deadpool to Vigilante. Yeah, Deadpool would be more fun and have a whole movie to himself, but some shine would be lost.
A perfect wedding gift for me when Margot and I got married in December.
The lights began to dim.
Alice grabbed my arm.
"It's starting," she whispered.
I smiled and leaned back.
Wonder Woman's theme began to play as the DC Studios logo appeared.
The movie began by showing the past.
Circe stood before an oracle as smoke curled through the air, the room lit by candles and the strange shimmer of magic.
The oracle spoke a prophecy that told of Circe's doom.
"A daughter of clay. Born of woman and will alone. Chosen by the gods..."
The prophecy continued, saying that this child would one day be tied to Circe's undoing, that her path would cross the witch's, and that the world Circe tried to shape would fall apart because of the Amazon.
Circe did not take it well.
The oracle tries to warn her again but Circe burns the house down.
Then the film cut hard to the modern day.
A bank robbery in progress in Washington, D.C they have a lot of hostages and they are threatening to bomb the place if the police won't accept their demands.
The Wonder Woman theme kicked in.
WonderWoman arrives.
The audience reacted instantly with cheers.
Alice gripped my arm beside me.
On screen, Wonder Woman took down the robbers and saved the hostages. They shot at her, and the bracelets came up. Bullets sparked away. The action scene showed off Diana's best qualities. She blocked bullets, disarmed men, shielded hostages, spoke calmly to terrified people, and only used enough force to end the threat. There was a moment where a robber tried to shoot her from behind, and she caught his wrist without even looking, turned, and said, "Please don't."
The audience laughed and cheered.
The movie then moved into her life. Diana was still a hero, but she was also trying to live as a normal person while serving as an ambassador between Themyscira and the world. She also spent time helping people as an adviser to an ancient history museum. That was where Barbara Minerva came in, played by Sofia Boutella. Barbara was introduced in a museum basement, surrounded by artifacts and books. She and Diana were friends. Barbara admired Diana, and Wonder Woman especially.
Diana and Steve were shown to be dating as well, and there was a conflict between them throughout the movie over Steve's work with ARGUS. Steve's connection to the organization bothered Diana, and the movie did not make either side completely wrong. Diana was uncomfortable with ARGUS's institutional agenda and its uneasy relationship with the League. Steve, meanwhile, was stuck in the middle as a de facto intermediary between both organizations.
The main plot began through Steve.
He was investigating incidents across multiple continents that defied conventional explanation. Prominent men, industry leaders, politicians, and military figures had been transformed into animals. Literally. One had happened on live television the previous day, Steve explained, showing Diana footage of a senator turning into a boar during a televised hearing.
Diana recognized the magic as ancient Greek in origin, and soon after, she was called back to Themyscira.
The first and only big cameo of the movie happened there.
Supergirl.
The audience cheered the moment she appeared.
She was training on the island, sparring with several Amazons. She was stronger than them, obviously, but not as skilled. That was the fun of it. Kara could lift a mountain, but the Amazons could still outmaneuver her.
Diana arrived just as Kara was preparing to leave after spending a month on the island.
It was a short scene, but it connected the ending of Man of Tomorrow to this movie. Their conversation also showed how Clark was now letting Kara join the League so quickly.
Alice leaned toward me. "Is Supergirl getting her own movie?"
I whispered, "It's going to be a while, but yes."
Diana then met Hippolyta, and the tone shifted.
Themyscira had been attacked by a sorceress named Circe. She had breached the island's protections and freed four prisoners.
Diana asks who.
Hippolyta told Diana of the Circle, four of the most elite Amazons of their generation, devoted beyond question to their queen and to Themyscira.
When Hippolyta announced her intention to create a daughter, a child born of female will alone and given life by the gods themselves, the four warriors objected.
Not out of malice but out of fear.
A prophecy had circulated among Themyscira's seers for generations: the daughter of Hippolyta, chosen by the gods, would bring destruction to the island. The Olympians would use her as their instrument, and when they were finished with her, Themyscira would be consumed by whatever war she left behind.
The Circle demanded that the child not be created.
Hippolyta refused.
The Circle moved to prevent Diana's creation by force, and Hippolyta had them imprisoned.
And now Circe had freed them.
Hippolyta warns her daughter. Circe was hunting Diana for reasons she did not know.
Diana returns with new information, and she brings Barbara in to help with the investigation.
The movie continued with the first meeting between Diana and Circe.
Eva Green was incredible.
I mean, truly incredible.
Whenever she was on screen, she made the movie her own.
Circe was shown waiting for Diana in her home.
They had a polite conversation, with Circe explaining what she wanted: Diana was the key to ridding the world of Olympian meddling forever. Circe believed the gods had ruined mortals and immortals alike, turning every life into a game played from above. She wanted the old divine structures broken, and Diana, born of godly blessing and Amazon will, was central to it all.
Diana refused, obviously.
"Then I will do what every god has ever done."
The shadows moved behind Circe.
"I will take what I need."
The fight began with Diana versus Circe and quickly turned into Diana against the Circle as well.
Diana barely escaped the four Amazons.
The second act followed Diana, Steve, and Barbara trying to figure out what Circe was planning while Diana hunted down members of the Circle as they carried out Circe's bidding.
This was where the movie slowed down slightly. Diana chased Circe and the Circle, while Steve worked with ARGUS to help her.
Also during this, Circe began to slowly manipulate Barbara. Barbara felt invisible next to Diana. Barbara was brilliant, but overlooked. Useful, but rarely admired.
By the time the final act arrived, Barbara had been completely drawn into Circe's web.
Circe kidnaps her to lure Diana to her. Circe exploits Barbara's insecurities, fed her admiration and resentment, and told her she could be like Diana: strong, beautiful, feared, unforgettable.
When Diana came for her, Circe offered Barbara a choice, which Barbara accepts. Circe then transforms her into Cheetah. Barbara is horrified by what happened, but she is under Circe's control, and Circe tells her to attack Diana.
Diana eventually defeats her friend, but Cheetah escapes, wounded and terrified by what she had become.
The final confrontation between Diana and Circe happens after Diana defeats the Circle, turning some of them back to her side through her skills as a diplomat and her sheer compassion. But Circe kills them and uses the shock to overpower Diana.
She binds Diana in her own lasso and forces the ritual to begin, using Diana as the focus. Magic tears through the chamber. And as the ritual begins Diana's bracelets crack and are destroyed, and with that, Diana's true power is unleashed.
The fight that followed was not long, but it was stunning. Diana is able to defeat Circe and asks her to end the ritual, but Circe refuses.
"You spent three thousand years running from a prophecy," Diana said. "You made everyone around you pay the cost of your fear. And you still lost. Not because the gods wanted it. Because you chose every step that led here."
Circe looked up at her, hatred and terror mixing on her face as the oracle's words echoed in her mind.
Diana has no choice but to kill Circe, which ends the ritual.
Diana does not feel triumphant and the end is a somber one. She is sad about Barbara and wants to find her and cure her if she can.
The final scene was simple. Diana and Steve went out together, just to walk through the town in Greece where the temple was.
The movie ends.
I leaned toward Alice as the first credits rolled.
"So," I asked, "how was the movie?"
She did not even look at me at first. Her eyes were still locked on the screen.
"It was great," she said.
I smiled.
"Yeah?"
She finally turned to me, her face serious.
"I wanna to watch it again."
I nodded. "Maybe Mom can take you again."
Her face brightened immediately.
"Yay."
The credits kept rolling, and the theater was still buzzing, waiting for the end-credit scene.
The screen went black.
The murmurs stopped almost instantly.
Everyone knew what that meant.
The end-credit scene began.
A forest appeared on screen.
The camera moved low across the ground, through roots and fallen leaves. Somewhere in the distance, an animal cried out and then went silent.
A figure walked through the trees.
The theater reacted before his face was even fully shown.
"Deathstroke," someone called out.
The orange and black armor caught the moonlight as he moved through the forest.
The audience erupted in cheers.
On screen, Deathstroke stopped.
The forest around him was still.
Then the camera tilted upward.
Cheetah crouched on a branch above him, eyes glowing in the darkness. Her claws dug into the bark. She looked feral and furious. Circe's control had been broken, and it was now all Barbara.
Deathstroke slowly lifted both hands, palms open.
"I come in peace," he said.
Cheetah's lips curled back.
"Leave."
Deathstroke did not move.
"I only want to talk."
Cheetah shifted on the branch, ready to pounce.
Deathstroke looked up at her, completely unafraid.
"You'll want to hear what I have to say."
The camera pushed in on Cheetah's face.
Her glowing eyes narrowed.
Cut to black.