Scarlett Johansson’s DC Leap Has Marvel Fans Fearing for Avengers 5 and 6

Scarlett Johansson jumping from Marvel to Gotham? That rumor alone is enough to melt the internet, and, well, it kind of did. Here is where things actually stand, what people think it means for Avengers 5 and 6, and why Matt Reeves is treating his The Batman sequel like a state secret.

So, is Scarlett Johansson doing The Batman - Part 2?

On December 3, 2025, Nexus Point News said Johansson is in final talks to join Matt Reeves' The Batman - Part 2. They did not say who she is playing, only that it could be a new love interest for Bruce Wayne or a villain. Grace Randolph chimed in to say she is hearing villain. The guesswork from fans is already off to the races: Poison Ivy, The Phantasm, or Jessica Dent are the most-cited names.

Marvel fans are reading it as a goodbye

Almost immediately, the conversation shifted from 'Who is she playing?' to 'Is Black Widow done for good?' A bunch of posts called it a sign that she is not coming back for Avengers: Secret Wars or the (still-rumored) Avengers: Doomsday at all, not even as some multiverse variant. To be fair, Johansson has already been pretty clear about closing the book on Natasha Romanoff.

'It would be very hard for me to understand in what capacity [returning] would make sense for me, for the character that I play,' she said, adding that the character's arc is complete and she does not want to 'mess with that.'

That tracks with her career moves lately: she has lined up new franchise work, including a fresh Jurassic World movie and an Exorcist remake. If you are looking for signals, those are some bright ones.

Meanwhile, Reeves is guarding Part 2 like a vault

Matt Reeves has not given up much on The Batman - Part 2 beyond describing it as very much a detective story, which is why he is obsessive about protecting plot secrets. Case in point: he had Robert Pattinson read the new script via a secure, code-locked envelope. He even joked that if Pattinson did not like it, that would be 'not good.' Reeves says what the sequel does with Batman has not been done this way before. Translation: expect something bold, and do not expect details until they want you to have them.

The rumor mill, cleaned up

• Report: Nexus Point News (Dec 3, 2025) says Scarlett Johansson is in final talks for The Batman - Part 2.
• Possible roles: a Bruce Wayne love interest or a villain; Grace Randolph leans villain.
• Fan-speculated characters: Poison Ivy, The Phantasm, Jessica Dent.
• Online reaction: many Marvel diehards are assuming this means no Johansson in Avengers: Secret Wars or the rumored Avengers: Doomsday, even as a variant.
• Johansson on the MCU: she has said returning as Black Widow would not make sense and that the character's arc is complete.
• Other gigs: she is attached to a new Jurassic World and an Exorcist remake, signaling a franchise pivot.
• Reeves' approach: Part 2 is a secretive detective-driven story; Pattinson got the script via a coded envelope; Reeves says the sequel pushes Batman in a way we have not seen before.

Where this lands

If Johansson signs on, it is hard to see her circling back for Avengers 5 or 6. And honestly, she already told us as much. On the DC side, a star of her caliber joining The Batman - Part 2 points to Reeves loading up the sequel with a big new presence. The only real mystery now is which corner of Gotham she is about to light on fire.