Scarlett Johansson’s Only Non-MCU Superhero Team-Up With Samuel L. Jackson Is Streaming Free Right Now
Fans still can’t get enough of Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson’s MCU chemistry. Endgame took Black Widow off the board, but Nick Fury remains a wild card — with the door wide open for a comeback that could shake up the next phase.
Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson teaming up outside the MCU? Yep, that actually happened. If you only know them as Black Widow and Nick Fury (RIP Nat, Fury still refuses to retire), they also shared the screen in Frank Miller's The Spirit — a moody, comic-panel pulp riff that leans hard into neon noir. If Snyder's Watchmen vibe works for you, this swims in a similar pool.
Where to watch The Spirit right now
The Spirit is streaming on Prime Video and Plex — with ads on both. It is also available on Hoopla, Kanopy, Fawesome, and Tubi.
What the movie is
Gabriel Macht (yes, Harvey from Suits) stars as rookie cop Denny Colt, who dies, gets better, and rebrands as masked vigilante The Spirit. His nemesis is The Octopus, played by Samuel L. Jackson with maximal swagger, and Scarlett Johansson turns up as his impeccably styled right hand, Silken Floss. Jaime King (White Chicks, Pearl Harbor, Sin City) rounds out the noir-tinged ensemble. It is very much a stylized, comic-on-film approach — saturated blacks, bold highlights, and characters who look like they stepped off a splash page.
Context that matters
The Spirit hit theaters on December 25, 2008 — the same year Iron Man kicked off the modern MCU. It was written and directed by Frank Miller, the comics legend behind Sin City (and its 2014 sequel, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) and the 300 limited series that Zack Snyder later turned into a Spartans-are-ripped opera. Miller kept the graphic-novel aesthetic here, just as he did on Sin City, but the reception was rough.
How it landed
Critics largely said the movie's hyper-stylized look did not gel with the story — ScreenRant called out that mismatch specifically. The ratings reflect the dogpile, but to be clear, this did not derail anyone's career. Jackson chews scenery like a pro, Johansson deadpans menace in glossy glasses, and both do their part in a script that never quite gets out of its own way.
- Release date: December 25, 2008
- Director: Frank Miller
- Ratings: IMDb 4.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 14%
- Where to watch: Prime Video (ads), Plex (ads), plus Hoopla, Kanopy, Fawesome, Tubi
What Scarlett Johansson is doing next
Johansson has Ray Gunn on the calendar with director Brad Bird, currently set for 2026. She is also signed on for a new take on The Exorcist for Universal and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, with Mike Flanagan directing, per Variety. If you are connecting dots: yes, that pairing with Flanagan could lead to some interesting casting — and given that he has been linked to a Clayface movie at DC, you can see why some folks think Johansson might eventually pop up in James Gunn's DCU. That is speculation, not confirmation, but it is an intriguing what-if.
Bottom line
If you want to see Johansson and Jackson outside their MCU comfort zone, The Spirit is a slick, weird time capsule from the year the MCU was born. It is uneven, often gorgeous, and absolutely committed to its noir-comic bit. Fire it up, brace for ads, and enjoy the pulp.