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Marvel is digitally de - get on General Thunderbolt Ross ( William Hurt ) inBlack Widow , and here ’s why that could be important to the first Phase 4 picture show . Ross was a seldomly - used character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe until Phase 3 , when he returned inCaptain America : Civil Warand burst the Avengers up . His energy for the Sokovia Accords and the laws they set up will directly affectBlack Widow , as the Scarlett Johansson - led filmtakes position afterCivil War .
Ross ' return inBlack Widowwasfirst let out by fit photosand later confirmed by the film ’s first trailer . Some dialogue from him was also heard in that trailer , but he was otherwise only in one scene . It was quickly noted that Ross had been de - aged , sparking supposition as to how far back in the MCU timelineBlack Widowcould go . The debate ring Ross ' role has now been reignited with therelease of the last trailer , which once again shows him de - aged - but why ? This technology would not be needed if Ross ' role was only in the dower of the film fix betweenCivil WarandAvengers : Infinity War .
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With that in mind , the Delaware - ageing of Ross points toBlack Widowexploring point in Natasha ’s life and the MCU as a whole that pre - dateCivil War . It also means that Ross has a role to play in these flashback succession . It has already been confirmed that the moviewill search Natasha ’s yesteryear , so Ross ' Delaware - aging may indicate thathe has hunted for her before . Since Natasha spent years as a Russian spy before her expansive good turn and recruitment to SHIELD , Ross could be one of many characters to seem during these earlier points in her life . His first depression of Black Widow , in this case , could be wildly different depending on which version of Black Widow he meets .
Marvel has only reveal a few seconds of Ross ' role inBlack Widowto this point , but the most recent look could provide a clue as towhen the flashback have place . This younger rendering of Ross is using a cane to take the air , which he did n’t practice inThe Incredible Hulk , Civil War , or his little appearance inInfinity WarandAvengers : Endgame . This could indicate that the scene assume position betweenThe Incredible HulkandCivil War , as Ross break in the latter that he antecedently had a affectionateness attack . This scene may take billet shortly after that wellness scare , so Ross has to use the cane until he fully recover from his 13 - hour triple bypass surgery .
Although any flashback thatBlack Widowfeatures are potential to focus on Natasha or another independent eccentric , it appears that Ross will be included in them too . This gives the motion picture a chance to also explore the former general ’s past , which could be used toplant seeds for his MCU future . Since he ’s barely been shown to this breaker point , how and when Ross first encounter Natasha is one detail that devotee might learn . However , it ’s also potential that Marvel Studios will habituate the de - aged Ross to show he has a past with Taskmaster too or his interests in forming the Thunderbolts . Simply put , there ’s a wide compass of potential reveals to Ross ' backstory that could come inBlack Widow .
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