Release Date
20-06-2025
The YouTube algorithm works in mysterious ways, and sometimes it can push specific content so persistently that audiences relent to going along for the ride just out of sheer curiosity. Recently, a decade-old direct-to-video film,Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher, started appearing onthe feeds of Marvel and/or anime fans, who took to the recommendation well.
As of the time of writing, most of the top comments are from the past three weeks, with users sharing in the amusement of this peculiarly widespread nostalgia bomb. If the commenters weren’t nostalgic fans reliving a largely forgotten film, they were people who had never even seen it giving in to curiosity, nonetheless perplexed as to why this - of all things - has blown up now.
But Seriously, Why This Movie?
While mostly speculative, there are some signs as to why it might have won the YouTube algorithm lottery. For one thing, it turned 10 years old this year. For another,Marvelhas recently warranted a lot of buzzafter the success ofDeadpool & Wolverine, as well as discourse about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Perhaps the algorithm wanted to capitalize onDeadpool’s success and recommended a “similar” film in as analytical a manner as possible.
It is, after all, a film about a red-color-coded comic book character working with another beloved, more violent comic book anti-hero. Of course, it could also have just been a random occurrence, but regardless, it presented a golden opportunity to look back to the start of the 2010s, as the MCU was just beginning to blossom, and Marvel seemed to be betting big on anime.
Marvel’s Madhouse of Mediocre Movies
Previously,we covered the Stan Lee projectHeroman, but Madhouse seemed to be Marvel’s go-to collaborator. The famed studio behindRedline,Perfect Blue, and recent hits likeFrieren, produced five TV series for Marvel, and two direct-to-video films. If any studio could tackle Marvel and make it accessible to a wide audience, Madhouse was the smart choice.
The studio’s uber-masculine action films of the 80s and 90s were among the tidal wave of classics that introduced Western viewers to anime. The distinctly adult stylings of character designer Yutaka Minowa and directors like Yoshiaki Kawajiri have always played well with audiences, especially those to whom anime isn’t their cup of tea. However, while it might have been a smart play from a business perspective, it’s no surprise they faded into obscurity.
Whether it wasIron Man,Wolverine,X-Men, orBlade, they consistently rank around a little over 6.0 on MyAnimeList.net. The consensus seems to be that they’re serviceable but rarely mind-blowing. Still, a 6 isn’t an inherently negative score despite what irate gamers might tell you, so maybeAvengers Confidentialhas some charm in retrospect.
An Unlikely Team-Up That Works (In Theory)
First impressions are strong. Even under the constraints of a PG-13 rating, the Punisher’s ruthless assault during the opening hardly feels neutered by the absence of blood and gore. Strong sound design and nevertheless striking artwork compensate for the lack of viscera. Percussive gunshots and smash cuts timed to the bright muzzle flashes keep the action feeling impactful. In under five minutes, this film does right by Frank Castle, and Black Widow follows close behind.
The Punisher has stepped into something he shouldn’t have; S.H.I.E.L.D. had their eyes on the arms dealer whose operation he just lit up in smoke, and now he’s got to be taught a lesson. In the process, the bad guy gets away, but before the viewer can think about how stupid that is, Black Widow comes out to play. Each second their fight unfolds, the more the premise earns its runtime. Where the music and script falter, the presentation soars, at least for now.
Soldier vs Spy; Everyone Wins
Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal might be the most recognizable in the cultural zeitgeist, but make no mistake, Natasha Romanov has always been a super-soldier in her own right, at least in the comics. Even if that weren’t the case though, something about animation suspends disbelief such that these two comparably human characters in a world full of the supernatural feel like forces of nature.
Frank’s brute strength speaks for itself, to say nothing of his guns, but Natasha is fast enough to dodge bullets, attack from every angle, and agile enough to escape any grapple. Their battle ends in a stalemate and Nick Fury isn’t too pleased to have lost a lead in their investigation, but since Punisher isn’t willing to back off, he may as well have Black Widow keep an eye on him. Thus begins their partnership to stop the terrorist organization Leviathan.
Marvel’s Anti-Teamup, Anti-Hero Story
A street-level vigilante and a super-spy. Neither is a stranger to moral grays, and both harbor dark pasts, but is that enough to carry a team-up story? Perhaps in another world, that would be a resounding yes,but by the end,Avengers Confidentialseems paradoxically poised to keep its central duo from being meaningfully developed. They work together enough to build some trust, but from beginning to end it’s “You do things your way, I do things my way.”
It’s almost charming how much it seems to eschew its premise, though it’s not entirely by design that the potential of these two is undermined. The film spends a considerable chunk on a subplot between Natasha and Elihas Starr, who, unlike his portrayal in most other Marvel media, is an insanely handsome S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist turned terrorist supersoldier who had feelings for Natasha. It’s so corny that it comes around to being endearing again.
The Worst Thing About Avengers Confidential
It’s funny that the film takes time away from the central duoto focus on Black Widow’s incel ex-boyfriend. It’s funny that he is basically a Tumblr OC variant of an established Marvel Comics character. Lastly, it’s hilarious that so much time is spent building Elihas up as the antagonist, that when the actual antagonist shows up, it’s in one scene; the scene where they fight him at the end.
Where this film goes from “dumb fun” to simply “dumb” is its ending - not in any broad sense - but just the directing and screenwriting. The action throughout the film is solid, but something about the final fight feels incredibly lazy. It’s as if the screenwriter realized the Punisher had no substantial arc and decided to clumsily allude to one through ham-fisted dialog that not evenBrian Bloom’s impressive performance as Frank Castlecould save.
Is This Film Worth Watching?
This film certainly isn’t worth paying the full price for, though to begin with, it’s difficult to imagine this film outside the realm of a bargain bin. If that sounds harsh, rest assured, this film was a fun watch, just not so consistently that it’s easy to recommend, even if - as the title suggests - it’s easy to find. As a trip down memory lane, it’s a fun time capsule.
If the commenters weren’t nostalgic fans reliving a largely forgotten film, they were people who had never even seen it giving in to curiosity, nonetheless perplexed as to why this - of all things - has blown up now.
Madhouse does good work, but the straight-to-video anime from this period of the studio always felt so reigned in, at least compared to the works whose prowess they were designed to imitate.Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisheris noNinja ScrollorVampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, but it is pretty cool - a flavor of cool that the current MCU could take note of.
