Scarlett Johansson in 'Black Widow' (Marvel Studios)

Scarlett Johansson’s legal battle with Walt Disney Co. just entered a new chapter.

After accusing the massive media corporation of denying her additional earnings from Black Widow, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, the lead actress geared up for a legal battle.

Disney’s dual release strategy obfuscated the box-office performance of the film, having released it on its streaming service Disney+ for an additional $30, whereas the star’s contract stated that she would receive a certain percentage of box office revenues. She did not receive a percentage from the streaming revenues while her contract never included the possibility of releasing the film on a different platform.

The issue became a textbook example of what-to-avoid when companies shift their regular cinema-based release strategies into more streaming-oriented ones.

Instead of dealing with the matter professionally, Disney went on to issue a series of capricious defenses, eventually filing a motion to force the star into a private arbitration.

In response, Johansson’s lawyer released a derisive statement:

“After initially responding to this litigation with a misogynistic attack against Scarlett Johansson, Disney is now, predictably trying to hide its misconduct in a confidential arbitration.”

His comments seemingly target Disney’s strategy of disclosing the actress’ fee for the film in order to deflect calls for additional pay, a move deemed unethical by many.

The lawyer, John Berlinski, surmised that the arbitration filing is due to Marvel’s promise of giving Black Widow a typical theatrical release ‘like its other films’ which clashes with Disney’s cannibalization of box office receipts to boost its streaming service’s subscription.

Previously due for a May 2020 release date, the film was delayed until June 2021 and was supposed to be Johansson’s last outing as the character in its first self-titled film.

This debacle is not the first time Disney and its subsidiary, Marvel, are accused of misconduct and abusing the artists’ trust as they already came under scrutiny for barely acknowledging comic book writers and creators’ role in shaping the multi-billion dollar MCU franchise, underpaying them along the way.