Black Widow dropped in theaters a little over a little over 2 years ago, much to many MCU fans’ dismay.
The Black Widow movie, on the other hand, hit theaters and Disney+ this past Friday with much anticipation. The much delayed addition to the MCU universe offered an end to the franchise’s film drought with a respectful 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.1 out of 10 on IMDb.
And while MCU fans busily dissect Black Widow with relentless re-watches, one detail pulled me right out of the movie, at least for a moment or two. A Twilight Sparkle Beanie Baby made a brief appearance in a scene from 1995.
As any Brony or astute parent of a young daughter who loves My Little Pony, like myself, will tell you with a resounding “ack-tually,” the plush in question did not come out until much later. 2013 to be precise. The detail, though tiny and in no way affecting the plot, made me and my wife wonder how they missed such an obvious detail?
There are plenty of generic plush toys they could have used that no one would question. So it makes me wonder, was this really a mistake or was this a nod to Tara Strong, the voice of both Twilight Sparkle in My Little Pony and Miss Minutes in the Loki series?
It’s a question that demands answers! And no, I don’t have enough time on my hands. And yes, I wrote an entire, mostly fluff article about it.
What's in this review
Who is Twilight Sparkle?
Twilight Sparkle is a book oriented (aka dork) pony who goes to Ponyville in the land of Equestria to learn all about the magic of friendship. She is one of the main ponies in My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic, who eventually learns so much about friendship that she becomes the Princess of Friendship. Yeah, I can’t make this shit up, but the writers of the series sure did. You can read my review of the show here.
Who is Tara Strong?
The talented Tara Strong voices Twilight Sparkle. She has lent her vocal talents to many characters since 1986. Among many others, she has also voiced characters in series such as The Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, The Fairly OddParents, and Teen Titans.
Most recently and most importantly to the MCU, Strong provided the voice for Miss Minutes. Miss Minutes is the animated character in the Disney+ series Loki.
What’s the connection between Twilight Sparkle and Black Widow?
The Twilight Sparkle Beanie Baby in question appeared in a single scene in Black Widow. The scene in question was set in 1995, when Natasha and her sister were children. And unlike some Easter eggs and other details where you blink and can miss them, this doll appeared for long enough for anyone watching to get a good look at it.
The problem is this particular Beanie Baby did not get released in 1995. In fact, it was almost two decades later. This particular Beanie Baby did not come out until 2013, actually during the events of parts of the MCU time line, when Natasha would have been an adult.
This lead me to question the appearance of the plush in the first place? Was it a mistake? Or was it a nod to Strong, who would appear as future (now current) character in the MCU?
Was the wrong Twilight Sparkle doll a mistake in Black Widow?
I honestly don’t know. So far, the consensus on sites like Reddit is that it was a mistake.
Personally, I’m not so sure. One thing I can say for MCU movies is they don’t make many mistakes. Sure, they make questionable decisions from time to time or they use a less popular story line of a character to adapt to film, but they don’t have too many glaringly obvious mistakes.
This brings me back to Strong and her connection to the MCU. Black Widow was supposed to release in 2020, about a year after Hawkeye released her hand in End Game.
The appearance of the wrong Twilight Sparkle Beanie Baby in Black Widow could very well be a nod to Strong’s future appearance as Miss Minutes in Loki. Keep in mind, they originally wanted to release Black Widow about a year before Loki.
As further evidence of the Nod Theory, many of the MCU movies contain hidden details of people who have written the comics, appeared in the movies, and so on. It’s possible that this seeming mistake may have actually been a nod or even a hint at an upcoming character without directly hinting at it.
If that is the case, then the appearance of the wrong Twilight Sparkle doll was a deliberate Easter egg about Strong’s, and indirectly Miss Minutes’, appearance.
At the end of the day, I have nothing better to do with my time than to dissect the appearance of a misplaced Twilight Sparkle doll. But more importantly, the appearance may be a mistake, but it could also be a nod to Tara Strong, the voice of Miss Minutes. And hell, maybe it is both, happening at the same time. Certainly the producers, directors, and writers could certainly retroactively make it a nod to Strong, even if it was originally an oversight that would bother Bronies around the world to no end.
