by Fallon Prinzivalli

Love interest and best friend Pepper Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, Stark's personal pilot Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes, played by Don Cheadle and, of course, Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., are all coming back for "Iron Man 3."

That news, courtesy of Feature Film Casting, shouldn't come as much of a shock. But this one's a bit more unexpected: apparently, Scarlett Johansson will also reprise her role as Tony Stark's assistant, Natasha Romanoff, or as she's better known, the Black Widow.

At the end of "Iron Man 2" and in the upcoming "Avengers," it's known to all that Black Widow is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Now that we know she's in "Iron Man 3," it feels safe to assume she'll survive Earth's mightiest heroes' upcoming battle. But what does that hint to us about Black Widow's role in the next "Iron Man" movie? Is she still running errands as Stark's assistant, or does she have a bit more to do?

It's no secret that when one Marvel movie comes out it links in some capacity to the next Marvel movie. Kevin Feige from Marvel Studios confirmed back in 2010 that a Black Widow film is in the works saying, "We've already started discussions with Scarlett about the idea of a solo movie and have begun putting together concepts, but 'The Avengers' comes first."

With the "Avengers" release only a month away, perhaps "Iron Man 3" is the lead in for a "Black Widow" spinoff. Regardless, we're excited for a third "Iron Man" movie and are looking forward to what they'll come up with for Johansson's character.

Thanks to Latino Review for the head's up.

Tell us what you think Scar Jo's "Iron Man 3" role is in the comments or on Twitter!