14 DAY TRIAL // Just recently, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has confirmed older rumors that Black Widow, played in “Iron Man 2” and “The Avengers” (and soon in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”) by Scarlett Johansson, would be getting her own standalone film after “The Avengers 2.” Yes, Scarlet argues, that’s because this character is more than an ornament to the Marvel male superheroes.
There’s no denying that the few female superheroes we have today in films have merely an aesthetic function, rarely bringing any weight or depth to the story. In a male-centric (superhero) world, Black Widow is tipping the balance in the favor of women at last, Scarlett says.
And it’s all thanks to Joss Whedon, who directed and wrote the script for “The Avengers,” which has finally allowed this character room to shine.
“I like the way Black Widow has been developed as an intelligent and complex female character. Instead of being sexual ornaments to the male superheroes, Black Widow has been given an interesting storyline and she has the kind of depth that allows you to do serious work and that’s why audiences have responded to these films,” Scarlett says in a new interview with Dazed.
Still, because people have come to expect their female superheroes to be hot as well, Black Widow is also that, says the actress, admitting to the obvious.
“Joss [Whedon] has got away from the hair-flipping, hands-on-hips kind of posing and created a very credible, professional, dangerous, and mysterious superhero in Black Widow. I’m very fortunate to be a part of these Marvel films because they have a lot of substance, actually. Even though the size of the films is just gigantic, the characters and the conflict and inner turmoil between all of us is really complex,” she says.
The actress goes on to say that, to her surprise, Black Widow has emerged as a powerful combination of good looks, physical strength and intelligence, so she’s quite thrilled to have been asked to play such an iconic character.
She reiterates that Black Widow isn’t just an ornament though, let’s be honest, she wasn’t much else in “Iron Man 2,” where she had so little substance she could have been edited out of the story or replaced, and no one would have known the difference.
To Scarlett’s credit, Black Widow has been getting more screentime in Marvel releases after “Iron Man 2,” particularly in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” according to reports. This is probably explained by the studio’s decision to give this character a standalone film, possibly a franchise too.