Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow is one of the most badass female heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but her journey to becoming one of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes' key members didn't start off the way Scarlett Johansson wanted it to. Sure, Nat was more than just eye candy but it was clear in Iron Man 2 that the character was depicted in a more sexualized manner and it was no secret to the actress.
In an interview with Collider which took place on the set of Black Widow in 2019, the actress was asked about the sexualization of female superheroes like Natasha Romanoff. Fully aware of how her character was presented early on in the MCU, Johansson shared her dismay over Nat being "hyper-sexualized" in the early stages of her MCU tenure.
She explains: "All of that is related to that move away from the kind of hyper-sexualization of this character and, I mean, you look back at Iron Man 2 and while it was really fun and had a lot of great moments in it, the character is so sexualized, you know? Really talked about like she's a piece of something, like a possession or a thing or whatever — like a piece of ass, really. And Tony even refers to her as something like that at one point. What does he say?"
Johansson added that she's glad Natasha's role in the franchise eventually evolved. "It's changing now. Now people, young girls, are getting a much more positive message, but it's been incredible to be a part of that shift and be able to come out the other side and be a part of that old story, but also progress. Evolve. I think it's pretty cool."
Thankfully, Natasha experienced some major character development in the franchise through the years and while she's still depicted as a sexy and badass character, it's quite evident that Marvel Studios made a conscious effort of not over-sexualizing her. I mean, there's more to Romanoff than just being a sex symbol, I think we all know that.
Black Widow hits cinemas and Disney+'s Premier Access on July 7, 2021.
Also Read:Scarlett Johansson Says Iconic Avengers Moment Convinced Her the Film Would Succeed
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