Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson drew a lot of criticism during the release of Avengers: Age Of Ultron. The Avenger had declared herself a “monster” in a conversation with Bruce Banner when she confessed to him about her transformation into an assassin and the sterilization she was forced into. People criticized the film for putting a negative light on women who cannot conceive . The criticism was left unanswered by Marvel Studios and the Age Of Ultron crew, until now.
One and a half year late with the reply, but a reply none the less from Joss Whedon, the director of Avengers: Age Of Ultron discounted the claim during a Tumblr “Answer Time,” assuring fans that it was not the case it was made out to be.
“She said she was a monster because she was an assassin. Being rendered infertile made her feel unnatural, made her feel cut off from the natural world. But it was her actions that defined her. Her murdery actions. That’s what ‘monster’ meant.”
Marvel Cinematic Universe has not been known to focus on issues such as infertility, but with the few female characters that the MCU has, it’s easy to see how the humanity of a character might come through with confessions like Black Widow’s.
Superheroes have been made out to be larger than life characters in both movies and comic books, so it’s always refreshing and relatable to see then when they are most vulnerable. The strength that they carry in their characters, as well as, their flaws are what fans tend to relate to the most.
With the character of Black widow, movie viewers had not really experienced the layers that she hid under her cool exterior. With each new film that she has starred in, the heroine has shown more of her compassion and her insecurities even while being a part of a team who is on a constant track to save the world and not always succeeding.
