Scarlett Johansson has spoken out against her character Black Widow in Marvel's Iron Man 2 being "hyper-sexualised."
Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, originally debuted in the 2010 film."When you look back on Iron Man 2, you realise that, while movie was a lot of fun and had a lot of fantastic moments, the character is so sexualised, you know?" Collider spoke with the actress.
"She was treated as if she were a piece of anything, a possession, an item, or whatever."
Black Widow has now risen to prominence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having appeared in seven films and starring in her own solo film next month.See Trailer Here.
'A piece of meat'
When asked about the character's development, the actor said she was first regarded like "a piece of ass."
"At one point, Tony [Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr] even speaks to her in that manner." What does he have to say? 'I want some'.
"Yeah, and he calls her a piece of meat at one point, which may have been meant as a compliment at the time." "Do you get what I'm saying?”
She went on to say that her self-worth was "probably judged by that type of criticism" - about her physical looks - at the time, but that after becoming a mother, she has gained a greater understanding of her own self-worth.
"I'm more accepting of myself, I think" .All of this is connected to the character's move away from hypersexualisation "she stated
"Now people, particularly young girls, are getting a much more positive message," she continued, "but it's been great to be a part of that transition and to be able to come out the other side and be a part of that old story, but also progress.”
"Now people, particularly young girls, are getting a much more positive message," she continued, "but it's been great to be a part of that transition and to be able to come out the other side and be a part of that old story, but also progress."
"Evolve. It's pretty cool, in my opinion.”
The new Black Widow film was supposed to be out in May 2020, but it was postponed owing to Covid. It will now be released on July 7th.
It will now be released on July 7 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and two days later in the United States.
The new film isn't an origin story, but it does take place before the events of Infinity War and Endgame, the final two Avengers films.