Introduction:
Black Widow has come a long way since her 2010 Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. She was portrayed by the controversial Scarlett Johansson and was the only female superhero in the first 11 Marvel films. Her outward personas were all over the place.
Over the course of eight Marvel flicks, Black Widow has evolved into a flirty, morally conflicted, and selfless heroine. On other occasions, she has been mute or sexualized. On the other side, she could be funny in spite of her empathy and social awkwardness. Writers on Black Widow have encountered trouble deciding on who she is, despite the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s superiority over the DCEU in terms of consistent character portrayal.
Who is Black Widow:
The woman behind the moniker, Natasha Romanoff, has a complicated past full of horrific acts, but for a while it was unknown what precisely made her a dreadful person. Little was revealed about her past and it was never investigated. According to the movie “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” her inability to procreate is even more problematic than the fact that she has hurt or killed innocent people. The film’s “love interest” agrees with her when she declares herself a “monster” due to this fact. For a character to have unrealistically low expectations of themselves is one thing; for the narrative to deliberately promote and confirm this mentality is quite another.
Complex Characterisation of Black Widow:
Hawkeye’s secret family is revealed in “Age of Ultron,” despite the fact that “The Avengers” hints to a love relationship of Hawkeye and Black Widow (which really exists in the novels). Natasha’s infertility means she can’t have kids, therefore she pursues the Hulk, whose violent alter ego is a metaphor for that. He leaves when Natasha takes advantage of him. This is referenced in a number of flicks but is eventually disregarded in “Infinity War.” In the books, Black Widow’s relationship to the Winter Soldier is frequently hinted at, although this is never developed in the movies. This is acceptable as a choice for adaptation, but it’s interesting to note that Bucky and Natasha have similar backgrounds. whereas the Black Widow is bad because of who she is. The depiction of Black Widow’s romantic history, for example, veers from passably competent to openly vulgar, further highlighting the inconsistency of her overall characterization.
Fans have been clamoring for a solo feature starring her since her entrance in “Iron Man 2,” but reports indicate that the actress portraying her was underpaid for the role. That’s why, regardless of your opinion of Scarlett Johanssen, this case is very vital for performers worldwide.
“Black Widow” Film: Cohesive Character Treatment
The highly anticipated “Black Widow” movie has arrived in theaters. Director Cate Shortland and writer Eric Pearson made the best of the material they were given to create believable versions of Black Widow’s core characters. More context is provided by the events of “Black Widow” for her role as the lone adult in “Captain America: Civil War,” as well as for her role as the only human on Earth who stays in charge of the Avengers after the glitch. This movie also clarifies her peculiar personality and her decision to side with Captain America in “Infinity War.” Despite the Avengers’ inability to reciprocate her feelings, she has loved them her whole life. As a result, Black Widow has a brother to love and care for despite her own flaws, and she can make apologies with her dad and mom for the affection they showed for her even though they couldn’t save her. In a heartbreaking scene, we learn that Natasha, unlike her sister Yelena, may have longed for a family of her own but was unable to start a family of her own. They were able to put the incident behind them and concentrate on themselves as Yelena and her recovered. Therefore, the actual villains are not the ladies who became the role models for young girls who were groomed into murders, but the grownups who did the grooming. Joss Whedon, the surviving folks are not the villains.
The movie is quite faithful to the source material in terms of how she is portrayed. There is also witty dialogue and exciting fight scenes. An allegory on human trafficking, enhanced by excellent directing and photography. There’s even a good script, with a great story about regaining strength and sisterhood and reconnecting with loved ones who were left behind (though it’s shocking that Eric Pearson would think a period joke would be acceptable, and even more so that the actors rewrote the joke). Black Widow does something terrible near the end of the film, and the need of genuine contrition above forgiveness is emphasized.
This, however, is not to say that the film is without flaws. Definitely not the best film ever made. It’s not the best Marvel film by a long shot. Nonetheless, “The Girl” had a heartfelt ending in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As an added bonus, it made an effort to address the misogyny in “Endgame.”
Addressing Sexism and Women Empowerment in Hollywood:
In “Infinity War,” Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana, was the only woman in a team of six until her violent husband threw her down a cliff. In the follow-up film “Endgame,” the lone female participant in the group of six kills herself by leaping over a cliff; we are informed that her life didn’t matter since she had no children or a family, despite the fact that she was driven by love. He even went as far as to say that she had “deserved to die.” It’s sad that two prominent female characters in two separate films died at the same critical juncture without any closure or appropriate grieving.
Having all the female leads in the film share a final sequence together does not elevate their status in “Endgame” any more than it currently is. It’s not okay to merely copy and paste any female protagonist and call it progress; the movie “Black Widow” showed us that. Natasha Romanoff’s worth as a person was affirmed, but so was her place in her family’s history.
Representation and Future Aspirations of Women:
Natasha Roman-off, or The Black Widow, is clearly the most powerful female heroine in fiction. However, given that the first female-led MCU movie didn’t arrive until the 21st and that there have only been 2.5 since Marvel is requesting that this film serve as a representation of “Woman Superhero Movies” or, more likely, “White Woman Superhero Movies,” given that the studio has yet to even reveal a plan for a film starring a woman of colour.
Conclusion:
Instead of more “Black Widow” movies, I’d rather see a slew of superhero films that highlight LGBTQ women, women of colour, and women of all body types. I long for the day when the release of a superhero movie starring a woman doesn’t spark a debate over if and how such movies should be created. I really hope there are a lot of them so that DC can make a mediocre movie on them like they did with White Guy #3.
In the “Eternal” teaser, for example, people worry about who will lead the Marvel superheroes “now that Iron Man and Capt Rogers are both disappeared,” as if Black Widow hadn’t led the team for the last five years.
Sources:
https://time.com/6077666/black-widow-scarlett-johansson/
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1082&context=lxl
