“Our superpowers are all our skill set.”
Natasha Romanoff’s other superpower may be regret.
What were those past wrongs?
Marvel Studios
Off screen, much of what Johansson’s character has undergone is scrutinized through the lens of gender politics.
That’s heavy lifting even for a superhero.
I’m not totally alone, although I never see her," Johansson added.
Marvel Studios
“Agent Hill, she’s new.
She spends a lot of time at SHIELD headquarters, agenting it up or whatever.”
Black Widow herself hasa solo film in developmentat Marvel, to be directed by Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland.
She’s a killing machine."
In many ways, she was more vicious than the male characters.
Less likely to make the wisecrack but when she did, the sting went deep.
The actress did have her uncertainties, though.
“The other day we were doing this big reveal shot of all the Avengers.
Then it pans over to me and I’ve got guns,” she said.
“Iron Man’s like, hovering above all of us, ready to go.
I was like, ‘Joss [Whedon]… um… do I look okay holding these guns?’
He said, ‘Yeah, Black Widow is a badass.
She’s awesome.'”
Widow’s evolution
The actress is self-critical of the character, too.
I certainly don’t take credit for that, though."
“A lot of the female superhero movies just suck really badly.
There were accusations that her story arc inAvengers: Age of Ultronwas stereotyped and offensive.
Others were outraged that Widow expressed regret over the juvenile assassin program that forced her to be sterilized.
Today, Widow stands as a character who has taken hits both on screen and off but isstillstanding nonetheless.
“There’s no time for romance,” Johansson said in 2011.
“The Widow has no time for romance.
She’s a lover of all things.
She has a love/hate relationship with, I think, everyone she meets in some way.
She’s very divisive, so it leaves little room for true love.”
The actress said that’s a piece of what makes Black Widow so alluring.
“You wouldn’t grab her for a big old bear hug.”
Even in that story, she bristled at the idea of loyalty for loyalty’s sake.
That’s why she left the Russian assassin program, breaking with everything she knew.
She didn’t do that just to follow orders without question for another group.
“That’s not really achoicethat she made.
And I think I kind of deserve it.'”
He tells her she is wasting her time; he isn’t going to sign the accords.
“I know,” she tells him.
“Then what are you doing here?”
“I didn’t want you to be alone.”
Including, sometimes, a bear hug.
For more onAvengers: Endgame, pick up the new issue ofEntertainment Weekly, on stands now.
