Black Widow acknowledges character's sexist depictions, but isn't a complete reclamation, says critic

Though the latest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe acknowledges past sexist depictions of the Black Widow character played by Scarlett Johansson, film critic Hoai-Tran Bui says the 24th film in the superhero franchise still isn't a complete reclamation of the character's male-gaze-focussed history.

"Sexism has always been an issue when depicting Natasha Romanoff," Bui told Day 6, referring to the character's alter ego. 

Though Black Widow has a long publication history in Marvel's comics, she was introduced to film audiences in 2010, as a "steely sexpot type of character" in Iron Man 2, said Bui. 

As Johansson continued portraying the Black Widow in subsequent appearances, Bui says fans were frustrated by inconsistent characterizations brought on by new directors — as well as consistent instances of sexism. 

"In Avengers: Age of Ultron, for example … she considers herself a 'monster' because she does not have the ability to have children," Bui said.

Fans were especially put off by Black Widow's characterization in that film, but beyond that one specific instance, Bui explained that Natasha Romanoff is often also generally reduced to playing the stereotypical "woman of the group."

"She's either been that sexy femme fatale or the maternal figure of the Avengers team." 

In an attempt to move past Black Widow's previous characterizations, Black Widow director Cate Shortland said she and Johansson initially discussed framing the movie as an exploration of the character's trauma.

"We talked about trauma, and we talked about, 'How do you heal a broken heart?'" Shortland told CBC News. "So as soon as we talked about that, I was in. Because it wasn't about, 'How do we create a kick-ass movie?' It was, 'How do we be true to the character?'"

Bui said that Johansson herself has also publicly spoken about her desire to reframe the character and move past earlier portrayals. 

In an interview for Time, Johansson referenced challenges she faced developing Black Widow into a more well-rounded character, adding that she didn't believe Black Widow could've been made a decade ago. 

"It was a different climate. I wouldn't have been able to have conversations [about sexism] with my director and see it actually translate onscreen," Johansson told Time. 

Nonetheless, Bui said she feels the new Black Widow is only a "reclamation of sorts."

"It goes to lengths to fill out and explore the backstory that had only been hinted at in previous movies," said Bui. "It allows Scarlett Johansson to depict Natasha Romanoff on her own, without her team, and figure out who she is as a character without them."

However, Bui said she feels that there's nothing more that can be said about Black Widow's arc moving forward.

"It does a good job; it doesn't do enough." 

Written and produced by Sameer Chhabra.