The Inevitability of Black Widow
Why Scarlett Johansson’s superhero can’t escape her origins from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s early days
This article contains major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.
When the Marvel Cinematic Universe first introduced Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, it left no ambiguity as to what audiences were supposed to make of her. In the guise of a notary, with dark red hair undulating around a skintight white shirt buttoned sub-sternum, she instantly reduces both Tony Stark and Happy Hogan to peacocking putzes. Natasha Romanova was a former KGB assassin, a world-class martial artist, and (apparently) a gifted hacker, but in Iron Man 2, it was clear that she was first and foremost a sex object.
“Where’s she from?” Tony asks Pepper. “She is from legal, and she is potentially
