“Black Widow Was Sexualised”, Scarlett Johansson on Iron Man 2

Scarlett Johansson, who will play Black Widow in a stand-alone film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is pleased that the role has evolved from its early days of “hyper-sexualization.” The Oscar-nominated actor commented on the changes that have happened over time for Black Widow, or Natasha Romanoff, a highly-skilled former KGB assassin who eventually becomes an Avenger.

“I’m in a different spot in my life as a woman. And I felt more tolerant of myself as a woman, albeit not always enough. I’m becoming more appreciative of myself. All of that is connected to the move away from the character’s hypersexualization, and, I mean, go back at Iron Man 2, and although it was a lot of fun and had a lot of wonderful moments, the character is so sexualized.”