Scarlett Johansson should star in a solo Black Widow movie.
Considering she made her first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before Thor,
Captain America, Ant-Man, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, it seems like Black Widow is
long overdue for her own top-billed adventure.
Yet despite the fact that fans overwhelmingly voted in favor of Widow getting her own film
over any other supporting MCU character, and the fact that Johansson was named the highest-grossing
actress of all time in 2016, Marvel still hasn’t announced a solo project.
So why won't Marvel give Black Widow a movie?
Best supporting superhero
One of the reasons Black Widow is so popular is that she's served as an excellent foil
to characters like Iron Man and Captain America since her first MCU appearance.
That's not to diminish her importance as a character and hero in her own right.
But if Marvel elevates Black Widow to top-billing status, it'll be trickier for her to come
back to fill the hugely important supporting roles she's provided.
Not every character is built for starring roles.
That's why we still haven't gotten a movie based on Robin's solo adventures, despite
the fact that he's one of the most recognizable characters around.
"Holy Shrinkage"
Grounded
Compared with her Avengers colleagues, Black Widow stands out as underpowered.
Marvel movies showcase characters doing amazing, unbelievable things, often with the help of
super-soldier serum, gamma rays, sci-fi suits, or magic hammers.
But Black Widow works best as a ground-level secret agent.
A Black Widow spy movie would be absolutely awesome, and could put any Jason Bourne or
James Bond adventure to shame…but it wouldn't really be a Marvel movie any more than a rom-com
would.
"Hey, I'm Ultron"
"Black Widow"
"You wanna grab a coffee?"
"I don't really have time to date any guys now"
"What about robots?"
"He He"
Not iconic enough
They say a hero is only as good as his or her villains.
So, with that in mind, take a moment and think about your favorite Black Widow villain.
Who'd you pick?
That's right: probably no one.
Unlike the rogues galleries that pester Cap, Thor, and even Batman and Superman, there
really are no awesome, immediately recognizable baddies for Black Widow to fight.
While that weakness hasn't stopped other superheroes from earning their own movies, it could be
another reason Marvel's waited to give her one.
Toying with fans
Summer blockbusters are often two-hour toy, bedsheet, and backpack commercials, designed
to sell merchandise to as many kids and collectors as possible.
So let's recall the controversy from 2015, when Disney and Marvel's decided to largely
exclude Black Widow from Avengers: Age of Ultron toy lines.
And in May 2016, news hit that Iron Man 3's villain was switched from a female to a male
before filming began for one reason: "that toy won't sell as well if it's a female."
"What you just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard."
Of course, Disney also faced massive backlash over this kind of thinking over the company's
decision to under-include Rey in the Star Wars action figure line, so maybe the company's
finally learned its lesson.
And that might help a Black Widow movie — action figures and all — finally move forward.
Hope for Black Widow
Since 2007, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige answered to eccentric Marvel Entertainment
CEO Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter, who is so reclusive he reportedly wore a fake mustache at the
2008 Iron Man premiere like he was Bobby Valentine or something.
Perlmutter was also reportedly behind that Iron Man 3 villain gender swap decision, among
others.
But in August 2015, a little over five years after Disney acquired Marvel proper, corporate
reshuffling resulted in Marvel Studios being directly absorbed by Walt Disney Studios,
freeing Feige from Perlmutter’s control.
Party!
So how does that affect Black Widow fans?
It means that Feige may be able to make good on his comments from May of 2016, when he
said that he was committed to a solo Black Widow movie actually happening sometime by
2020.
After Walt Disney Studios absorbed Marvel Studios, he finally had the power to put those
plans into motion without Perlmutter's interference.
Whether or not Johansson will still be available and interested to take this movie on is anybody's
guess.
But for now, the possibility is greater than ever before.
Here's hoping it happens.
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