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Jul 2, 2021 · Behind the scenes of Black Widow's reinvention from sexist stereotype to superhero paving the way for other leading women in action movies.
- Eliana Dockterman
Jul 9, 2021 · Black Widow's real name is Natalia Alianovna Romanoff in the MCU. She has several aliases, including Natasha Romanoff (often shortened to "Nat"), Natalie Rushman and The Notary.
Natalia Alianovna Romanova, more commonly known as Natasha Romanoff, is a fictional character primarily portrayed by Scarlett Johansson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—sometimes known by her alias, Black Widow.
- Natasha Is A Tomboy
- The Red Room Is A Metaphor For Child Trafficking
- Natasha and Yelena's Sisterhood
- Yelena's Frank Discussion of Menstruation
- The Red Guardian Is An Over-The-Hill Absent Father
- Dreykov Is The Embodiment of Sexism
- The Liberation of Taskmaster
One of the first images of Black Widow is Natasha in her younger years, played by 13-year-old Ever Anderson. In a flashback to Natasha's early life as a sleeper agent in the U.S., she rides her bike down a suburban street in Ohio and meets her little sister in the backyard. Young Natasha's appearanceis very different from her appearance elsewhere i...
It's clear early in Black Widow that the Red Room is a metaphor for child trafficking. Natasha and her adopted sister Yelena were both taken from their families as infants and eventually sold to Dreykov. One horrifying scene shows Natasha and dozens of other young girls being transported in a shipping container and examined like livestock. Like man...
The sisterly relationship between Natasha and Yelena is a constant throughout Black Widow, resulting in a wealth of amusing and touching moments between the two. Natasha and Yelena are at each other's throats (literally) as soon as they meet, and their friendly antagonism continues throughout the film. As the little sister, Yelena is constantly pic...
Sexist comments are universally frustrating, so Yelena Belova became every woman's hero when she shut down a stereotypical insult from Alexei with her scathing sarcasm. After Alexei utters an old-school slight — "Is it your time of the month?" — Yelena takes him to task by unabashedly describing the details of menstruation and the trauma she and ot...
Marvel has always had a thing for having strong women help out weak men, but the pattern is never more apparent than with Alexei and his family in Black Widow. After years in prison, Alexei is obviously over-the-hill, unable to execute missions with the same strength and focus he once did. He can't do anything in the movie without the help of Natas...
Black Widow's villain, Dreykov - as portrayed by Ray Winstone - is a slimy, abusive sexist who believes women and girls are possessions rather than people, crafting the Red Room for his own foul benefit. His performance as a man in power is perhaps almost too real as he calls Melina up to his office to monologue to her. Dreykov's later confrontatio...
The next biggest moment of catharsis in Black Widow is when Natasha frees Taskmaster, a.k.a. Antonia Dreykov, from her brainwashing, as the revelation that Dreykov enslaved his own daughter after her near-death in Budapest is horrifying. Again, Dreykov refers to his own child as though she were just an object, all the while ignoring the fact that h...
Jul 16, 2021 · Olga Kurylenko (Antonia Dreykov) As the daughter of the main villain of Black Widow, Antonia isn’t seen much – but is important. The woman is portrayed by Olga Kurylenko, an actress who has ...
Jul 29, 2021 · In Iron Man 2, Black Widow had a curly, long, and dark red hairstyle. She eventually revealed her bluish-black cat-suit, which was a SHIELD uniform. The cat-suit featured the SHIELD logo on her right upper arm along with a utility belt and thigh holsters that held her gadgets and guns.
Jul 11, 2021 · Black Widow director Cate Shortland explained it was important to her that Natasha Romanoff's experiences spoke to all types of women who might watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe film. "We cast our Widows from all across the world," Shortland told The A.V. Club .
