In the 2010 film Iron Man 2 , Scarlett Johansson’s character Black Widow was initially portrayed as a sexy sex object, rather than the tough superheroine she really was. Looking back, the 35-year-old actress says that a lot has changed over the years.
Johansson looks back at her first film in the Marvel universe. ” Iron Man 2 was a lot of fun and had a lot of beautiful moments, but the character is so sexualized. She was really talked about as if she were an object or property of someone,” the Black Widow actress told Collider .
Tony Stark, the title character of the film, at one point says something along the lines of that he “must have” her. “At that time it may have felt like a compliment, because my way of thinking was different then,” says the actress, who says she supported her self-esteem from then with the kind of reactions she received then.
Today, the message that superhero films send is different, says Johansson. “Now young girls are getting a much more positive message. But it’s great to have been a part of it and to have been on both sides of the spectrum. That development is pretty cool.”