Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson talked about Natasha Romanoff's changing attire in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including her initial look in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
"After Iron Man to going into Avengers, there’s been an evolution of [Natasha's] look," Johansson told Fatherly. "I think part of that is just gaining the trust of the executives at Marvel and kind of sitting in the character and just being able to make decisions for her. That really happened fairly early on. I mean, in Iron Man 2, I worked with the amazing incredible costume designer Mary Zophres, who created an absolutely beautiful femme fatale look for the character. And it was very stunning."
Natasha was notoriously sexualized during her early MCU films, particularly 2010's Iron Man 2. "In some [ways] I look at it as a costume she was wearing," said Johansson, adding, "at the time, Marvel was interested in the character being a shape-shifter." She followed this up by describing Natasha's original appearance in The Winter Soldier's script, stating, "she arrives in her tennis whites, with a blonde wig. It was very quickly killed."
"You work with a lot of male writers. Things were shifting," Johansson explained. "You have to be a part of the change. Audiences are also demanding stuff and there’s a cultural shift and it feeds everything into a more progressive direction. It’s been a process, it’s been a process."
The Black Widow film addresses the ways the MCU objectified Johansson's character with a scene where Florence Pugh's character, Yelena Belova, mocks Natasha's sexualized superhero landing. Director Cate Shortland previously described this as being part of a greater attempt to push back against Natasha's sexist portrayal earlier on in the franchise's run.
"[Natasha] was a character created for the male gaze," said Shortland. "Initially, even the way she moved, the way she dressed -- it was helpful as a stepping-stone. But it wasn't who she was."
Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, O-T Fagbenle as Mason and Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff. The film is now in theaters and available on Disney+ Premiere Access.
Source: Fatherly
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