Depiction of Black Widow in Age of Ultron

Gray argues that the definition of a superheroine’s “hotness” is “the establishment of a delicate balance of both sex appeal and physical strength” (Gray 91). This definition is applicable to the superheroine Black Widow in the film Avengers 2: Age of Ultron (2015). Black Widow, or Natasha Romanoff (played by Scarlet Johanson), is a spy and former assassin with an impressive knowledge of weapons and martial arts. She is beautiful, mysterious and intelligent, all while being a complete badass. She grew up being trained by the KGB in Russia in a program that trains young girls into ruthless assassins. She is the only female member of the Avengers, and has been featured in previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films. She joined the Avengers to redeem herself of the heinous crimes she had committed in the past. Despite being able to achieve the balance of both sex appeal and physical strength, Natasha’s character is still reduced to perpetuate gender stereotypes and conventional gender roles. This is evident in her sex appeal and the way she is presented, her role in the Avengers, and her character arc in Age of Ultron.

Natasha is already considered sexy, due to her self-confidence and smart replies to her teammates. Yet, her body and sex appeal is used in a way that satisfies the “male gaze”. In the opening fight scene of the film, she is seen to be wearing a form-fitting, low cut leather jumpsuit, that emphasizes her chest. Despite the fact that costumes are the standard for superheroes, none of her fellow Avengers’ suits look as “bondage-like” as hers. The suit is similar to the costumes of the superheroines mentioned by Gray in his essay. According to Gray, tight jumpsuits “allows all of the nooks and crannies of the female body to be displayed”, and that it also creates a “physical barrier, preventing consummation” (Gray 85). It creates a sense of “look, but don’t touch” for the viewer. In another scene, the Avengers throw a victory cocktail party. Natasha is seen working behind a cocktail bar preparing drinks, while the other Avengers entertain their guests. Instead of wearing her form-fitting jumpsuit, Natasha is seen to be wearing a white blouse, slightly unbuttoned, and red lipstick. She begins to flirt with Hulk/Bruce Banner over the bar, in an innuendo-filled conversation. Again, attention is being drawn to certain features, her breasts and lips in this situation, in an attempt to “make her look seductive”, even though the self confidence that she exudes is sexy enough.

Not only is her body being accentuated by her tight-fitting clothes, is it also being sexualized by her poses and how she fights. During the opening fight scene, there are shots of her in which her breasts, backside, and overall physique are the focal point of the screen. This also occurs during the cocktail party scene, when Ultron attacks Bruce and Natasha. To get out of the way of fire, Bruce dives on top of her, and ends up with his face in her breasts. This allows her body to be the focal point of the scene, and emphasizes the curves of her body. According to Gray, voyeuristic shots like these are used to “depict an idealized female form”, and “somehow diminishes the superheroine’s power” (Gray 83). The way in which she poses while fighting emphasizes both her physique and flexibility, both of which suit the idealized female form. It may not be the most efficient way to fight, but it will grab the viewers’ attention.

Not only is Natasha’s sex appeal reduced to gender stereotypes, but as is her role in the Avengers. She takes on the mother role of the team, which is heavily emphasized in this film. During a chase scene Seoul, Natasha picks up Captain America’s shield, and says “I’m always picking up after you boys”. Her motherly role is also evident in her relationship with the Hulk. She appears to be the only person that is able to calm the Hulk down and bring back Bruce with a lullaby and hand gestures. It is never mentioned why only she is able to bring Bruce back in a non-violent or physical way. Iron Man attempts to bring back Bruce after he is attacked by Scarlet Witch as Natasha is unable to do so at the time. He physically beats him into submission, which comes with its own consequences. It’s also important to note how good and comfortable she is with Hawkeye’s children. This is surprising, as she has been a trained killer ever since she was young, and there has been no previous indication that she even likes kids. This may seem minor, but it still implies that women are natural-born mothers, despite their past.

Lastly Natasha’s character arc in Age of Ultron is reduced to follow gender stereotypes. Instead of the typical badass superheroine that was featured in the previous MCU films, Natasha becomes the “damsel in distress”. When she is attacked by Scarlet Witch, the viewer is given a look into her backstory; her strict training with the KGB and her graduation ceremony, which includes being sterilized against her will. While the Avengers seek refuge at Clint’s farm, Natasha reveals her inability to bear children to Bruce. She tells him, “You know what my final test was in the Red Room? They sterilized me, said it was one less thing to worry about. You think you’re the only monster on the team?”. She may be referring to the crimes she had previously committed and not the fact that she is sterile, but the film heavily focuses on her motherly role, causing the misunderstanding. This drives the “damsel in distress” stereotype, as she believes the only things that will make her feel complete are a man and a child, and in a way, Bruce is both to her. This revelation of her backstory is all based around her biological gender, unlike her fellow team members. Also, during this confrontation with Bruce, Natasha tells him that she is willing to give up her status as an Avenger and run away to start a life with him. The issue with this is that it is completely against her morals (self-redemption) for her to run away in the middle of a fight only to be with a man. Again, this drives the idea that she needs to be saved by a man in order for her to feel fulfilled. Lastly, after the chase scene in Seoul, Natasha is captured by Ultron and is thrown into a cage, only to be rescued by Bruce. Although this does help the Avengers (she is able to send them her location and the location of Ultron), this gives Bruce a moment to be her “knight in shining armor”, and ultimately devolves her character development in this film. Gray quotes Mencimer in his essay that “today, women seem to be kicking ass, and men don’t seem to mind, within reason” (81). This statement is applicable to Natasha’s character; she is strong and capable of kicking ass, but at the end, still needs a man to rescue her.

In conclusion, it is evident that Natasha/Black Widow is a strong, sexy and confident superheroine. She is able to reach a delicate balance between sex appeal and physical strength, which validates Gray’s definition of “hotness”. To prevent her from seeming too powerful in Age of Ultron, her character is reduced to perpetuate gender stereotypes, in that her physical appearance is over-sexualized to appeal to the “male gaze”, her role as a “mother” in her all-male team, and her lack of character development in the film. Despite having many heroic moments in the film, Natasha/Black Widow fell into stereotypical roles often given to female characters.