Black WidowIt’s no secret that Joss Whedon has a great track record of writing strong female characters; after all, the man reinvented Buffy to much acclaim. And the writer/director also did a phenomenal job of not only juggling all of the characters in The Avengers, but also making some of those characters who had previously suffered bouts of mediocrity better, faster, stronger. (C’mon; even if you’re a fan of Ang Lee or Edward Norton’s Hulk, you know that Whedon, Ruffalo and The Avengers rocked the green with purple pants.) We’ve already gotten confirmation that Scarlet Witch will be introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron. So, what does this mean for Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow (non-codename Natasha Romanoff)? Will adding another female character dilute her significance?

Not to worry, Whedon says. Black Widow will still be around in the same capacity, and maybe even more as the director has indicated that she plays a major/important role in Age of Ultron. Here’s the man himself (well, not really, but, you know — a quote):

“Natasha is a huge part of the sequel because you do want to concentrate on the people who don’t have their own franchises. Although [she’s] in ‘Cap 2,’ [and] she’s great. She was the most fun for me because she’s not a hero, you know, and it’s something that I read—and I feel bad that I can’t remember who wrote the book—but it’s in one of the books explaining, ‘These guys are heroes, you are a spy. It’s a different thing—it’s a different skill set—and you don’t have their moral high ground or any of that good stuff.’ And that just makes her so interesting to me. So yeah, the stuff I’ve got going on with her in the second one is killer.”

Black WidowIt’s been reported that the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier directly lead into and play a part in the generation of the Age of Ultron story and conflict. In Cap 2 viewers are supposed to get a bigger look at the Widow’s backstory, including her “ambigous moral code” as she teams up with Cap to travel the world on various missions. So while Scar Jo won’t be getting a Black Widow standalone film anytime soon, between both movies her role should be meaty enough to sink her teeth (and ours) into.

Black Widow

Meanwhile, her best buddy Hawkeye (you know, the only one besides Black Widow that doesn’t have superpowers) will also have more involvement and screen time in Age of Ultron. In fact, given everything that’s projected to take place in Age of Ultron — more and more unstable superheroes showing up every day, and the possible need for some silent elimination of said antagonists) — Black Widow and Hawkeye may even have their own subplot in the Avengers sequel. Everything sounds right on track for these characters, and the Marvel film universe as Phase II continues.

Source: MTV