From C-list to A-list: Black Widow is the Hero we deserve

It's crazy how bada$$ she has become. For sheer entertainment value alone Marvel has to make a BW movie. They turned a character I had zero interest in to probably my favorite comic book chick of all time. Luckily, if I remember correctly Feige said the Black Widow movie was high priority. Even going as far to say it was first on the list after the previously announced movies. Official statement:

"The one [character] creatively and emotionally that we are most committing to doing [a movie on] is Black Widow," Feige said. "We think she’s an amazing character. We think Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of her is amazing. She’s a lead Avenger and has amazing stories in her own right to tell that we think would be fun to turn into a standalone franchise."

This is REALLY good for Marvel to. After Captain Marvel which is meant to be Marvel's lead super chick they will be lucky because they'll get two female lead successful cbms. Which is rare for any studio because female lead cbm's traditionally don't perform well. But BW is almost a sure fire success:

1. Last I checked Scar Jo is the hottest and most paid female actress today. Marvel was lucky to get her back then.

2. Like with Lucy, GitS, Avengers, TWS etc.. she's some what turned into this gen's biggest female action star.

3. BW is part of the MCU. People already love her on and off screen.

Basically it's no surprise BW is top priority. It's practically money in the bank. Marvel would be fools not to take advantage of this. It's not common to get TWO female action stars this big between CM and BW. But again it's not just about the right move at the right time. BW has actually developed into a entertaining character people like. And the A$$KICKINGS!! Good god, her beat downs rival any i've seen. Period.

Her comic series is on one of the best comics on the stand as well. True story. Good book receiving high marks from fans and critics:

"Black Widow #6 is a fantastic read, but what else can we expect from this team at this point? Chris Samnee, Mark Waid and Matt Wilson are a team that is so in sync – so “in the zone” – that I’ve started to run out of words to proclaim how well this trio can tell a story. This is a fantastic issue and their voice/take on Natasha is perfect for what the Marvel U needs right now." -Comicosity

She's on fire. Due to the MCU and Scar Jo's popularity she's arguably the fastest rising hero ever. From being almost unrecognizable to one of the most popular. It's not a doubt in my mind she's getting a trilogy and it will be one of the most successful comic series ever. I love watching once unpopular comic hero's get there time to shine. I can't be alone on that.

I'm expecting a phase 4 announcement at the latest. Marvel won't wait to long.

Don't believe she has what it takes to tent pole her own trilogy? Just watch her fight moves compilation video below. She's a beast and she has the fans.

Meh...

She's amazeballs

That leg-wrap move is getting really old...

Her last two comic series are great. But MCU Widow sucks.

But dude, any woman can defeat a 6'4", two hundred something pound man if they simply do that leg move!!

Her solo series and minis have been good to great for at least the past decade, and she's written well in I'd say 80% of her cameos and team books. Currently at the #1 spot of my rotating top 3 favorite female Marvel comic book heroes, which makes her movie portrayal a bit disappointing since it's just okay to me.

When in actuality, this would happen

@the_stegman said:

To be fair he does have a metal arm soooo

MCU Black Widow is a total joke and least deserving of a movie. Would not watch/10.

@revan2424: Yeah, you're right, and dreamy eyes.

mehh

Black Widow is great, man.

J-Law is the highest paid actress, iirc.

Anyway, I agree. Always liked Widow.

I don't think Black Widow sucks. I've already teetered on the line of whether she's one of my favorites or not however I don't really see the point of giving her a standalone film. Her style of character is better suited for shows. I'd definitely watch and espionage thriller style show if done correctly and after Jessica Jones & Agent Carter I feel like Marvel owes me one. Black Widow just doesn't deserve to be one of the prominent representations of the Avengers. The are "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" and she's well...not! Whether a Black Widow film were work or not isn't the question, the question is will it do enough for Marvel to spend the time and money making it and I think the answer is no. The other movies they've already booked are far more important. Honestly I'd rather see a Hawkeye movie he's more interesting both in comics and on screen.

I don't think Scarlet's portrayal of her is amazing. I don't think it's anything special. She doesn't really bring the character to life, to me she's just Scarlett Johansson with red hair. She doesn't really pull of action movies the way Milla Jovavich, Angelina Jolie & Zoe Saldana have. In her fight scenes during Civil War & Age of Ultron you can pretty much pinpoint where the stunt double comes in.

Still see her as a c lister probably a b...

She alright, I do think a movie will either break or hit for her, but all she is as a character is likable badass hot chick.

Thanks. I went back and corrected that. Scar Jo is number two tho.

I got confused. I went back and looked at the article I got my first information from. They said she likely will be the highest paid within the next year or so. She's second now to J. Law. Scar Jo is currently averaging 10mil a movie but something has caused her popularity to spike upwards. Starting with Ghost in the Shell she's now getting 17-20mil a movie.

Don't see her as a main character, sorry.

Rather or not she deserves to be a prominent member is not the issue. It's about who will draw the sure dollar.

"They are "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" and she's well...not!"

I don't see how she's any less mightier than Batman and he is the main member of the JL.

"Whether a Black Widow film were work or not isn't the question, the question is will it do enough for Marvel to spend the time and money making it and I think the answer is no."

It's not about who will gross the most. It's about who will make the most. Ant-man is the perfect example. Marvel for years said that Ant-man, one of Marvels lowest grossers would not get sequel. Ant-man was supposed to be a one and done. But now Marvel has fast tracked a sequel, Ant-man and the Wasp because tho it wasn't the highest grosser it made over 100mil in profit after ticket sales due to being received well while having a low budget. At that point business dictates a sequel is a must. Even tho MCU Ant-man was not meant to be a main member. It's about "risk vs reward. Deadlines profit list:

Iron Man 3 - $391.8m

Guardians of the Galaxy - $204.2m

Big Hero 6 - $187.3m

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - $166.2m

Thor The Dark World - $139.4m

Ant-Man - $103.9m

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - $81.31m

X-men Days of Future Past - $77.4m

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - $70.4m

Man of Steel - $42.7m

DofP, TASM2 and MOS all grossed more than Ant-man but all profited less. BW falls in this category. like Ant-man her movie can be done on a much smaller budget but she's sure to make at least 600 mil on her first movie. She might gross less but she'll make more. Marvel knows BW, played by Scar Jo is just money sitting on the table. Scar Jo's action movie Lucy made 463mil while being a obscure franchise, having mixed reviews and no MCU to back it up. A BW movie could easily do 6-700mil on a Ant-man budget.

Sure it is. She's an Avenger. She was introduced with them and her significance thus far has been wrapped up in their stories so if she can't even be a valid member of that team, how is she going to carry a film?

On team that is supposed to be defending the planet i'd feel safer with one of the greatest minds on that planet has to offer as opposed to a Russian super-spy.

Ant-Man was introduced to the MCU through his own film. Black Widow had been in 4 movies by then. We are passed the stage where an origin story makes sense and she doesn't have a lot of film worthy material in her miniseries' or ongoing titles...I could see her carrying a show but a film seems like a reach.

I always wanted to see a more low-key grimey standalone Black Widow film, more in the style of "Jason Bourne" or "Salt". Something more grounded that doesn't involve supersoldiers, Aliens or monsters.

this.

@vance_astro:

"Sure it is. She's an Avenger. She was introduced with them and her significance thus far has been wrapped up in their stories so if she can't even be a valid member of that team, how is she going to carry a film?"

"Ant-Man was introduced to the MCU through his own film. Black Widow had been in 4 movies by then. We are passed the stage where an origin story makes sense and she doesn't have a lot of film worthy material in her miniseries' or ongoing titles...I could see her carrying a show but a film seems like a reach."

I have never understood this argument. The amount of content a character has is not important. It helps but it's not this big deal breaker as some think. After Jessica Jones season one I remember a lot of people saying she wouldn't get a season 2 or if she did it would suck because she didn't have enough content. Than Marvel announces season 2 and i'm sure it will receive all high scores and do just fine. lol It's about the directors and writers on the show. BW has enough MCU content and believe it or not enough comic content and lure that a good writer could easily pen a good script.

"On team that is supposed to be defending the planet i'd feel safer with one of the greatest minds on that planet has to offer as opposed to a Russian super-spy."

And Batman is overrated. the JL doesn't need him at all. everything he does is PIS. He's a walking plot device.

And if you know BW she is much more than just a super spy.

It's common sense. Why would a film studio reach to try and find content in a character when they can just simply use a character that already has it? Jessica Jones season 1 is based off of Alias which is written like a crime drama to begin with it's perfect for television. As a solo character she kind of drops off after marrying Cage and having a baby but that's only in it's beginning stages. Not to mention they replaced the Carol Danvers role in that series with Patsy Walker since Carol hasn't appeared yet and in case you didn't know Patsy Walker is also Hellcat so they have plenty of content to cover. Also I've been saying that Black Widow would be better suited for television and since Jessica Jones was introduced through a Netflix series I don't get how this comparison proves Marvel being able to get a feature length film out of limited content.

This sounds like bias talking. The Justice League does need Batman. He may be a walking plot device but he EARNED his spot on that team. Black Widow however hasn't earned hers. Even on smaller Avengers rosters like The Mighty Avengers & The New Avengers she didn't have much of a role. Characters like Cage, Iron Fist, & even Spider-Woman have had more significant moments with the team although she had been a member off and on since the 70's and they didn't come along until the 2000's. You can't say that about Batman. Overrated or not he's valuable.

are you trolling? nothing you're saying is making any sense. how can BW have enough content for a 13 hour Netflix series but not enough for a 2 hour movie?

And I don't know if you have noticed or not but cinematic universes are different from the comic ones. BW may or may not have "earned" her spot on the comic MU but she certainly has in the MCU. And nope that talk is not bias. the JL does not need Batman. I will never believe that Batman is some magical human who trumps all other humans. Everything he does IMO is just tard. It doesn't work. With Batman you either have to buy into this mystical, unexplainable human or not. And if you don't buy into it Batman simply doesn't work. I'm not that guy who's gonna run around telling everybody Batman can beat up GL if he wanted to when clearly GL didn't have his green body shield on when Batman punched him out. PIS. Or be convinced Batman is smart enough to beat up Superman when those fights clearly show the most nerfed Superman of all time that was also holding back. It's trash.

And with that will just have to agree to disagree. We just keep going around and around. And honestly the stuff you're saying is not making any sense to me. lol I honestly can't tell if you're trolling or not so i'm done.

Marvel's trying so hard to push Black Widow and Captain Marvel because they're the only viable female characters Marvel has. All the best super heroines are mutants.

@sprior93: She doesn't get any more push in the films than any other character. Probably the biggest role she played was in TWS.

Comics-wise, there's hardly any buzz at all about her ongoings and minis. In fact, they've remained largely untouched/unaffected by all the big events that have happened over the years, and I like it that way. Certainly she hasn't been pushed as much as Captain Marvel, whose creators put together a whole Carol Corps. campaign around her. And she definitely hasn't received as much hype as the new, up and coming super heroines that keep popping up, the new Ms. Marvel, Silk, Spider-Gwen, Iron Heart, etc.

The push that both Widow and Hawkeye are receiving throughout the last couple of years is pretty much undeserved. It's not that they are bad characters or characters that should not exist but they are simply one dimensional and boring. Neither of them deserves a solo MCU movie because they haven't done anything worth mentioning and I doubt their movies would be that successful. Same goes for their comic books, Fraction's Hawkeye was good and well written but if you look at the story you can basically put any Marvel street level character in all of the situations and the story wouldn't change. Black Widow's recent books have been nothing more than simple eye candy, the story isn't good, it's just great artists who draw beautiful pages with great panel layouts.

I'm not talking about the AMOUNT of content i'm talking about the WEIGHT of the content. Black Widow has ENOUGH stories to stretch through a 13 episode Netflix series, she doesn't have SIGNIFICANT stories that would garner her, her own standalone film. The parts of my response that cover how much of Jessica's story they didn't cover yet was in rebuttal of YOU saying that you remember people saying that Jessica Jones wouldn't get a season 2 or that it would suck because she doesn't have enough content but my overall point was that you are comparing Black Widow to a character who DOESN'T fit the criteria of what you are saying. Jessica has a Netflix series, not a movie.

Cinematic Universes being different from comic book ones doesn't change anything. Black Widow hasn't been insignificant in either thus far. I the opposite was true we wouldn't be having this discussion. How little Black Widow has done in these movies has become a running joke. Your argument about Batman is CLEARLY biased. We aren't arguing the quality of his stories, we are arguing whether the JLA needs him or not and there is no argument to be made. Batman's intellect, tactical ingenuity, resources, leadership have PROVEN his value to the team for decades. While she's been on several active Avengers rosters where she literally contributed nothing.

You could just ask me to clarify instead of suggesting this is an attempt at trolling.

I like Widow, but I don't think she has done much to warrant a standalone film yet. As others have pointed out, she works much better as a supporting character.

All their most recognizable superheroines are mutants but that doesn't make them the best.

@vance_astro: Yeah, I agree that she would work better in a show. I will concede that her books have never had any brilliant or groundbreaking overarching plots, but they are excellent character pieces that would better fit a series than a feature film.

Yea, I'd totally watch a Black Widow show but I don't know if that would work for who they chose to be her. Scarlett Johansson is a very busy actress.

Maybe if they packaged them together like Ant-Man and Wasp they could find a reason to make a film. Alone I don't really see a point especially considering most or in fact all Marvel shows and movies tie back in to a larger picture. I don't know what they could have Black Widow & Hawkeye do that would be significant enough to The Avengers story but also be small enough for them to handle together instead of with the team.

@vance_astro:

We'll just have to agree to disagree. IMO it would be easy to make a good enough movie. And not IF but when Marvel makes a BW movie the only people that will complain about her being to small for a movie are the same ones doing it now. Everybody else, critics and fans will just say it was awesome and move on. I just simply don't agree with the "it's impossible to do a good BW movie" attitude. It's all up to the development team.

BW's MCU significants is debatable. There's plenty of people out there who thinks she's had a great run in the MCU. And even then there's still no rule that says no ones wants a BW or that it will auto suck if she didn't "earn" it. There's more factors here your ignoring than just that well, "she hasn't been used enough." If not Marvel wouldn't be making it priority.

And Batman is all about rather or not you want to buy into his crap. I don't. So whatever. Agree to disagree.

@vance_astro: Before we get into casting, what age range do you think would work for her in a show? Looks-wise only of course, since she benefits from the same anti-aging properties of her own version of the super soldier program.

@Everybody

You guys are still ignoring the fact that in a interview completely unrelated to BW, when ask what characters Feige wanted to bring to the MCU he volunteered that official statement in the OP. That BW is the movie there most "committing to."

BW will happen sooner than later. Then what? Are the haters just gonna set online all day saying it will fail due to X reasons? The only people who will have a problem with it are the same ones complaining now. Everyone else will say it's awesome and move on.

Black Widow is an awesome character in the books and MCU. I could see her in a standalone movie if it's based on stories from her books. The movie should be dark and show her in a light that might make the audience actually dislike her, it should delve deeper into the Red Room and lead up to her meeting Fury.

@devilfruit: I don't think anyone is really doubting that it will do well box office-wise, but the real question is will it actually be good?

ScarJo's performance so far has been just alright, and personally, I still don't think she's a good fit for the character. If anything will be carrying the movie, it will have to be the plot, cinematography, and general direction, 'cause I'm really not expecting much from her acting.

I'd love to be proven wrong though, I really would, as both a fan of the character (in comics) and a fan of the MCU franchise in general.

What will it be about?

How is it debatable? She doesn't have a show or a film and she's reduced to supporting cast in all of her appearances. What exactly is there to debate? The problem isn't that this film "will auto-suck because she didn't earn it", the problem is thus far the existence of all of Marvel's shows and films have had a POINT to them and her's wouldn't. They tie back in to a larger picture. Black Widow is already part of that larger picture so there is nothing there. If Marvel is making her a priority (which I have not read that they are) it's probably because they are limited on female superheroes they can use with them not having the rights to The X-Men or Fantastic Four and their other female heroes being tied up in other stories. In other words "because she's a female" not because there is another special about her.

Riiiiight...but this is somehow not biased? I don't even know what we are agreeing to disagree on since you never actually touched whether Batman is or not needed in terms of being a member of the JLA. You simply went on about PIS and what he should and should not be capable of as if this isn't fiction.

I'd say 25 but that would be a dilemma because recasting Scarlett would be a mistake. She's been the character for too long.

I don't actually think the movie will 'fail" if they make one I just don't see the point of it being made. I think it's a waste of Marvel's time. They have better superheroines they could push.