Marvelling at a boosting female quotient

‘Age of Ultron’ to see women, such as Lizzie Olsen, join the male-dominated superhero ranks.

LOS ANGELES: As the sole female Avenger, Scarlett Johansson had a bone to pick with Hollywood – not only were there few female superheroes, but they also tended to be dumbed down. So, when Marvel Studios brought in another formidable woman for summer action film Avengers: Age of Ultron, Johansson, who reprises her role as the feisty Black Widow, was happy to see “a step in the right direction.”

Out in US theatres on May 1, the Walt Disney Co film reunites Black Widow with 2012’s The Avengers superhero ensemble of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk and Hawk-Eye as they fight a villain bent on large-scale destruction. Now comes Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen, one of the most powerful Marvel comics’ characters, known for her thought-altering magical powers, to join the male-dominated superhero ranks. Three other women play key roles.



Boosting the female quotient makes sense as women fans could help push Age of Ultron past its predecessor at the box office and possibly make it the top-grossing film of summer 2015. The film throws a larger spotlight on its female characters, led by Johansson’s Black Widow holding her own in complex fight scenes and finding romance with Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).

The evolution of female characters in Marvel’s superhero movies has been ‘slow’, Johansson said, since she took the helm as Black Widow in 2010’s Iron Man 2. “We haven’t really been able to explore the depth of the character behind the superhero — that’s what makes characters interesting,” she said. “It’s nice to see the introduction to Scarlet Witch and I know that there will be more to come.”

Ever since Marvel’s cinematic franchises became box-office hits, starting with 2008’s Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr, superhero films have drawn criticism for not having enough women amid star-studded casts. “It’s amazing to have two female characters on a poster for a superhero movie,” Olsen said. “Also, we’re both portrayed as such badasses.”

For box-office expert Paul Dergarabedian, ramping up the female perspective is ‘vitally important’ as female filmgoers make up a bigger share of ticket sales. “Action movies are not just for men anymore,” said Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at box-office tracking firm Rentrak.

The Avengers, the third-highest grossing movie of all time, opened in 2012 with a record $207 million in US and Canadian ticket sales. 40 per cent of the opening weekend audience was female, according to a Disney survey at the time. Disney created a line of women’s wear inspired by the female stars, which includes a replica of Johansson’s Black Widow jacket.

Johansson showed the power of female-led action films with her non-Marvel flick Lucy, which grossed more than $450 million worldwide last year. But there are no plans for a Black Widow standalone film in Marvel’s upcoming five-year plan. Fans will have to wait until 2018 to see the studio’s first movie led by a female superhero, Captain Marvel. REUTERS

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th,  2015.

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