Slide idea's

Black Widow.. Then and now

Then:

When Scarlett Johansson was first cast as Black Widow in Iron Man 2, it's clear that she was just there to please fan boys. From watching the video above it's clear she was extremely objectified, with the male cast members commenting mostly on her costume and looks (a subject which Scarlett herself now hates to be asked about in interviews). The character seemed completely wasted in this film and nothing like her strong, interesting comic counterpart. It appeared as if she was just there to look good,and 'bring the tongues hanging drooling towards her' as Samuel L. Jackson put it.

Now:

Moving on a few years and the character has come so far, becoming a fan favourite. She is no longer a good looking mute, but a main player in the Marvel universe. One so popular that fans are demanding she gets her own film. The film makers have finally successfully portrayed her as the 'strong, independent, intelligent woman' that she is, who is no longer just the sexy character in the catsuit.

Film vs. TV

Perhaps where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is lacking, TV can make up for. Marvel has recently decided to bring more females to the TV screen, mostly importantly Peggy Carter, from the Captain America series, and Jessica Jones, a rather unknown character to the mainstream audience, but one that is popular with comic fans.


http://screenrant.com/marvel-netflix-daredevil-jessica-jones-casting/

The demand for females in the superhero genre..

As seen above, the demand and enthusiasm for females in the superhero genre is high. This want for a bigger female presence is an example of how the studio's are slacking. Yes they have female characters in their movies, but it's how they're used which makes the difference. A huge example of this being the way Marvel have treated the character of 'Gamora' from Guardians of the Galaxy. In the film she was a strong and prominent member of the team, however in reality she is featured on very little Marvel merchandise, which has angered a lot of female, and even male fans. (http://www.dailydot.com/geek/fans-notice-lack-of-gamora-merchandise/) So in this sense it appears Marvel are taking one step forward and two steps back in terms of representation. As well as this the demand for a female lead superhero movie is high, most prominently a Black Widow movie. Although it would appear this could be a huge hit, as over 40% of comic fans are in fact FEMALE (http://comicsbeat.com/market-research-says-46-female-comic-fans/) Marvel have still not announced any plans to go ahead with a Black Widow movie due to the risky nature of such a project. Instead they decided that having a talking tree and raccoon in a movie is less risky than a female lead.