Delivery Fangirl is an original blog feature on The Devil Orders Takeout, featuring questions from my favourite books and movies, preferred headcanons, and the importance of diversity.
With Agent Carter finished (and ready for a next season, hopefully!) and Age of Ultron coming just next week, I thought it was time to address an important Marvel issue: Black Widow solo movie.
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1. The Red Room and Soviet Russia.
One thing about Marvel movies that bugs me is that it's so US-central. That's not a major problem and looks like it might change with Age of Ultron, but I would really love to see other places. I'm not asking for an Iron Man 3 Chinese version, only where it's suitable for characters and plot—but come on, can you be uninterested in the making of an assassin?
We got some Red Room in Agent Carter and might have more in Ultron, but a solo would really flesh out the basis of Natasha's character. We could go the route of the other Marvel solos and delve into her life in America now, but personally I buy this idea more:
2. Prequel spin-off? Agent Carter showed that works.
One of the problems about a Black Widow solo was that huge amounts of backstory needed to be tackled. Far from being a hindrance, I think that's an added benefit — the tantalising hints have already created the demand to know more about the backstory. And Agent Carter has adequately demonstrated that it's possible to develop a prequel spin-off that's thrilling despite foregone conclusions.
And if there's too much material, a TV series would work as well as a movie! We had Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter, there's no reason we can't have an Agent Romanoff, whether it's as a SHIELD or Soviet agent.
3. Psychological manipulation.
Natasha's introduction in The Avengers was absolutely stunning—she knows her adversaries underestimate her and undermines them that way. (Reminds me of another SHIELD agent who has her own TV series.) Goodness, she defeated the freaking god of lies at lying. And since superheroes so often have to deal with robots! cosmic cube! flying monkeys! explosives! chaos!, some quietly dangerous espionage wouldn't be amiss. Black Widow is the Avenger best at psychological manipulation, and a solo movie would be an excellent opportunity to explore what's behind all the bullets and explosions at SHIELD.
4. Maybe—just maybe—more Hawkeye and Winter Soldier.
When I listed the rundown of Avengers with their own solos, one glaring omission was Hawkeye. Who also deserves a solo, but since he plays a key role in Natasha's defection from Russia, a solo absolutely has to involve him in some way. And even for non-Black Hawk shippers, the way they click together shows how seamlessly they co-operate.
And if I haven't messed up the timelines, we might even be able to glimpse the Winter Soldier. This Tumblr gifset totally converted me into believing they were acquainted in Soviet Russia, and this cold partnership would be such a great foil for Clint/Natasha's relationship.
5. Marvel needs more non-male superheroes.
I can't tell you how happy I was when Agent Carter aired. Or Captain Marvel was announced. Keep in mind that I hadn't watched Cap 1 or read the comics, so I knew very little about these characters. But I can still identify with them simply because they face up against the patriarchy. Now take that and imagine a character who's already been established in the main franchise.
Although I would love a non-binary superhero too. JARVIS, although awesome, doesn't count.
Takeout: Black Widow solo = Red Room, psychology, Hawkeye and Winter Soldier, plus diversity.
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| Originally reblogged here. |
How much do you want a Black Widow solo? Would you want a TV series or a movie?
Psst, for more diverse female characters in Marvel, check out my guest post on the Fangirl Initiative about why Helen Cho (first in Avengers: Age of Ultron) should stay in the MCU!
Advocate the Black Widow solo today:
- #BlackWidowMovie: 5 reasons why @AlyssaC_HK needs it. (Click to Tweet)
- After #AgentCarter, @AlyssaC_HK is now waiting for the #BlackWidowMovie. (Click to Tweet)
note: I do not read the comics. All data comes from the movies, fanfic and Tumblr. Apologies for any inaccuracies.
Hey!They are going into past of Black Widow in Age of Ultron and of Hawkeye as well I think.Her history might be covered in this movie.I am a black widow fan she is awesome in comics but I think a solo movie on her past now makes no sense since Marvel has plan they are moving towards.I think they should introduce other superhero's like Spider-Woman via solo movies (She is awesomer!).Marvel have a new TV show on female superhero coming up on Netflix AKA Jessica Jones and after watching the first season of Daredevil I'm really excited for this one.Marvel has a lot of non-male superhero's it's just that they aren't used well.They have Ms.Marvel,Captain Marvel,Spider-Woman,Silk,Female Hawkeye,(Even the Thor is female now) and many more.
ReplyDeleteNeal Kind
Daily Diaries
Yes I've heard about the Red Room in Age of Ultron! It's going to be super exciting, no doubt, even in flashbacks. *flails all over the place*
DeleteYeah, Marvel is crazy at planning movies -- I've heard they've planned it until 2028. And true, I wouldn't want to mess up that master plan either, which is why I suggest a spin-off prequel TV series instead, like Agent Carter, which wouldn't mess up the timeline of Phase 1/2/3 and so on.
Mmm yes, those are all good examples of female Marvel superheroes and I'm super excited for Carol Danvers, but see, the reason I love Black Widow isn't just because she's a woman, it's just what you said: her characterisation is executed really well. She quite literally preys on other peoples' minds, but at the same time she has to work through a lot of moral issues about her own checkered past. Also, Johansson is an amazing actress.
I suppose we'll see :D
I'm making a comic where there's scene with Black Widow in it.She is sitting in front of Batman (Long story) and even Batman is having a tough time being interrogated by her. :P
DeleteI liked Agent Carter I hope it gets a second season :)
Oh wow, now that sounds awesome. Hope to see it on your blog sometime!
DeleteYES. I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW HAPPY A SECOND SEASON WOULD MAKE ME. Hayley Atwell does a fabulous Peggy Carter.
I love Agent Carter! The whole series was so awesome! She's so noble and badass. I'm not much of a Black Widow fan, maybe because I don't really know her backstory much but she's definitely pretty badass too. The next female Marvel character I'm looking forward to watching for now (after Black Widow in Age of Ultron) is Jessica Jones in the Marvel's Netflix TV series that's coming out at the end of the year. I heard she's going to be a great female Marvel character too. :)
DeleteDian
The Happy Candle
AGENT CARTER WAS INDEED AWESOME. She's sort of like the opposite of Black Widow in terms of morality, because she's just so virtuous without being a pushover.
DeleteI think that'll definitely be an interesting TV show! I don't know much about her backstory, ironically enough, but it should be fun :D
I'd love a Black Widow movie. I mean, I like all the Marvel movies, but I feel like Natasha is a little bit different because she has an extremely dark past. I mean, yeah, Tony was a butt before—he's still a butt, but even if he was insensitive and uncaring, he wasn't really evil, he just kind of sucked. Cap is golden. Bruce isn't bad at heart, he just has troubles when he turns into the other guy. Thor is a hero. Hawkeye doesn't seem tangled up in the same kind of politics Nat was.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the thing—she has a lot of red in her ledger, and the thing about having red in your ledger is that it makes your character sort of black. Color of desire, color of despair.
So, you have all very good reasons but I also just want to say that Nat has a history of being in a really bad and evil place, different than all the other heroes we've seen so far, because there's a chance that there was a big time when she intentionally had her heart in the wrong place.
Can you imagine the awesome feels a movie like that would have?
True, all Marvel movies are pretty marvellous (heh), but Natasha's past is just so dark and enticing. OMG, I love your evaluations of the Avengers. "Tony was a butt before--he's still a butt." Honestly, fabulous. And yes! Natasha sort of skirts the line between hero and villain, and whether we see her on the side of the USA or the Soviet Union, she's still going to be on that line.
DeleteSort of like a less insane version of Loki, without the daddy issues. just the grey morality. MUCH FEELS INDEED.
I literally just talked about this on another post haha. I want a Black Widow movie SO BAD. I feel like what we've seen of her past so far is super interesting, and I think her story would have a different tone from the other Avengers (just like Iron Man is very different from Thor is different from Cap etc), so I feel like it would work. It'd probably be more like a cool spy movie and I love that she hasn't always been one of the good guys, so that would be fascinating to explore. I want this even more now that I'm trying to imagine how it would look! Seriously, can't they just scratch the Ant Man movie and film this instead?
ReplyDeleteOoh really? It does seem to be the topic of choice recently, with Agent Carter and Age of Ultron both featuring the Red Room. And yes! Natasha's very different in terms of the Avengers because even though all of them are flawed, she's been to the gates of hell and back in terms of morality. Hers would definitely be a dark thriller-esque movie -- possibly Bourne Identity-ish, with more psychological manipulation.
DeleteI've yet to know much about the Ant-Man movie, but from online reaction, I'd judge that you're not alone in your wish :D
I WANT IT A HECK OF A LOT. I'm actually really frustrated with Marvel right now...and I was literally JUST talking (erm, whining) about this to my sister...why the HECK are we getting a Spiderman reboot and not a Black Widow movie?! There's a new article that says "it's in the works" but they've been saying that for years. GeEEE. It's really starting to get to me. I love the Black Widow A LOT AND I WANT TO SEE HER MOVIE LIKE 10000%. And also her backstory is huge, and apparently she's physically enhanced too? They say it's possibly she's similar to Steve Rogers in terms of experiments and she might be really old too. Gah. I need the comics but my library doesn't have them.
ReplyDeleteSO YES I AGREE WITH AAAALL THE THINGS IN THIS POST.
I'm not so much frustrated with Marvel as glumly thinking "WHEN WILL YOU GUYS FIGURE OUT THAT WE DO WANT THIS" every time I watch one of their movies. I mean, I'm glad that they finally got the rights to Spiderman back (because honestly, those weirdo movies were weird), but get it OUT OF THE WORKS AND INTO THE THEATERS. Please?
DeleteI did not know that about her backstory! But then I'm more of a movie-goer than a comics-reader, mainly because they *are* difficult to get my hands on. IT WOULD BE SUPER COOL I THINK? (especially since she's teaming up with Cap so much now)
I WANT THIS MOVIE MORE THAN LIFE. Okay, maybe not more than life but more than any movie I have anticipated! Reading the comics made me realise how dark and complex her backstory is, and we need to see it on the big screen. ;) same goes for Hawkeye, from the beginning of his circus career. IT'S ALL SO INTERESTING. And a non-binary character, yes!
ReplyDeleteIT WOULD REALLY BE VERY AWESOME. I would definitely be more excited about this than most other Marvel movies -- okay, maybe not Thor: Ragnarok because that's just an entire movie of Loki *fangirl eyes* -- but yes, Nat's backstory isn't a crutch to making a movie, it should be the main enticement! OH YES HAWKEYE'S CIRCUS CAREER IS SO MUCH CREEP.
DeleteWe're all waiting, although from the studio that's given us a raccoon and a tree, I bet they'll nail it sometime.
WHAT?! THERE'S A LOKI MOVIE??? You have made my year...
DeleteWell, technically it's still a Thor movie, but since Ragnarok is an apocalypse brought about by Loki, I suppose they'll feature that. I mean, if he stole Malekith's stage that much last time, there's no way they won't get Hiddleston back on board.
Delete(But I've heard there's a Loki cameo in Age of Ultron? *flails*)
I just watched The Avengers recently, now I am hooked! And I finally understand what everyone else is talking about xD
ReplyDeleteNatasha was my favourite character (apart from Loki), and she seems to have a complicated backstory. A movie about her would be awesome!
Join the fangirl club! And yes, the Marvel fandom can be disorienting if you aren't part of the inside jokes :D Natasha and Loki are my fav characters too! They're both skirting the edge between hero and villain, I think that's why they're such ensemble darkhorses. Complicated backstories FTW!
DeleteHOW SERENDIPITOUS!! I finished watching the Avengers this morning, my first ever superhero movie and there are a million and one reasons why Romanoff needs a movie to herself. I would be delighted. I was also really pleased to see the parts where they spoke hindi, and understand them :) Totally agree wtih this post, thanks Alyssa
ReplyDelete-Shanti
WHAT A COINCIDENCE INDEED. (Although maybe not, since I planned to write this post just before Age of Ultron XD) A Natasha-centric movie would be SUCH A GREAT SUPERHERO MOVIE because how often do you get barely-powered-up superheroes with such a checkered past! Glad you liked it, Shanti!
DeleteI vote for the Black Widow movie. I agree, there are so many hints dropped in the other superhero movies of things she's done and places she's been that I would love to see in movie/TV series form. If they were to make a prequel movie thing though, one event I would love to see is the trip to Budapest. Ever since that line in The Avengers I've been dying to know, what actually went down in Budapest?
ReplyDeleteBudapest is indeed one of the more enigmatic mentions in Avengers. I love all the speculation on the Internet -- although my fav will still be the one about the fountain like the turning pages of a book. Have you seen that one before?
DeleteI want this so very badly, and you make a FABULOUS case. Dang girl! thanks for making me want this even more now!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I convinced you -- you should definitely want this since Marvel NEEDS to make it ASAP!
DeleteI'd love a movie! First, Budapest! And second, because I'd really like more heroines.
ReplyDeleteThey had better resolve Budapest somewhere down the line ... for a throwaway joke, it's gotten SO memetic. Heroines are definitely important.
Delete