Black Widow Star Talks About How Her Role In The MCU Has Changed Thanks To Fans

Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow has always been one of the main six Avengers, though it's taken some time for the character to fully grow into the team player that she is today.

Speaking with journalists during a press conference to help promote Avengers: Endgame (via CBR), Johansson decided to touch on the growth of her character, noting Black Widow's development from a "sexy secretary" to an integral member of the Avengers team.

According to the Marvel star, this development wouldn't have been possible if not for the fans who have also been responsible for the diversity that's been developing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"The character has changed since [Faverau and I] first met and worked together. Initially, and I was just talking to Danai [Gurira] about this... the character really started as a sexy secretary with a skill-set on the side, posing as [at least]," the actress said while speaking with panel moderator Jon Favreau. "And we didn't know, and I certainly didn't, what the fans would think of my interpretation of the character, obliviously a beloved character for a long time."

Favreau directed both Iron Man and Iron Man 2, the latter which introduced Black Widow into the MCU. Eventually, the "sexy secretary" became even more important to the franchise, and while it's taken a while, Black Widow is finally getting her own standalone film.

"I feel that by the next time we saw her in Avengers, she was one of the boys for better or for worse. And that made sense then," Johansson explains, "[But] I think the fans and the audiences really pushed Marvel and all the studios and filmmakers to throw up on the screen what represents what's going on in the zeitgeist, wanting to see diverse films and casts that represent their own aspirations and how they feel. I think the character's sort of grown in reaction to that, and the movies have grown in reaction to that. And [how] the fans connected."

Marvel has been making strides in terms of diversity and representation. Now, the studio revels in the success of films like Black Panther and Captain Marvel, hoping to make more inclusive films as it heads on towards the fourth phase of the franchise. Not only are we expecting the release of Black Widow, but we're also getting films like The Eternals, and Shang-Chi.

Avengers: Endgame premieres this Friday, April 26.

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