Following the release of the Age of Ultron toy line on 6th June, a global flash mob campaigned for more recognition of Black Widow, as the character was practically excluded from the new line.
In fact, comparing the number of toys to screen time, Black Widow had the 3rd highest amount of screen time, yet had the 4th lowest depiction in the toys, beating only Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and The Vision. It is understandable that those three characters would not be as highly featured in the toy release (seeing as it was their first movie), but Black Widow has been in the first and second Avengers movie, and let’s not forget the huge amount of screen time in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. She is such a beloved and badass character, yet she has received little recognition (apart from some Lego, a figure and random t-shirts), which has disappointed many.
It’s surprising that even Scarlett Johansson’s popularity didn’t result in the creation of more fan memorabilia. The great Robert Downey Jr said on USA Today in September that it would be “kind of more appropriate for a character that already was like a Black Widow [to lead a movie]. It just seems like whatever Scarlett does, people want to go see it.” The truth is that people adore the Hollywood actress, and let’s face it, €you can’t blame them!
The thing is, this isn’t just about Scarlett and Black Widow – look at the absolutely fantastic film Guardians of the Galaxy with a similar formula to The Avengers; a number of unlikely heroes team up and kick ass. But what’s this? Where’s Gamora? Yes, she has a couple of figures, cups, and nik-naks similar to Black Widow but that’s it. What must be going through Marvel and Disney’s minds?
With all that being said, Paul Gitter, Marvel’s senior Vice President of Licensing, told Variety that Marvel will have “a big focus on adult female apparel”, and hopefully make the already successful Age of Ultron merchandise even more popular. He also said that Marvel will also have some merchandise for Black Widow to accompany Captain America: Civil War.
This news comes after Warner Brothers announced that they would be releasing a ‘robust’ line of Wonder Woman merch for the Wonder Woman and Justice League movies. This leads me to believe that Marvel and Disney have been forced to produce more female products to keep up with their competition; a disappointing realisation for the loyal fans who have begged for it from day one.
I understand that some characters are more popular and will sell better than others, like Iron-Man or Captain America for example, but it is obvious that Black Widow is loved due to the fact that she was given her third highest show time in Age of Ultron and the second in the Winter Soldier. It’s just unfortunate that it took the might of DC for anyone to sit up and listen to the fans.
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
