In what has to be a massive letdown for both male and female Marvel aficionados alike, President of Production Kevin Feige announced that there are no immediate plans to put a Black Widow film into production, nor any other female superhero films for that matter.
While I’m sure that Marvel has their reasons, this strikes me as a severe lack of seeing the big picture and quite the missed opportunity. The studio’s brand recognition has never been stronger, and they have been able to wring quality pictures out of second tier superheroes in the past. While it is easy to forget, Iron Man wasn’t exactly the most iconic of all Marvel superheroes and there was a fair bit of skepticism involved when the project was announced. Especially after the casting of Robert Downey Jr., whose star had waned quite a bit in the wake of his issues with drug abuse.
Furthermore, neither Captain America nor Thor were considered the most bankable choices when first announced, and Thor especially had pessimistic critics proclaiming doom and gloom for its commercial prospects. Now, in a post Avengers world, the Marvel audience has seen an increase, as Thor: The Dark World‘s domestic grosses were $25 million higher than the previous installment and next month’s Captain America is expected to receive a similar bump.
Still, Feige’s lack of a clear answer on the topic has to be somewhat troubling to female audiences, as the time has never been better for Marvel to spend some of their hard earned goodwill and take a risk. Female heroes have typically been under served at the cinema and I believe that a Black Widow film would do surprisingly well for the studio. Scarlett Johansson is at her apex as a commercially and critically loved actress, and with upcoming roles in heavily buzzed about films like Under The Skin, Lucy, and Chef, there’s no better time than to give her a solo Marvel outing.