The Black Widow Scene That Went Too Far

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) holds a special place in fans' hearts. She was the first female Avenger, originally being introduced in "Iron Man 2" and going on to appear in a litany of projects, from "The Avengers" to "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." She helped save the world on multiple occasions, leading to her final moments in "Avengers: Endgame," when she sacrificed her life on Vormir so that Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) could acquire the Soul Stone. 

It marked the end of a legendary run. And her presence continues to be felt throughout the MCU, as evidenced by how Yelena (Florence Pugh) was more than happy to kill Hawkeye in his self-titled series on Disney+ because she blamed him for her sister's demise. 

Black Widow has numerous standout moments throughout the franchise, from tricking Loki in "Avengers" to her high-flying final fight in her first solo movie. However, few characters are immune from cringey moments. And across her time in the MCU, Natasha has her fair share of scenes that just don't sit right with fans

When Natasha was introduced in 2010's "Iron Man 2," she was little more than a sex object meant to serve primarily as set dressing. This trend continued for many of her early appearances in "The Avengers" and "Winter Soldier," and it's so disappointing that a full five years after her debut in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," she was still getting jokes at the expense of her body. 

During Ultron's first attack at the Avengers compound, there's massive gunfire with the Avengers ducking for cover. Bruce (Mark Ruffalo) and Natasha both head for the bar, ultimately resulting in Bruce landing on Natasha's breasts before picking his head up and saying, "Sorry," to which Natasha responds, "Don't turn green." It's disappointing to see Natasha continuing to be the butt of jokes, but perhaps it should come as no surprise, seeing as how the sequel was written and directed by recent Hollywood pariah Joss Whedon.

In recent years, numerous allegations have come to light of how Whedon treated the women working on his sets. His wife also came forward to accuse him of having multiple affairs, and his response to all of this in a Vulture piece didn't exactly help matters. The Black Widow joke in "Age of Ultron" is just one instance in a long history of Whedon mistreating female bodies in his work. It's all the more horrendous in hindsight when Whedon literally used the same exact joke in his cut of "Justice League" when Flash (Ezra Miller) falls on top of Wonder Woman's (Gal Gadot) breasts. It's safe to say this is one bit that deserves to remain in the dumpster of pop culture.