海角大神

'Avengers: Age of Ultron': Why Joss Whedon quit Twitter and Black Widow backlash

The movie's director said he did not leave Twitter because of feminists' complaints over the role of Black Widow in the latest superhero adventure.

鈥淎vengers: Age of Ultron鈥� director Joss Whedon recently deleted his Twitter account and observers quickly wondered what caused the director to leave the social media website.

Whedon said in an interview with that he felt he was spending too much time on it.

鈥淭he real issue is me,鈥� the director said. 鈥淭witter is an addictive little thing, and if it's there, I gotta check it. When you keep doing something after it stops giving you pleasure, that's kind of rock bottom for an addict. 鈥� I just had a little moment of clarity where I'm like, You know what? If I want to get stuff done, I need to not constantly hit this thing for a news item or a joke or some praise, and then be suddenly sad when there's hate and then hate and then hate.鈥澛�

What isn鈥檛 behind Whedon departing Twitter? According to the director, the cause is not criticism of the character of Black Widow, portrayed by actress Scarlett Johansson in Whedon鈥檚 new superhero movie, which he wrote and directed.聽

鈥淭hat鈥檚 horse [expletive],鈥� the director said. 鈥淏elieve me, I have been attacked by militant feminists since I got on Twitter. That鈥檚 something I鈥檓 used to鈥� I just thought,聽鈥榃ait a minute, if I鈥檓 going to start writing again, I have to go to the quiet place.鈥欌��

Here鈥檚 some context. People have discussed before how Black Widow is one of the only members of the Avengers superhero team not to get her own spin-off movie. Her compatriots Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk have starred in their own films (though Hawkeye, portrayed by Jeremy Renner, has also not starred in his own movie). And recently, 鈥淎vengers鈥� star Mark Ruffalo, who portrays the Hulk, said he wasn鈥檛 seeing a lot of merchandise centered around Black Widow.

In addition, when asked during an interview with about fans wanting Black Widow to be paired romantically with various members of the Avengers, 鈥淎vengers鈥� actors Chris Evans (who plays Captain America) and Renner also offended some viewers when Renner called her a 鈥渟lut鈥� and Evans said she is 鈥渁 complete whore.鈥� Evans later called the remarks 鈥渏uvenile and offensive鈥� in a statement and Renner said the comments had been 鈥渢asteless,鈥� though in an appearance on 鈥檚 late-night show, he said that if a person was together romantically with several Avengers, 鈥測ou鈥檇 be a slut, I鈥檇 be a slut.鈥澛�

Why would fans be angry with Whedon? (Spoilers follow for 鈥淯ltron鈥濃��)聽

With the release of the new movie 鈥淎vengers: Age of Ultron,鈥� some viewers were incensed over plot points involving Black Widow. In the film, she and the Hulk explore the possibility of a romantic relationship and she also reveals that she is unable to biologically have children.聽

Some fans disliked these storylines while others defended the film. writer Darren Franich wrote:

鈥淸In 'Ultron,' isn鈥檛] Black Widow鈥檚 main role is the same role as Pepper Potts in 'Iron Man,' or Jane Foster in 'Thor': The lady who helps her man become a hero? 鈥業 adore you,鈥� she tells Bruce Banner, right before she forces him to Hulk out and save the day. He also saves her life, and then makes the executive decision to disappear 鈥� To protect her, I guess? Even though the last time they talked, she made it pretty clear that she didn鈥檛 need to be protected? Marvel clearly doesn鈥檛 really know what to do with Black Widow."

writers Meredith Woerner and Katharine Trendacosta said about Black Widow:

鈥淪he does have some great moments in 鈥楢ge of Ultron鈥欌�� But instead, all of that was aggressively pushed aside for a new phenomenon: Mommy Widow 鈥� Instead of an assassin constantly struggling with finding moral lines she didn鈥檛 know existed, we got a woman who feels incomplete because she cannot have babies 鈥� She can鈥檛 just be the coolest aunt, or have made the valid choice that, as an assassin and spy, maybe kids are not in the cards for her. Or even the more radical choice that she just doesn鈥檛 want them. No, she can鈥檛 ever have babies, so her life is ruined. She is an incomplete woman.鈥�

Alyssa Rosenberg of the wrote that she 鈥渇ind[s] the criticisms of Natasha鈥檚 storylines baffling.鈥澛�

鈥淣atasha's not a super-powerful woman suddenly brought low by a reckoning with her biological clock or the fact that putting the hurt on intergalactic baddies led her to put off developing a personal life. She's a hero reckoning with what it means to be both female and merely human in a testosterone-heavy, super-powered environment 鈥� her mentor (Julie Delpy) took something away from Natasha that didn't have to be removed for her to be a hero. She could have been a lover and mother and friend and fighter all at once. That Natasha's male compatriots aren't asked to reconcile supposedly disparate parts of their personalities is their good fortune. That Natasha works so hard to do so is the measure of her heroism.鈥澛�

As 鈥淯ltron鈥� continues to top the box office, the debate won鈥檛 be going away anytime soon. But it won鈥檛 be taking place on Twitter with Joss Whedon.