I had intended to finish and post my spoiler-filled
analysis of 'Avengers Age of Ultron' this week, but in the last couple of days
a controversy has arisen which has seen an internet backlash against the film,
and more personally, against the films writer/director Joss Whedon. There have been criticisms of the films plot
(some of which aren't unjustified, but do not deserve the level of abuse that
has apparently been directed at Whedon), but what has really had me scratching
my head are the accusations that Whedon's portrayal of women in the film, and specifically the Black Widow character, are misogynistic. I can't help but feel that these accusations
are based upon people not really understanding what is going on with that
character in the film, or with her back-story.
Note: there are big SPOILERS for AoU in this article, so please proceed
with caution if you've not seen the film yet!
Now, to be fair this is by-and-large a storm in a teacup;
Guardians of the Galaxy Director James Gunn has taken to his Facebook page to express his thoughts on the matter, and he quotes Joe Russo (who alongside his
brother directed Captain America The Winter Soldier) who rightly states
"This kind of vitriol should be reserved for issues that actually demand
outrage. Look around at your world... fiction is not one of them." This is true.
But when a significant number are jumping to a conclusion which is, at
best, based on a misunderstanding, or at worst just plain erroneous, I feel the
need to speak out and try to counter these opinions with a measured and
considered response. I've already spoken about Age of Ultron's plot issues - even Whedon himself has admitted there is at least one strand they edited so much it almost doesn't work - however these
aren't enough to derail the film at all; it is still an entertaining, fun,
spectacular and witty blockbuster.
But the claims regarding women in the film, and specifically
the portrayal of Black Widow, really need to be examined more closely as I'm
not sure they're justified at all. I
must acknowledge that there are a huge swathe of people who will point out that
as a white male of European heritage, I am arguably in no place to offer a
counter to feminist critique. In my
defence I would like to say that I am someone who is vehemently opposed to all forms of inequality, injustice and oppression, whether it is based upon class,race, income or gender. I have been a
member of Amnesty International, have worked for charities, and have taken part
in goodness knows how many campaigns on issues related to the rights of
workers, women, oppressed minorities, people in poverty, and many others. Okay, I'm a man, and I realise I can't fully comprehend
the experience and perspective of women battling sexism, misogyny and
oppression in its many forms across all cultures in the world; it does not mean
I cannot have sympathy, as one human being to another, when I see or read about
these struggles.
One of the things I love about cinema is that it enables
the viewer to get the perspective of someone else, from a different culture,
race, class, or gender - either through the direction or the characters in the
story being told. So in that respect I
fully welcome feminist perspectives in cinema, not to mention feminist
critiques of films. The Superhero genre
is ripe for feminist critique, especially as there have been so many portrayals
of female characters (including Superheroes) that at which accusations of
misogyny and sexism can be fairly placed.
So when I write this I'm not coming from a place where I am hostile to
this sort of criticism (sadly, there are a lot of men who are). But the level of criticism being aimed at Whedon (to the point where death threats have been made) is, on a personal
level, absolutely absurd. He apparently
needs to learn how to write 'strong female characters'.
Really, Joss Whedon needs to learn how to write strong
female characters? Joss Whedon, who
brought the world Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the several strong female
characters in that series? Who wrote at
least 3 strong female characters in 'Firefly'?
Who wrote 'Dollhouse', centred on a premise fronted by a strong, female
character? Who was writing a version of
Wonder Woman for Warner Bros (that sadly never saw the light of day)? Do you really think he's a misogynist??? As far as criticism goes, it is one of the
most flawed you will ever see - there is just no evidence to support it. Still, it hasn't stopped people jumping on the
bandwagon, and yesterday news broke that Whedon had quit Twitter. This has been seen as a victory for those
levelling criticism and abuse at him - but before they begin their victory
dance I'd just like to point out that Whedon had probably already planned to do
this; he has spoken recently about how exhausting the making of AoU was, and in interviews to promote it he has sounded very, very tired too. Now the film is out across the world (except
China), is doing massive business (still there are haters claiming the $191 million, second highest US opening of all-time, is a disaster. Yes, really.), and his promotional
commitments are done, it's hardly surprising that he is taking a break, is
shutting out the world, and is enjoying some rest and recuperation, probably
with his family and loved-ones. Who can
blame him? He has since confirmed the abuse isn't the reason, but he's doing it for some 'quiet' - I'd say he's earnt it!
I'll admit there are more substance to criticisms over
the portrayal of individual female characters in AoU; but do they hold up to
scrutiny? The biggest is over Natasha
'Black Widow' Romanoff (played by Scarlett Johansson), and it stems to a scene
(probably my favourite in the film) where she confides in Bruce 'Hulk' Banner
(Mark Ruffalo) that she was sterilised as part of her training to become a
Soviet assassin. So, the feminist
critique here stems to being fine with when she is snapping people's necks and
delivering barbed quips, but the admission regarding sterilisation amounts to
her saying 'I just want to have kids and be a stay at home mother'; and as Whedon
has put those words in to the character, he is therefore denigrating female
Superheroes and comic characters, by making them all disempowered women who
secretly just want to be housewives.
Yes, this particular scene and admission by the character takes place in
a bedroom with children's toys and drawings in, in a 'picture perfect' rural farmhouse, where lives another
female character who is a stay at home mother (apparently another negative
portrayal of a female character in this film).
I can't help but think people are putting 2 and 2
together, and getting 5 - they are misreading the situation, the context, and
above all the character herself. Is
Black Widow REALLY saying all she wants is to have kids and be a stay at home
Mom? Not necessarily. In the scene Banner and Natasha are opening
up to each other about the prospect of a normal relationship. Banner suggests he can never have a 'normal'
relationship - marriage, children, as per the setting for the scene - because
of the Hulk. Natasha reveals how she
can't have that either as she was sterilised.
It was literally taken from her by the people running the programme that
raised her, from childhood, to be a super-spy assassin. In my opinion this admission is not regret at
losing out on being a mother, it is that Romanoff has had the opportunity to
choose this taken from her. Surely, one
of the central aspects of feminism is choice - that a woman can choose her
level of education, her own career path, what she does with her own body in
terms of relationships and having children (or not). It's not totally clear from the films, but in
the comics she is taken in to the 'Black Widow' program as she was an orphaned,
effectively brain-washed in to being an assassin, and sterilised to ensure she
would always be compliant to her orders and mission. In this scene Whedon is spelling out the
connection she and Banner have within the Avengers - neither truly fit in as
archetypal 'Heroes' like Cap or Thor; in fact throughout the MCU films we learn
that Romanoff joined SHIELD, and in turn the Avengers, as she no longer wanted
to be an assassin and is seeking to atone for some of the terrible actions she
was ordered to carry out in the past.
Basically, this scene emphasises that as a child she had
the choice about what sort of life she could leave effectively taken from her. The sterilisation is part of that - her
sadness is not necessarily entirely due to her not being able to become a
mother, but is arguably that she had the ability to choose this taken from her. She has since chosen to turn her back on her
past, and has chosen to put her training and skills to better use protecting
people and taking on genuine baddies.
Where this issue is so strongly related to choice, I'm amazed that women
criticising this film have not been able to make the connection to, what would
seem to me anyway, is a key idea to feminism.
But what do I know - I'm just a guy, and I've never even read any
Germaine Greer. Perhaps then criticism
over making Hawkeye's wife a stay at home mother is valid.
I can sort of see the point. You add a new female character to this series
about superheroes, and just write her as a 'home-maker', who stays at home
while her husband is out 'saving the world' with the Avengers. On the other hand, is this jumping to conclusions
about her character? We don't know
anything about her other than she is Hawkeye's wife, and mother to his 2 (soon
to be 3) children; there is no suggestion about her past. How did she and Hawkeye meet? How did they fall in love? A single line confirms that they were
together before Hawkeye joined SHIELD.
Perhaps they both worked in the military; perhaps she was an
intelligence officer with ranking over him, and she sent him on missions, which
is how they met? Perhaps she was part of
a team of agents alongside him? Or
perhaps he just bumped in to her on his day-off, they hit it off and started
dating - which, *gasp* does happen in actual life..! Whatever has happened, at some point she has
made the choice (there we go, that word again...!) to stay at home and raise
their children. I think that people are
imprinting a negative feminist-based critique on the character just because of
the singular context she is presented in this film, and reading her as a
statement that "A WOMAN'S PLACE IS AT HOME, BIRTHING CHILDREN AND RAISING
THEM." I find it hard to believe
that a series which has kick-ass female super-assassins, female scientific genii, and
female corporate CEO's would actually be making that sweeping statement about
women. Yet, ironically, it's women
making a feminist reading of the film that are making this conclusion..! Yes, I guess we could know more about Laura,
Hawkeye's wife. But in a handful of
scenes, with a few lines, Whedon skilfully establishes that she is smart,
perceptive, and level-headed; in fact, her conversation with Hawkeye is fairly
pivotal in keeping him on the team, and in turn keeping the team together. Could she have done the same if she wasn't
'just' a stay-at-home mother? Yeah, she
probably could have. But bear in mind
also that Whedon wanted to make audiences think that Hawkeye could potentially die in this film, and he was gently satirising the way in which war films kill
off people who refer to their family or loved-ones back home.
So a deeper consideration of the context, characters and
story telling in this film, in my opinion, would indicate that the feminist
anger directed at this film is largely misjudged. There are further criticisms that simply
don't hold up, that Black Widow doesn't do enough ass-kicking or wise cracking
(err, sorry, but she knocks up quite the tally of Hydra henchmen, mercenaries,
and Ultron Drones, I think you'll find, and she delivers at least 3 witty lines
whilst she does so); and that Wanda 'Scarlett Witch' Maximoff (Elisabeth Olsen)
is portrayed as neither bad-ass nor wise-cracking enough (you obviously missed
the part where she's an angry opponent of the Avengers, so 'wise-cracking' her
way through that wouldn't have been appropriate; and you clearly missed the
moments where she decimates a load of Ultron Drones with her Telekinetic
powers. Oh, and the bit where she
literally tears out Ultron's heart in grief-filled rage; that's pretty bad-ass
if you ask me). To the women (and men) angry at
the way female characters are portrayed in this film, I recommend watching the
film again, bearing in mind my arguments, and see to what extent your
criticisms hold up; I'm not entirely sure they do. And to all the other Trolls who have jumped
on these criticisms as an excuse to tear down a man after he finally hit
mainstream success and respect with the first Avengers movie - I leave you with
James Gunn's words:
"Anger - especially aggressive and abusive anger - is a way to deal with feeling insecure, sad, hurt, vulnerable, powerless, fearful, or confused. Those feelings, for many of us, are a lot more difficult to deal with and acknowledge than anger. Anger makes us feel "right". And powerful. But it also usually exacerbates whatever the underlying, more uncomfortable feeling is... whatever these angry tweeters are in need of, I don't think it's more anger and more rage thrown back at them on Twitter. I actually think that's what they're seeking. But what they need is something different. Compassion, maybe? A kind request for boundaries? I don't know."
If you're angry, that's up to you - but find a cause that
deserves your anger; in the real world, not at fictional characters and those
that write them...
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