The clamoring for Marvel to finally get off their butts and have a female-led solo franchise seems to be at an all-time high. I say "seems" because the Internet is pretty hard to gauge when it comes to things like this. Often times fans get into an uproar over something they supposedly want, then fail to support it once it's been made available, and that's especially true when it comes to comic book or pop culture-based movies. But with everyone from Joss Whedon to Marvel's Kevin Feige saying a female-driven film should and will happen eventually, that only makes the crowd get more vocal. So what about when Marvel's golden boy Robert Downey Jr. calls for a Black Widow movie? Will that be the push it needs to finally happen?
In a conversation with USA Today, Downey expressed his support for a Black Widow movie starring his Iron Man 2 and The Avengers co-star Scarlett Johannson. But, in typical Downey fashion he took this as an opportunity to get all of his buddies a little extra cashola in their pockets...
RDJ: "Look, I think that the interesting thing particularly after 'Guardians' with Zoe (Saldana), (or) even from the first Iron Man where Pepper was kind of this really – to me the Iron Man franchise would never have taken off without (Gwyneth) Paltrow. There's something about her that grounded the story. She's not your typical lady in a superhero movie, and then by Iron Man 3 she's swallowing serums and putting on suits and kicking (butt) and all that stuff.
Downey has stood up for his Avengers co-stars in the past in an effort to make sure Marvel doesn't short change them contractually. And here he takes a shot at getting everybody their own solo franchise to play around in, including guys like Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner...
RDJ: "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 funny thing is honestly at this point everyone deserves a franchise. I think Jeremy Renner is - when folks see the Avengers: Age of Ultron he's just a rockstar, a badass. And Ruffalo is pumped. He does great (work). I'd like to hear them talk even more seriously about a Hulk franchise, because that's been one of the toughest ones to get right. But I'm sure that my parent company is feeling expansive and and bold after the summer they've had."
There have been rumblings of a Black Widow movie ever since her appearance in Iron Man 2, but the winds seem to be blowing in the direction of a Captain Marvel film happening first. Widow has probably had more exposure than any other Avenger after she played a major part in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. She's certainly popular enough and chances are she will get her own movie at some point. The same probably goes for the Hulk, but not so sure about Hawkeye.
