A new female Jewish superhero is coming
Anew leading woman is about to get her own superhero film. The character is much darker than Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman but also happens to be played by a badass Jewish actress.
Scarlett Johansson has already appeared in multiple Marvel feature films as Black Widow, also known as Natasha Romanoff. On Thursday, it was widely reported that Marvel Studios had hired a female screenwriter, Jac Schaeffer, to pen Black Widow, the character’s first solo feature film. Johansson will reprise her role as the mysterious Russian assassin in the movie.
While the hiring of a writer doesn’t mean a film is guaranteed, it shows that the studio is finally moving forward with the project, which has been talked about for years.
Black Widow first appeared in Iron Man 2 and since then has appeared in both Avengers films, as well as Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. We’ll get to see her again later this year in Avengers: Infinity War, which is rumored to be the last time that the current Avengers crew will be seen together.
In the Marvel universe, the Romanoff character was trained as a young girl by the KGB, and her prowess as an expert assassin earned her the Black Widow moniker. She later defected from Russia to become a member of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, a secret American espionage and counter-terrorism agency.
The Black Widow often seems emotionless, probably because she was sterilized by the KGB. Still, although she is ruthless, she is incredibly loyal. She is serious, yet has a sarcastic sense of humor. In a sense, she is the anti-Wonder Woman.
Black Widow won’t be the next female superhero film – Brie Larson is set to star in Captain Marvel, which is slated to be released in 2019.
While Gadot was relatively unheard of before her breakout role, Johansson is already about as big a movie star as there is. The actress (who recently learned about her Jewish ancestry on “Finding Your Roots”) has appeared in everything from indie romantic comedies to sci-fi action blockbusters and is one of the highest-grossing actresses of all time.
Nevertheless, it will be fun to see another Jewish star fighting evil on the big screen. (JTA)