Full Description
First appearing in Marvel Comics in the 1960s, Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, was introduced to movie audiences in Iron Man 2 (2010). Her character has grown in popularity with subsequent Marvel films, and fans have been vocal about wanting to see Black Widow in a titular role. Romanoff has potent appeal: a strong female character who is not defined by her looks or her romantic relationships, with the skill set of a veteran spy first for the KGB, then for S.H.I.E.L.D. This collection of new essays is the first to examine Black Widow and her development, from Cold War era comics to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Black Widow's Place in Marvel's Universes and Our Own (Sherry Ginn)
A "very specific skill set": Black Widow's Use of Language in The Avengers (Malgorzata Drewniok)
In Search of the Complete Female Character in Marvel's Cinematic Universe (Heather M. Porter)
Front and Center: Examining Black Widow Fanvids (Samira Nadkarni)
"Eyes front, Ivan!" The Comic Books' Journey through
deleteFashions and Men (Valerie Estelle Frankel)
Feminism in American Cinema: The Many Incarnations
deleteBlack Widow (Jillian Coleman Benjamin)
Red Rooms, Conditioning Chairs and Needles in the Brain:
deleteBrainwashing and Mind Control in the Whedon and Marvel Universes (Sherry Ginn)
Joss Whedon's Radical Icon of Third Wave Feminism
(Lewis Call)
Athena's Daughter: Black Widow's Impact Aesthetic (David Kociemba)
The Elusive Black Widow Film: Fan-Made Texts as Social Desire Paths (Tanya R. Cochran)
Videography
About the Contributors
Index
