The latest Marvel film, Avengers: Age of Ultron, hits theaters May 1, and fans of the franchise are getting amped and purchasing Avengers merchandise. But they've noticed something problematic...
The only female in the sixsome — Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) — is absent from many items that feature the team.
Many people pointed out Black Widow's glaring absence on Twitter.
How many times does Black Widow/Scarlet Witch show up on #AgeOfUltron toys/kid swag? ZERO TIMES. http://t.co/fZfuN7oDiM
@MildlyAmused @adambvary she is also not there in any of the samsung themes of the avengers. #AgeOfUltron
Why does every Avengers Merchandise I find exclude Black Widow? #frustrated
This is a legitimate issue RT @OhNoSheTwitnt: In honor of Equal Pay Day maybe Disney should put Black Widow on ANY of Avengers merchandise.
No Black Widow merchandise in the @Disney store when looking at the @Avengers line - very disappointing @Marvel! Please sort this out!
At #target, no Black Widow merchandise. Big miss #marvel. Ladies and girls wanna play too.
Black Widow is absent from all Avengers merchandise here... what are you trying to say? #Marvel
So tired of seeing Avengers/Marvel merchandise and t-shirts that only have male characters on them. I want Black Widow!
Why is it that every time they release some Avengers movie merchandise. There’s never a Black Widow anywhere. That’s not cool.
And some noticed that Black Widow merchandise is geared toward women.
So not only is Black Widow missing from the new Avengers merchandise (LRT), shirts you can buy w/just her on it is only available for women.
Mothers took to Twitter to express how disappointed their daughters are over the limited Black Widow options.
@Marvel My daughters are still disappointed in the lack of #BlackWidow and #ScarletWitch merchandise for @Avengers #AgeOfUltron...
My daughters love The Avengers.Guess who is never on the merchandise? That's right, Black Widow. #IncludeTheGirls
Really, people were just straight up annoyed.
i wanna scream everytime back widow isn't on avengers merchandise
it's 2015 why are we still leaving black widow off avengers merchandise
However, a few were appreciative that Black Widow was included at all.
Thank you @Disney for finally including a superheroine in your merchandise! Yay Captain Marvel! #Carolcorps http://t.co/7cABJsotue
We thought it might never happen. Marvel Avengers merchandise WITH BLACK WIDOW INCLUDED. Finally! http://t.co/wKKdJiInCj
Though there is some Black Widow merchandise available on Marvel's own site, there are still a number of items that leave her out.
Disney and Marvel have been outspoken about working to ensure the second Avengers film had a variety of merchandise. "For the first film, we primarily focused on the Avengers property and the group shots," Paul Gitter, Disney Consumer Products' senior VP of Marvel Licensing, told Variety in March. "Now we're broadening the line and scope to create skews that focus on the team and the individuals characters, as well."
In August 2014, when Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was released, fans had difficulty finding merchandise featuring the female lead, Gamora. A hashtag — #whereisgamora — even started trending on Twitter. It was a particularly glaring omission, considering 44% of Galaxy's audience was female.
When reached, a representative for Disney directed BuzzFeed News to a press fact sheet about the Avengers product line. "Black Widow is featured across diverse product categories — from toys and apparel to costumes and collectibles," the representative said. "Specifically you will see multiple t-shirts for girls that feature Black Widow (available at Children's Place), a Black Widow Hot Wheels car, a role play costume and she is featured in Lego sets. I have also provided attachments which show some of the product slate for Black Widow and Scarlet Witch. The "Her Universe" fashion line also launched this morning connected to the movie."
UPDATE: Even The Hulk agrees:
.@Marvel we need more #BlackWidow merchandise for my daughters and nieces. Pretty please.