The latest MCU film, Black Widow, has been delayed from May to November of this year. Nevertheless, companies are proceeding to release merchandise for it now, six months before its scheduled release. Merchandise already started arriving for the film as early as January of this year, and it's about time. For almost a decade, Natasha Romanoff has not been getting the representation she deserves in the media and marketing, so this influx of Black Widow products couldn’t have arrived sooner.
Black Widow has been a prominent member of the MCU since her introduction in Iron Man 2 back in 2010. She has been featured in many MCU films, including all the Avengers movies and most of the Captain America ones. She has developed meaningful relationships with all of the original Avenger members, has one of the most complex backstories of the team and makes one the biggest sacrifices in the MCU.
That said, merchandise for the character has been considerably diminutive when compared to that of male superheroes. For example, when Avengers: Age of Ultron came out in 2015, the initial merchandise line featured 60 items, and Black Widow was only part of 4 them.
When it comes to toys, gender discrimination becomes blatant when one considers the ratio of male to female figurines. Black Widow’s prior lack of merchandise is likely the most glaring example of this in recent years. This upsetting trend doesn’t stop with action figures either.
Other Avengers tie-ins, such as backpacks and lunch-boxes, would simply leave the character out entirely. This sparked the #WhereIsBlackWidow movement on Twitter, with angry fans demanding that Black Widow get equal representation in merchandise, which is finally happening.
Black Widow’s long-awaited solo film is getting ample attention from different companies, and not just toy manufacturers. Seeing the potential to appeal to Black Widow’s female fans, other manufacturers, including ones in beauty industry, have used this as an opportunity to break into the lucrative world of Marvel. Ulta Beauty, Inc. is selling an eye shadow palette inspired by the film, with the shades carrying apropos names like “Heroic,” “Covert” and “Safehouse.” They’re also selling a Black Widow lip kit and a weekender bag, both of which are certain to appeal to any fans who enjoy dynamic makeup.
Her Universe, a fashion apparel line that specializes in designs for female identifying nerds, has also developed a special inventory in honor of the film. They’re currently selling jackets modeled off of Natasha's costumes, currently available in belted and puffer varieties. Both are super sleek and currently selling at discounted rates. They’ve even designed a dress that’s modeled off of Black Widow’s tactical outfit, but it's so popular that it is currently out of stock.
Black Widow is a big-budget Hollywood Blockbuster at the end of the day, so toy manufacturers are also getting plenty of traction here, especially as the trailers have made it clear that Natasha will be donning a few different outfits this time around. Hasbro has already released a toy line aligned with the movie, with figurines for the title character as well as the film’s other characters, including Florence Pugh's Yelena. Marvel Legends is also putting out a figure that has Black Widow in her white combat suit, and there is also the Funko Pops line, Nerf toys and Legos based off her film and currently available.
Not only was Black Widow’s prior uneven marketing history discriminatory, but it was also nonsensical. One would think that when children want to reenact scenes from the movies with their Avengers toys, they’d want the whole team there. Seeing that Natasha is the third-most featured character in the original Avengers film, her presence for such is needed to complete such a scenario. It’s a shame that it took so long for Black Widow to get as many endorsements as this, but it’s also reassuring to see that companies are now banking so much on her brand.
The trek to a Black Widow solo film was certainly longer and more frustrating than a lot of people would have hoped. Unfortunately, that wait will be even longer now, but at least fans can rest easier knowing they can still support the MCU’s most iconic heroine through this varied line of products.
Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, O-T Fagbenle as Rick Mason and Rachel Weisz. The film is scheduled for release on Nov. 6.