The Black Widow Scene That Went Too Far

When Natasha was introduced in 2010's "Iron Man 2," she was little more than a sex object meant to serve primarily as set dressing. This trend continued for many of her early appearances in "The Avengers" and "Winter Soldier," and it's so disappointing that a full five years after her debut in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," she was still getting jokes at the expense of her body. 

During Ultron's first attack at the Avengers compound, there's massive gunfire with the Avengers ducking for cover. Bruce (Mark Ruffalo) and Natasha both head for the bar, ultimately resulting in Bruce landing on Natasha's breasts before picking his head up and saying, "Sorry," to which Natasha responds, "Don't turn green." It's disappointing to see Natasha continuing to be the butt of jokes, but perhaps it should come as no surprise, seeing as how the sequel was written and directed by recent Hollywood pariah Joss Whedon.

In recent years, numerous allegations have come to light of how Whedon treated the women working on his sets. His wife also came forward to accuse him of having multiple affairs, and his response to all of this in a Vulture piece didn't exactly help matters. The Black Widow joke in "Age of Ultron" is just one instance in a long history of Whedon mistreating female bodies in his work. It's all the more horrendous in hindsight when Whedon literally used the same exact joke in his cut of "Justice League" when Flash (Ezra Miller) falls on top of Wonder Woman's (Gal Gadot) breasts. It's safe to say this is one bit that deserves to remain in the dumpster of pop culture.