black widow

Welcome to the latest episode of ComicsAlliance Presents “Kate or Die,” a series of exclusive comic strips created by one of our favorite cartoonists, Kate Leth! In this episode, Kate went to see Avengers: Age of Ultron, and she had some notes. Specifically, she wants to know what's going on with Scarlet Witch and Black Widow?

Find out how a woman born before the attack on Pearl Harbor can still look like Scarlett Johansson, what the bizarre fates of other women to bear the Black Widow name were, and just what David Bowie's ex-wife has to do with anything, as well as several other equally interesting facts.

Who is the greatest Avenger of all time? You probably have your personal favorites. You probably also have a pretty good idea who the popular favorites might be. We wanted to know for sure, so to mark the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron we conducted a giant-size poll to give you the chance to choose between more than 100 Avengers members, and rank them from least to best. Now the results are in. And we think there are a few surprises.

If Marvel won’t listen to the rest of us, then maybe they’ll listen to a valuable person on their payroll. Recently, we learned that Marvel and Disney’s officially-licensed Avengers: Age of Ultron merchandise featured very, very little in the way of Black Widow (options include a shopping bag), and absolutely no Scarlet Witch merchandise at all. Apparently fans weren’t the only ones bothered by this, as Avengers star Mark Ruffalo also has something to say about it. Hey Marvel, you don’t want to make him angry. You won’t like him when he’s angry.

By now, it's the "slut" heard 'round the geek world: during their press tour for Avengers: Age of Ultron, actors Jeremy Renner and Chris Evans referred to Black Widow respectively as a "slut" and a "whore." They've since apologized - well, Evans apologized, Renner offered something else. Plus, a new clip from the movie reveals a rape joke - something proud feminist Joss Whedon should know better than doing. But is the fuss about these things worthwhile? Well, yes. Words have meaning. And the words chosen by Renner, Evans, and Whedon in these situations happen to be words that demean women. When Black Widow is routinely left off of Age of Ultron merchandise, the fact that major players in the movie chose these words is extra uncomfortable.

As a tie-in to Avengers: Age of Ultron, Her Universe is collaborating with Marvel to create a line of Avengers-inspired apparel, available exclusively at Hot Topic. Designed by Amy Beth Christenson and Andrew MacLaine, the winners of Her Universe's "Geek Couture" Fashion Show at San Diego Comic-Con 2014, the capsule collection features bomber jackets, fit-and-flare dresses, and a jacket that resembles Black Widow's signature digs. Unlike the Avengers x Five Four Club menswear collection, the Her Universe x Marvel line opts for unabashedly bold motifs over subtlety, with over-sized Captain America shields and gold Loki silhouettes.

Here we go again. Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow was largely absent in the merchandise from the first Avengers film, and you would think that Disney might learn their lesson for Age of Ultron, but they sadly have not. Once again, the lady Avenger is suspiciously left out of the fun in Disney’s newest round of merchandise, featured on only three items. Sorry, boys and girls, but if you’re a Black Widow fan, you’ll just have to make your own action figure.

Imagine if you were stuck in this scenario: You want to attend Avengers: Age of Ultron on opening night, but you can't, because you don't have the appropriate skin-tight muscle shirt with the exact design of a member of the Avengers' chest to wear. Well don't worry, all you people who I'm sure are afflicted by that dilemma. Under Armour has got you with its new collection of Avengers-themed compression shirts, t-shirts, leggings and shorts. It's part of the brand's Alter Ego line, which also includes some DC Comics items.

Scarlett Johansson made an impressive, ass-kicking debut in Iron Man 2, but she really solidified herself as more than just a resourceful spy with amazing gymnastic skills in the first Avengers film. Since then, we’ve been dying for Black Widow to get her own solo movie, and as excited as we’ve all be for Marvel to make their female-centric superhero movie debut with Captain Marvel, it’s odd that the studio hasn’t announced a Black Widow film yet. According to Scarlett Johansson, it’s been a topic of conversation.

With Avengers: Age of Ultron just around the corner, interest in these heroes has never been greater, so we’ve decided to pit all the official comic book Avengers against each other in a battle for your affections. Who is the greatest, best, favorite Avenger of all time? Only you can decide. We’ve created voting groups that mix up different eras of Avengers membership. Group C includes the first lady of the movie team, Black Widow; comics founding member Hank Pym; a couple of Avengers you might usually think of as Defenders; and Darkhawk, the people's champion. The two or three most popular Avengers will go through from each group, so you’re encouraged to vote tactically.