The lack of a “Black Widow” action figure inspires a super-mother to take gender justice into her own hands
When Marvel and Disney released their merchandise for The Avengers: Age of Ultron this spring, viewers noticed a painful discrepancy. Black Widow, the female action hero from the film, appeared to be missing from nearly all the film’s merchandise (except if you consider the all-important keychain). So Rebecca Millar, mother of a three-year-old girl, decided to take gender justice into her own hands (how very Black Widow of her). Instead of waiting for Marvel to release a doll, she went to the store, picked up the very best in craft supplies, and made her own.
This might seem like a small story, until you consider Marvel and the film industry’s glaring history of ignoring female action heroes (and all their wonderful potential for profit!) With the exception of The Hunger Games and a few token other films, female action heroes are hard to find, especially in the Marvel universe. Yet female viewers make up over 50 percent of viewers, which makes their conspicuous absence from hoodies everywhere all the more depressing. Yes, Black Widow appeared on mugs, but honestly—do people still care about mugs?
No word yet on whether Marvel will change its ways, but either way, this is a badass doll, made by a badass mom.
(Via HelloGiggles)
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