Two of Marvel’s Avengers, Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner, have come under backlash for sexist comments against their female teammate, Scarlett Johansson’s character, Black Widow. In a video interview with Digital Spy, Renner called Black Widow a “slut” and Evans followed up with, “I was going to say something along that line… a complete whore.” Both actors’ representatives have issued apology statements.
The first question of the interview was about potential Black Widow ships in Avengers: The Age of Ultron. Many fans expected to see the character paired with either Captain America or Hawkeye, Evans’ and Renner’s characters, but trailers for the film indicate Black Widow will end up romantically involved with Bruce Banner, the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).
An apology released to USA Today by Renner’s representative says,
I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone. It was not meant to be serious in any way. Just poking fun during an exhausting and tedious press tour.
Evans’ representative released the following statement:
Yesterday we were asked about the rumors that Black Widow wanted to be in a relationship with both Hawkeye and Captain America. We answered in a juvenile and offensive way that rightfully angered some fans. I regret it and sincerely apologize.
This “juvenile” and “offensive” behavior comes after another Avengers-related interview hiccup regarding Robert Downey, Jr. and his past drug use.
[UPDATE by Alisha: Mentioned less frequently by media covering this story is Renner’s sour-grapes-toned follow-up remark dismissing Black Widow as “having a prosthetic leg anyway.” Forgotten even by us until @MCSerf pointed it out on Twitter (thanks!), this idea of defective or lessened personhood (in a superhero character! would anyone say it about Iron Man?) just makes this whole moment even worse — as does the lack of reference to it in most stories. We apologize for our own lack.]
