Saturday Night Live skewers the male-centric superhero genre

"Chill," commands Saturday Night Live's parody commercial for a Black Widow standalone film. "Marvel gets women."
Scarlett Johansson hosted Saturday Night Live this weekend, and she wasn't afraid to poke fun at the mishaps that occurred during the press junket for her new film, The Avengers: Age of Ultron. One such gaffe? In one interview, Johansson's co-stars Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner called her character, Black Widow, a "slut" and a "whore," for which they have since apologized.
Following the controversy, Saturday Night Live created a trailer focused on the idea that Black Widow's character is about more than her sexuality. Her standalone film — a rom-com — features Black Widow as a young woman struggling to make it in New York City, breaking heels on city streets and interning at a fashion publication. Unfortunately, Black Widow's sartorial success at her internship is quickly overshadowed by her romantic relationships — a thinly-veiled jab at her character's portrayal in the Avengers movies. Check out the faux trailer below. —Meghan DeMaria
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
Trump’s deportations are starting to impact how we eat
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The Department of Labor’s admission that immigration raids have affected America’s food supplies reopens a longstanding debate
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literature
Speed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Trump DOJ indicts New York AG Letitia James
Speed Read New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted as Trump’s Justice Department pursues charges against his political opponents
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literature
Speed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91
Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year