At the recent premiere of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY in London, James Gunn‘s buddy Joss Whedon was in attendance and naturally was asked all sorts of questions about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One question was directed at the unbalanced gender roles within the Marvel films and how that might change in AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. Whedon, who has been known to write strong women through his entire career gave the following answer.
“There are four prominent female roles in the center of the movie, and a more balanced presence throughout the movie. But, you know, the guys are all there. There are more of them too. Hopefully it was satisfy everybody. I’m not trying to fulfil an agenda, but I’m interested in men and women. I’m interested in grown-ups who act like children and dress like clowns and punch each other.”
Now, stick with me here, folks. Whedon indicated four prominent female roles. That can immediately discount Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter. While the actress confirmed she filmed a scene for AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, that would either be a flashback or dream sequence and not something I would consider prominent. Two of those characters would have to be Scarlett Johannson as Black Widow and Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch. That leaves two other prominent roles.
One could be Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill but aside from here, who else could be a prominent female character? We haven’t heard about whether Emily VanCamp would appear as Sharon Carter, but even that would likely have been announced. Hey U Guys then asked Whedon if maybe he had added Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel to the line-up without anyone knowing. This was Whedon’s reply.
“I like her too. That’s all I can say. I’m a fan of most Marvel comics. It’s like a disease. I can’t stop. “
While nowhere near an admission or confirmation, Whedon’s avoidance may mean that Ms. Marvel has a near future within Marvel’s big screen outings. Maybe we will find out soon one way or the other. But, if they do cast Carol Danvers for AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, who should play her?
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON opens everywhere on May 1, 2015.