Thoughts on relationships, female agency, and Ultron

[igrockspock]

Here is my non-spoilery preface: the only reason we have to debate Natasha's representation in Ultron so much is that she's the only female character in a lead role. This film gives us some awesome ladies around the periphery, like Laura, Maria Hill, and Dr. Cho. Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff is more fully developed, but Natasha is the only female

Comments

[hab318princess]

thanks for putting into words so well what I was feeling

She knows both his sides and wants to pursue a relationship anyway but she is also professional enough to sacrifice it for a greater good hoping he understands her reasoning

[_profiterole_]

I like your analysis. As much as Clint's wife & kids didn't really work for me, I think Bruce/Natasha was interesting. Okay, it came a bit out of nowhere, but it wasn't the most terrible idea either.

[azewewish]

I don't have much to add to this comment except I want to frame it and give it to every single person bemoaning how Natasha was "handled" in the film, because aside from the clunkiness of some of the dialogue, she was still fully herself and made her own decisions about what SHE wanted and she still remained the fully formed, complex person she was in the previous movies.

I just wish more people understood that wanting a sexual and/or romantic relationship with someone in no way reduces agency or self-worth or power.

[browngirl]

If I could change anything about how fandom reacts to female characters, I'd want people to stop automatically saying that a woman who wants a relationship is "reduced" to being a love interest.

So much fucking word.

would say more but icon.

[alphaflyer]

Agreed. If having a woman choose a potential partner amounts to a denial of agency, we might as well go back to arranged marriage.

Unfortunately, most discourse on the internet (especially on tumblr) seems incapable of handling more than one idea at a time, or seeing in colours other than black and white (and occasionally, red).