The final trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron was released today, and, pardon me if I don't stand up — it's just that it's given me quite the lady boner for Scarlett Johansson. The rest of the movie looks great, and I can't wait to be charmed by Robert Downey Jr.'s personality, awestruck by Chris Hemsworth's rippling bod, and reminded of my lifelong crush on Mark Ruffalo by Mark Ruffalo's mere presence — but I think this Avengers: Age Of Ultron trailer has proved that real action star we should note is Scarlett Johansson. She plays Black Widow in the franchise, and has the dubious honor of being the only main character without her own stand-alone franchise, but I'm hoping things are about to change for her in that regard. There's always been this weird pushback from the studios as far as a female-driven superhero franchise, but every piece footage we see of Johansson nailing the action sequences and just being her badass, motorcycle-riding self makes that concept look more and more ridiculous.
Because if there's anything Johansson is proving right now, it's that she can take up this mantle. If you think about it, the only other woman in the industry who's ever been allowed to carry an action movie is Angelina Jolie, and she seems pretty set on directing and expanding her soccer team right now, so the position is very open.
And of course, I'm not saying that Johansson is the only woman who is capable of carrying a major superhero franchise — I'd love for there to be as many female-centric action movies as male ones. However, I think it's clear at this point that Johansson is the star poised to take the first step in tipping that balance closer to equilibrium: She more than proved herself in Lucy, which vastly outperformed expectations, grossing $458 million on a budget of $40 million, really putting herself on the map as a viable action star.
So with that success and the upcoming Avengers movie under her belt, I have my fingers crossed pretty tightly that Johansson will continue getting taken seriously in these ass-kicking roles, and many more beyond. (Or at least that Marvel will start giving her the promo she deserves for these movies instead of shunting her off to the background. The only people they're hurting is themselves!)
Avengers: Age of Ultron comes out May 1.
Image: Marvel