At the London premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy, Joss Whedon briefly spoke to HeyUGuys about finishing up work on Avengers: Age of Ultron and dropped quite an interesting tidbit that should get fans talking. When asked by the interviewer about the increased female presence in Age of Ultron, Whedon noted that everything is bigger this time around but revealed that he considers there to be four prominent female roles in the sequel.
So, that’s Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and…? The lame answer may be that Whedon will be featuring more of Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter/Agent 13 or Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, but I can’t help but remember those rumors that Carol Danvers, aka Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel, will be making an appearance in Age of Ultron. You’ve gotta give ’em hope, right? Whedon’s comment was as follows:
“There are four prominent female roles in the center of the movie, and I think [there] is a more balanced presence throughout the movie.”
Let the wild speculation begin. Is Whedon referring to an increased presence for Foster (who is rumored to have broken up with Thor following The Dark World) or Carter (whose aunt Peggy has a confirmed cameo)? Or is he teasing Ms. Marvel’s introduction somewhere in the middle of Age of Ultron? Another possibility is that actress Claudia Kim, playing a doctor friend of Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.), has more of a role than we’d previously thought.
While it would be very exciting to see Ms. Marvel pop up, part of me also hopes there isn’t another major female superhero in the mix this time around. Age of Ultron is said to be much darker and more complex than The Avengers, and I’d hate for an overload of characters to detract from the blockbuster’s emotional nuances.
Be sure to check out the whole HeyUGuys interview below for Whedon’s comments on sharing a cinematic universe with Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, how there are never enough roles for Nathan Fillion and even more.
Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st, 2015.
