It's not surprising that Black Widow could be poised to be Marvel Studios' first R-rated superhero feature. But a rumored reason for why Black Widow will be the test case sets my teeth on edge.

"The fact is that trying to protect yourself from the internet and its depravity is basically a lost cause, for the most part."

Actress Scarlett Johansson will, reportedly, be paid $15 million for her upcoming 'Black Widow' movie, putting her on the same level as the Chrises of Marvel.

Peter Bart and Mike Fleming Jr. wrote about the dangers of removing Scarlett Johansson from Rub & Tug comparing it to the incident going on with James Gunn saying that the LGBTQ community " have made it nearly impossible to get made films like Brokeback Mountain and Dallas Buyers Club" made. Cool cool cool. Tell me more about how the gays ruined it for themselves.

After being dragged by every corner of the sensible internet, Scarlett Johansson has finally left the Rub & Tug film, in which she would have been portraying a trans man.

An article about Johansson's controversial casting by a conservative writer published on Business Insider was deleted—but the Internet never forgets.

City of stars: are you shining just for garbage people? As the #MeToo Movement continues calling out abuse in the industry, there are many actors who (by virtue of their fame, connections and box office draw) remain highly in demand.

Following the announcement that Scarlett Johansson would be playing Dante "Tex" Gill in a biopic about the trans man's life, the internet went into full #ScarlettJohanssonIsOverParty mode, and responded the only way it knows how: with memes and gifs and general mockery.

Scarlett Johansson says to contact the reps for Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman if you have a problem with her playing a trans role. As if we didn't already do that.

The Met Gala was filled with looks. Some amazingly iconic like Lena Waithe and with others ... an attempt was made. However, one of the most controversial dresses was worn by the Black Widow herself, Scarlett Johansson who arrived wearing a red Marchesa gown.

In the wake of Avengers: Infinity War's box office domination, Marvel finally seems ready to pull the trigger on Black Widow standalone feature. The studio has been interviewing female directors for the project, with Deniz Gamze Erguven (Mustang), Chloe Zhao (The Rider) and Amma Asante (A United Kingdom) are among the women considered, as areMaggie Betts (Novitiate) and Angela Robinson (Professor Marston and the Wonder Women)

Marvel keeps a tight lid on its secrets, but it seems like Captain America himself may have just let one slip. In a recent interview, Chris Evans was discussing the unstoppable nature of the Marvel machine in relation to Black Panther's success and future projects, and "Black Widow" was one of the names he casually rattled off.

Red Sparrows are "a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people ... to use their bodies and minds as weapons." As for Lawrence's character, Dominika Egorova, "After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow the program has ever produced."Gee, I wonder why so many people have been making connections to Black Widow?

According to reports that originated with the Daily Mail—so file them all into the "hm, maybe" pile—Scarlett Johansson has signed a $25 million contract for a Black Widow solo film that Marvel wants to release by 2020.

These speeches from Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg, Halsey, Scarlett Johansson, and Natalie Portman are an excellent reminder of everything we've gained by speaking out—and how much further we have to go to ensure those benefits reach every woman. 

Now that it seems like a "Black Widow" movie is more and more of a possibility rather than just the wish of female fans looking for some representation, Scarlett Johansson has been sharing her ideas on what that would look like.

Writer and producer Craig Kyle snapped a quick photo of the women of the MCU, reminding us that Marvel already has more than enough starpower on hand to tell female-led superhero stories. (So why won't they?)