As with any good summer blockbuster, you're probably unable to walk into any sort of supermarket, big box store, or mall without running into at least five different Avengers: Age Of Ultron tie in products. Unfortunately, just like any other film of its stature, the toys aren't exactly accurate to the action in the film, as Black Widow has been replaced in a set based off of one of her biggest scenes.
The Mary Sue picked up on the following tweet an eagle eyed fan posted a couple of days ago. It contains the following content, which shows a toy ripped from the motorcycle chase scene in South Korea during Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Admittedly, the toy does look pretty cool from a toy standpoint. The Quinjet is boss as all hell, and Captain America on a motorcycle is always a welcome sight. Except, that's not how the scene played out in the movie. At all. Those of you who remember Avengers: Age Of Ultron well will remember that, as evidenced in the clip below, it was Black Widow who was riding that cycle in the film – Cap's shield in tow and all.
This is a confusing move for a couple of reasons, chiefly being that the right kids are going to definitely be asking the question that's been dominating the airwaves when it comes to the Black Widow merchandising snafu, "Where's Natasha?" In addition to the gender politics that are at play, there's the question of why toy merchandisers feel like they need to tweak something that seems action packed enough the way it was presented in the film. Let's be honest, if Black Widow was still on the motorcycle in the scene, you could sell a separate toy set that has Captain America where he belongs... fighting Ultron on top of a tractor trailer. Not only does this toy not accurately represent the film's actual content, it also messes with kids trying to re-enact the scene at home.
While toy manufacturers do have a history of making play sets and merchandise that features concepts not in the film they're marketing, this seems a little more off putting than including an amphibious Iron Man armor in a LEGO set for a scene that didn't include one. While some might argue that there are so many characters in Avengers: Age Of Ultron that it'd cost a small fortune to collect them all, you'd think that at the very least the core team would be represented in the big marketing push. Like it or not, Black Widow is part of that team, and Scarlett Johansson is popular enough that selling a toy with her likeness should be a no brainer.
Here's hoping that Captain America: Civil War fixes the mistake of its predecessor and issues some kick ass Black Widow gear in anticipation of the film's May 6, 2016 release date.
