'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' Cast Discuss Importance Of Female Marvel Heroes In New Video Clip

Marvel comic books have always been a place for female action heroes to shine, and its film properties are no different. In a new behind-the-scenes clip from “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the two leading ladies discuss what makes their characters important.

Perhaps the most popular female action hero is Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). Since her first appearance as the hardcore S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in “Iron Man 2,” the actress has fans holding onto a hope that they’ll see a standalone movie that explored the origins of Natasha Romanoff. While it’s unlikely that Marvel will abridge its Phase 3 movie plans to include a Black Widow feature, “Age of Ultron” director Joss Whedon is expanding her role in the upcoming film.

As previously reported, the sequel will dive into the character’s origins a little bit as a new threat forces the team to revisit their past. A trailer for the film shows a young Romanoff being experimented on in some kind of twisted lab environment. While it’s not the movie fans wanted, it will certainly cover the origin story that’s been looming in the background all these years.

“She’s always been spying, she’s always been very closed and we get to see a little bit of what’s behind that,” the director says in the video below.

Despite the great strides he’s taken in showing more Black Widow in the upcoming film, it was important to him to also introduce a new female hero into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well. This is where Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) comes in.

Only a small amount of information is known about the character, and her brother Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). However, E! Online shared some exclusive details with the premiere of the video that confirms Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Krestschmann), the Hydra villain form the post-credits scene in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” endowed the twins with their powers by experimenting on them with Loki’s magical staff from the first “Avengers.”

Still, that doesn’t mean that Scarlet Witch won’t have agency over her own decisions. The movie opens with the twins displaced from their war-torn homeland. They somehow encounter Ultron (James Spader) and allow their hate for the Avengers to manifest into being his evil henchmen. Luckily, they eventually side with the heroes and help take the evil robot down. This means that fans can look forward to a delightfully complicated origin story from these bold new characters.

"Joss was really interested in creating another female character that was strong," Olsen says. "Through Scarlet Witch and Black Widow, we're broadening the world."

Check out the video below to check out some exclusive new footage from “Avengers: Age of Ultron” before it hits theaters on May 1.