Scarlett Johansson says a Black Widow costume proposed by male writers was ‘quickly killed’

• Scarlett Johansson spoke to Fatherly about the evolution of Black Widow's costume.
• She said male writers came up with tennis whites and a blonde wig, which was "quickly killed."
• In June, Johansson spoke about how Black Widow was sexualized in her first few appearances.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

In a new interview, Scarlett Johansson revealed a costume idea for "Captain America: Winter Soldier" that was "quickly killed."

Johansson has played the role of Black Widow in eight movies, the last of which – the eponymous "Black Widow" – is being released in theatres and on Disney+ today. In the lead-up to the film's premiere, the Oscar winner spoke to Fatherly about her journey so far with the Black Widow character and the evolution of her look.

The 36-year-old actress shared a costume proposed by male writers for "Captain America: Winter Soldier" that was rejected.

She said: "When we were doing 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' – this is a really funny thing – the look is fantastic and utilitarian. She first drives up in this beautiful car and picks up Cap, and initially, in the script, it was like, she arrives in her tennis whites, with a blonde wig. It was very quickly killed."

Johansson explained that this was due to a "cultural shift" towards female characters. She said: "You work with a lot of male writers. Things were shifting. You have to be a part of the change. Audiences are also demanding stuff and there's a cultural shift and it feeds everything into a more progressive direction. It's been a process, it's been a process.

"After 'Iron Man' to going into 'Avengers,' there's been an evolution of her look. I think part of that is just gaining the trust of the executives at Marvel and kind of sitting in the character and just being able to make decisions for her. That really happened fairly early on."

In June, Johansson spoke about the sexualization of her character in a roundtable interview with multiple journalists. She said, "I mean, you look back at 'Iron Man 2' and while it was really fun and had a lot of great moments in it, the character is so sexualized, you know? Really talked about like she's a piece of something, like a possession or a thing or whatever - like a piece of ass, really."

In the interview published by Collider, the "Black Widow" star also explained how she has changed a lot since she first took the role. She added, "I'll be 35 years old and I'm a mom and my life is different. Obviously, 10 years have passed and things have happened and I have a much different, more evolved understanding of myself. As a woman, I'm in a different place in my life, you know?"

Due to her character's death in "Avengers: Endgame," it is likely that "Black Widow" will be Johansson last film to play the character. However, Marvel Studios chief did not rule out Johansson's return telling The Hollywood Reporter, "Maybe there will be more down the road' - (is the answer) comics have taught us."