Scarlett reacts to Angelina, Salma and other women joining MCU

Scarlett Johansson arrives on stage for the Marvel panel in Hall H of the Convention Center during Comic-Con in San Diego, California. Pic/AFP

Washington D.C.: There was a time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) when the only female superhero was Black Widow, played by actor Scarlett Johansson. Cut to 'Avengers: Endgame' era, where a number of women heroes helped in defeating the ultimate villain, Thanos.

Following the huge successes of recent women superhero-centric films like 'Wonder Woman' (2017) and 'Captain Marvel', the MCU announced a couple of female superhero flicks during Marvel Studios' panel at the San Diego Comic-Con 2019, reported E! News.

Speaking on 'Black Widow', which is currently in the works, Johansson said, "I'm very excited about it, and I have to say, I was nervous coming here because we're in the middle of shooting right now, so it's not a time that you could ever share anything with anybody on any side of the movie, particularly in this universe, where everything is just so huge and the pressure's on. But I'm really, really proud of what we showed today."

Cate Shortland is directing the upcoming film, which also stars 'Stranger Things' fame David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O-T Fagbenle, and Rachel Weisz. The new film is set before the first 'Avengers' film and offers insights into Johansson's character Natasha Romanoff's past in Budapest.

'Black Widow' is part of Marvel's new slate of films, where the girl power is strong. Angelina Jolie made a surprise appearance at Marvel Studio's Comic-Con panel to confirm that she has joined the MCU, and will star in the studio's upcoming film 'The Eternals', co-starring Salma Hayek.

Additionally, it was revealed that Natalie Portman, who played Thor's love interest Jane Foster in the first two 'Thor' films, will star as a female Thor in the upcoming fourth film, 'Thor: Love and Thunder'. The movie will also see the return of Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, confirmed to be the MCU's first LGBTQ superhero.

While Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlett Witch will appear in 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'.

On being asked about the diversity when it came to female characters of the MCU, Johansson gushed, "It was amazing. I mean, there are a lot of women up there that I hugely admire--Angelina, Salma, Rachel, Tessa, Natalie."

"It's bananas. I think it's very exciting. I think it grounds the presence of the MCU in a way. It's very exciting to see such a diverse group of people. It's awesome. And it's about time," she added.

The confirmed 'Black Widow film' and the addition of more female superheroes to the MCU follows the massive box office successes of Marvel's first female-led superhero film, 'Captain Marvel', which was released in March, and competitor DC Entertainment's 2017 film 'Wonder Woman'.

'Black Widow' is all set to hit the theatres on May 1, 2020.

Apart from 'Black Widow', Marvel also announced other films and series which include 'Loki', 'Falcon and the Winter Soldier', 'Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings', 'WandaVision', 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness', 'Thor: Love and Thunder', 'Hawkeye', 'What If...?', and 'Blade'.

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