After Avengers: Age of Ultron director Joss Whedon quit Twitter this week, many assumed it was because of backlash from feminists unhappy with the portrayal of Black Widow. Whedon said that wasn’t the reason – he wanted to concentrate on future work – but that didn’t stop Ultron star Mark Ruffalo from defending his director during a Reddit AMA on Wednesday.
“I think it’s sad. Because I know how Joss feels about women, and I know that he’s made it a point to create strong female characters,” Ruffalo wrote. “I think part of the problem is that people are frustrated that they want to see more women, doing more things, in superhero movies, and because we don’t have as many women as we should yet, they’re very, very sensitive to every single storyline that comes up right now. But I think what’s beautiful about what Joss did with Black Widow – I don’t think he makes her any weaker, he just brings this idea of love to a superhero, and I think that’s beautiful.”
Ruffalo added that Whedon was “an advocate for women” and “a deeply committed feminist.”
Read the full text of his answer below.
Key takeaway? Mark Ruffalo seems like a good dude.
This article first appeared from our partners at Entertainment Weekly.
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