Scarlett Johansson has been navigating how the character of Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow) is sexualized since taking on the role in Marvel’s 2010 blockbuster “Iron Man 2.”

While Romanoff has long been a fan favorite Avenger and is now slated to (finally) star in her own standalone film, Johansson believes her portrayal in 2010’s Iron Man 2 fell short.

“While [the film] was really fun and had a lot of great moments in it, the character is so sexualized, you know?” Johansson said. “[She is] really talked about like she’s a piece of something, like a possession or a thing or whatever – like a piece of ass, really.”

“Maybe at that time that actually felt like a compliment. You know what I mean?” she added. “Because my thinking was different … My own self-worth was probably measured against that type of comment [but], like a lot of young women, you come into your own and you understand your own self-worth.”

For almost a decade, the 36-year-old actor has played Romanoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

She is pleased to see that the character’s “hyper-sexualized” tone has finally vanished.

“Now people, young girls, are getting a much more positive message, but it’s been incredible to be a part of that shift and be able to come out the other side and be a part of that old story, but also progress.”

“It has definitely changed, and I think part of that change… is actually from me,” Johansson, 36, told Hello Beautiful.

“I’m a mom, and my life is different,” she explained, referring to her 6-year-old daughter Rose, whom she has with her ex-husband Romain Dauriac. “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.”

In one scene, an undercover Natasha spars with Tony’s assistant/bodyguard Happy (Jon Favreau) in a boxing ring and swiftly knocks him out. She then requests Tony’s fingerprint on a paper. As Tony watches her go away, he says to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), “I want one,” to which Pepper responds, “No.”

Johansson is alluding to the final sentence of the sequence in “Iron Man 2” where Stark first meets Romanoff.

Stark begins the scenario by asking Romanoff, “What’s your name, lady?” And then he invites her to enter the boxing ring where he’s sparring with Happy (Jon Favreau, who also directed the film) so he can check her out.

Johansson believes that the release of Black Widow, which was postponed from last year due to the current coronavirus epidemic, is perfect for now.

It was scheduled to be released in May 2020, but owing to the pandemic, the film was repeatedly delayed — and it will finally be released on July 7, 2021.

It will be released concurrently in select theaters and on Disney Plus, where it will be available for a cost.

Johansson’s role was introduced in “Iron Man 2” as “eye candy” for Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Hired as his personal secretary, the actress portrays Romanoff as flirtatious, however it is revealed later in the film that this was all a ruse to get closer to Stark, since she was put there by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).