Black Widow: Stephen Dorff Responds To Controversy Surrounding Scarlett Johansson Comments

Black Widow brought the MCU back into the movies, delivering a solid box-office opening as well as strong streaming numbers on Disney+ via Premier Access. As a result, the movie's impressive debut was enough to achieve a post-pandemic record. 

Directed by Cate Shortland, the film serves as both a prequel to Avengers: Infinity War and a proper send-off to Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff. While this is a unique take on Romanoff's MCU story, many would agree that Black Widow proved to be an important part of the Avenger's character arc in the interconnected narrative of the franchise, giving more meaning to her previous superhero outings. 

In the weeks leading to the film's premiere, anticipation was high for its debut, especially considering the fact that this was Marvel Studios' first film after 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home. Despite the excitement from fans, there were still those who criticized the MCU prequel, and one of them was Stephen Dorff. 

Dorff, who portrayed Deacon Frost in 1998's Blade, blasted Black Widow with a plethora of negative comments in a published interview from The Independent. The True Detective actor compared the MCU solo film to a "bad video game" while also expressing embarrassment towards Johansson: 

“I still hunt out the good sh*t because I don’t want to be in Black Widow. It looks like garbage to me. It looks like a bad video game. I’m embarrassed for those people. I’m embarrassed for Scarlett! I’m sure she got paid five, seven million bucks, but I’m embarrassed for her. I don’t want to be in those movies. I really don’t. I’ll find that kid director that’s gonna be the next Kubrick and I’ll act for him instead.”

Now, it seems that Dorff has addressed his recent comments about Black Widow in a brand-new interview. 

STEPHEN DORFF ADDRESSES BLACK WIDOW COMMENTS

Marvel

After saying negative comments toward Black Widow and Scarlett Johansson, Stephen Dorff sat down with TMZ to backtrack on his remarks, admitting that those were "taken a little bit out of context:"

"Oh I love Scarlett [Johansson], I think that was taken a little bit out of context. She's a great actress."

The former Blade actor then continued by wishing Johansson the best, with him even admitting that he felt "bad about the comment" while also confirming that he still hasn't seen the movie:

Dorff: "I love Scarlett, I heard she's going to be a mom, so I wish her the best, she's an old friend of mine, so I felt bad about that comment."

Interviewer: "Have you seen the movie."

Dorff: "No... I think that guy in England got me at a time when I was just shit-talking a little bit and I felt a little bad by it, it happens sometimes."

AN MCU-FILLED CONTROVERSY

Despite the MCU's overwhelming popularity and positive reception from fans and critics, it's understandable that there are still individuals who openly criticize the interconnected superhero franchise.

Stephen Dorff's previous comments were clearly coming from an actor who didn't hold back about his opinions on the superhero genre, but his latest remarks suggest that he already regrets what he said.

Interestingly, Dorff mentioned in a previous interview with Entertainment Tonight that he "definitely would love to reinvent [Deacon Frost for the MCU] because that character's someone who really stands [the test of time]." This is in relation to his earlier comments about the fact that he doesn't want to be part of superhero movies. 

Based on what's been revealed so far, it looks like the actor's previous remarks were based on his impression of Black Widow's trailer considering that Dorff only recently admitted that he still hadn't seen the movie. 

Despite that, this could be the actor's way of taking responsibility for his bad comments, and taking them back is the best route to go. Johansson has yet to address this issue, but many would agree that staying silent is the best option, especially now that her performance in the film is being praised by fans and critics. 

This isn't the first time that other well-known figures have criticized the MCU. Back in 2019, award-winning director Martin Scorcese slammed Marvel movies by saying that they are "not cinema," but it didn't take long for MCU stars and directors to defend the movie franchise.  

Black Widow is now streaming on Disney+ via Premier Access and in theaters worldwide.