Update: Marvel still full of jackasses

io9 put together a very helpful summary of the main talking points surrounding the fan reaction to Joss Whedon's depiction of the Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It's a quick but comprehensive read, and will bring anyone up-to-date on the whole kerfluffle who doesn't want to wade through a million pages' worth of Internet commentary.

Personally, I can't believe people are so surprised by this. Remember Rogue from X-Men: The Last Stand, risking everything for a "cure"? She just wanted to be loved, you guys! C'mon, Marvel's depiction of women has always been offensively outdated. Did anyone really think another film's worth of Whedon's trademark quippy but fundamentally meaningless one-liners would fix anything?