Chapter 569: Easter Egg

"Compared to the female vampire in Underworld, my character is still considered somewhat normal."

Having finished her makeup, Scarlett Johansson stood beside Duke and watched the other departments test their equipment. Her old habit of being a chatterbox seemed to be rearing its head. "Selene is almost a thousand years old, but Natasha Romanoff isn't even a hundred yet."

She pulled a long face and asked Duke, "Why did you have to make my character so old?"

Duke couldn't be bothered to entertain her and didn't even turn his head.

"Are female characters like Selene popular right now?" Scarlett seemed to be talking to herself, though her voice was just loud enough for Duke to hear. "Selene takes the cold, glamorous route, which is completely different from Natasha Romanoff's style."

"You're right," Duke finally said. "Natasha Romanoff and Selene are two entirely different types of characters."

Perhaps picking up on Duke's serious tone, Scarlett Johansson shifted to a professional attitude. "My character is a master of close-quarters combat..."

"Not entirely, Scar." Duke was genuinely discussing the role with her. "Natasha Romanoff isn't just a close-quarters combat expert; she's an expert at killing. She underwent rigorous training in the Soviet Union and learned nothing but lethal offensive techniques. She even fought alongside Captain America on the battlefields of World War II, witnessing more than enough cruelty and bloodshed..."

Unlike the Agent Natasha Romanoff he remembered, Duke had adopted the comic book description for her character background.

Just like Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff had been experimented on by the Soviet Union and Hydra, making her an ageless monster.

Of course, Duke still kept certain crowd-pleasing elements, such as Natasha Romanoff flirting with many of the upcoming superheroes.

However, this female agent would stick to one basic principle—romance was a game for children—so there wouldn't be any painfully melodramatic love scenes.

There was still some time before shooting started, so Scarlett stood by Duke's side, discussing the character and the film with him.

Duke gave her his direct requirements. "Scar, your character is just as lethal as her nickname."

"Are you sure a female character like this will be popular?"

Hearing Scarlett's question, Duke replied simply, "Who doesn't like seeing a beautiful, sexy woman in an action scene?"

"True. Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider and Kate Beckinsale's Underworld both got decent receptions." Scarlett seemed to think of something and added, "I heard DC Comics and Warner Brothers are also interested in making a live-action Wonder Woman movie."

"Not anytime soon." Duke shook his head. "I shot the idea down."

Scarlett knew how much influence Duke had over the DC Comics film franchise, prompting her to ask in confusion, "Why?"

"Because Anna Printz is different from Laura Croft, Selene, and Natasha Romanoff. The feminist overtones of her character are far too strong."

At this point, Duke offered a brief explanation. "Why did Anna Printz become the most famous female superhero? It isn't just because she debuted early, but also because of the indelible feminist label attached to her."

"But her comics are very popular," Scarlett chimed in.

Duke crossed his arms over his chest, continuing his explanation. "Comics and movies are completely different mediums. The latter delivers a much more direct and impactful experience. Even though the female audience is growing—and can account for around sixty percent of the market share for some romances or light comedies—the sheer scale of investment in a superhero movie dictates that female viewers alone cannot support the market."

"How to handle Anna Printz's feminist ideals and rhetoric will be a massive problem," Duke added. "If we stick close to the comic's setting, we will inevitably lose a lot of male viewers. But if we abandon the feminist tones, the comic fans and those feminist organizations will likely cause a lot of trouble."

"Are we just giving up on a Wonder Woman movie?" Scarlett seemed a little disappointed.

Duke shook his head. "It's not about giving up; the timing just isn't right yet. There will be an opportunity in the future."

Movies were deeply influenced by the social climate. With the continued rise of the feminist movement, feminist films that were currently unpopular in the mainstream market were bound to see a shift in the future.

Strictly speaking, out of the Justice Big Three, Wonder Woman was indeed the hardest to film—even more difficult than Superman. Anna Printz's demigod status would immediately affect audience immersion, and her various ideas and rhetoric about being superior to men directly conflicted with the current patriarchal society.

"We're ready."

The assistant director's notification interrupted Duke's thoughts. He nodded at Scarlett Johansson and walked back behind the director's monitor.

Dressed in her tight agent suit, Scarlett Johansson found action choreographer Jimmy Carter, who was primarily responsible for the upcoming action sequences.

This segment of the shoot wasn't complicated. It covered the final battle, where Agent Coulson tried to lead his men to arrest Obadiah Stane, only to be ambushed by the Iron Monger. After Iron Man arrived to provide support, they were surrounded by Stane's mercenary team. Natasha Romanoff, who had been deep undercover at Stark Company, arrived just in time. Using close-quarters combat, she slaughtered and routed the mercenaries, rescuing Pepper Potts and Agent Coulson.

Filming began shortly after. Like all action scenes, Natasha Romanoff's combat sequence was broken down into countless fragments. The longest takes were no more than a dozen seconds, while the shortest lasted barely over a second. Aside from the actors' prior training and rehearsals, the action scenes in the film relied heavily on post-production editing.

Whether it was Hong Kong cinema or Hollywood blockbusters, action scenes without proper editing looked horribly fake.

Jimmy Carter had secretly studied under Yuen Woo-ping, incorporating certain Hong Kong action elements into modern combat. After honing his craft across several films, his style had gradually matured. Combining traits from the comics, he had tailor-made a series of fierce and direct fighting techniques specifically for Scarlett.

There was nothing flashy about Natasha Romanoff's action scenes; every strike was meant to kill the enemy. All the gear she carried consisted of lethal weapons meticulously crafted by the props department for close-quarters combat.

Logically speaking, this style of fighting wouldn't look good on camera without the hardcore aesthetic of spraying blood. However, it was absolutely impossible for this film to feature excessive gore; otherwise, its PG-13 rating would definitely be ruined. If the movie was R-rated, they would lose a massive portion of their teenage audience.

Yet, when the day's shoot wrapped up and Duke did a rough cut of the footage, he found that Natasha Romanoff's action scenes were just as captivating as he had expected. If she didn't have so little screen time, she might have even stolen the spotlight from the protagonist, Tony Stark.

The reason was incredibly simple. Those fierce combat techniques looked basic and didn't seem particularly entertaining to watch, but when the person executing them was Scarlett Johansson, everything changed.

A beautiful, sexy woman weaving through enemies several times her number, attacking with ruthless efficiency—how could that not be a feast for the eyes?

In Duke's eyes, Scarlett Johansson was more than enough to give many hormone-driven teenagers a massive nosebleed.

Of course, only a tiny fraction of these action scenes were actually performed by Scarlett herself.

In fact, telling them apart was easy: every shot with a clear facial close-up was done by Scarlett Johansson, while any shots from the back, from the side, or with long hair obscuring the face were entirely handled by two stunt doubles.

Furthermore, one of the two doubles was actually a man whose back closely resembled Scarlett's, specifically tasked with performing the exceptionally difficult stunts.

When the film hit theaters, the male viewers drooling over Scarlett Johansson's sexy back would never imagine that the object of their fantasies in that moment was actually a man.

But that was cinema; that was the magical effect movies brought to life.

Despite months of pre-production prep, Scarlett's screen time wasn't very extensive. This movie was called Iron Man, not Black Widow; she was merely one of the key figures connecting the Avengers together.

Among the characters appearing in this installment—aside from Natasha Romanoff, Agent Coulson, and their superior Nick Fury—Tony Stark's dialogue would also bring up some of his father's past. For instance, how Howard Stark had not only fought alongside Steve Rogers but was also good friends with him...

However, this was just the beginning of a massive franchise. Many things were only briefly mentioned without much elaboration, as an entire series of films would follow.

After about ten days of filming, Scarlett Johansson's scenes gradually came to an end.

The set was pitch-black, with only the faint pre-dawn light filtering through the windows. Scarlett Johansson stood beside Samuel Jackson, who was dressed in his one-eyed director costume.

"Mr. Stark, do you think you are the only superhero in the world?"

Faced with his question, Robert Downey Jr. turned his eyes toward Scarlett Johansson. "I never thought that. Isn't there a female superhero standing right next to you?"

He switched to a somewhat angry expression. "Why did you go undercover at my company? Who exactly are you?"

"I am someone you can trust." Scarlett Johansson looked straight at him, as if trying to find the shadow of a certain someone, but ultimately gave up and said, "I fought alongside your father, Howard Stark, and Captain America, Steve Rogers..."

"How is that possible?" Tony Stark was somewhat surprised.

Scarlett handed him a few photographs, which showed a giant green brute going berserk on an ice field. "While tracking him down, we found a plane beneath the glacier. We need your help. We need you to wear your Iron Battle Suit, dive deep into the ice, and save your father's best friend!"

Without a doubt, this was the Easter egg Duke had prepared for the film.