Mark Ruffalo on feminists attacking Joss Whedon: ‘It hurts him’

Ruffalo made the defense during a Reddit “Ask Me Anything,” when he was asked about the recent controversy over Whedon’s portrayal of Black Widow in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

“I think it’s sad,” Ruffalo said. “Because I know how Joss feels about women, and I know that he’s made it a point to create strong female characters.”

The issue came to a boil on Monday when Whedon suddenly quit Twitter. For hours people (including this writer) wondered whether it was due to the criticism — and death threats — Whedon received over his new film. On Tuesday, Whedon brushed off the notion, calling it “horses–t,” before also calling out feminists for attacking other feminists.

Ruffalo described Whedon as a “deeply committed feminist,” and noted that he believes the anger has more to do with a lack of strong female superheroes.

“I think part of the problem is that people are frustrated that they want to see more women, doing more things, in superhero movies,” Ruffalo said, “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.”

Further, Ruffalo said that he believed the story arc of Black Widow in the new Avengers movie actually made her stronger than his own character.

“If anything, Black Widow is much stronger than Banner,” Ruffalo said. “She protects him. She does her job, and basically they begin to have a relationship as friends, and I think it’s a misplaced anger.”

Ruffalo, who himself has been hailed as a feminist, went on to describe just how dedicated to feminism Whedon is.

“So I know Joss really well. I know what his values are. And I think it’s sad, because in a lot of ways, there haven’t been as many champions in this universe as Joss is and will continue to be,” Ruffalo said. “And I know it hurts him. I know it’s heavy on him. And the guy’s one of the sweetest, best guys, and I know him — as far as any man can be a champion for women, he is that.”