Although the current MCU is full of strong female characters, things weren't great initially. During the first phase, there were just two female characters in the spotlight; Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders, and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow. But Elizabeth's Olsen entry into the MCU tipped the scales in favor of female representation. In an interview on Sirius XM, Johansson spoke about how Olsen's arrival changed everything: "It was so great when Lizzie came on because, you know, we had Colbie. It was basically the two of us kind of holding down the fort. And then when Lizzie came on it semi-balanced out."
She continued, "It was very heavy on the testosterone for a very long time, and now has, like, calibrated." Johansson also said that Olsen was a hilarious person with a great sense of humor. Similar to Paul Bettany, Johansson confirmed that Olsen was a total professional who got along with everybody and was just as much fun to be around off-screen as on.
Johansson also spoke highly of Olsen's acting abilities, sharing, "What she was doing was so hard. Even the physicality of what she was doing was so hard that I would work with her, and I was amazed at what she was creating out of nothing. ... Her character has such a sensuality to her, and she has such a passion... I was amazed by it. It put me to shame."
