Black Widows journey throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe is essentially a prime example of the how it started versus how its going meme.

When we first met the character in 2010s Iron Man 2, she was little more than a form-fitting catsuit and a wig with an impressive arsenal of martial arts moves. Now, more than a decade later, the Avenger is at the center of her own stand-alone film due largely to how Scarlett Johansson has invested in her on-screen alter egos humanity.

In a group interview published this week by Hello Beautiful , the actor candidly reflected on the sexist origins of Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff, who she said was treated like a possession in her earliest iteration.

You look back at Iron Man 2 and while it was really fun and had a lot of great moments in it, the character is so sexualized, she said. Really talked about like shes a piece of something, like a possession or a thing or whatever like a piece of ass, really.

In her first scene in the franchise , Johanssons character goes undercover as a personal assistant to Tony Stark, who openly ogles her, prompting Gwyneth Paltrows Pepper Potts to liken her to a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit in the making. After browsing through photos of Johansson in lingerie, Stark then tells Potts, I want one.

At one point [Tony Stark] calls her a piece of meat and maybe at that time that actually felt like a compliment, Johansson continued. Because my thinking was different. ... My own self-worth was probably measured against that type of comment.

Johansson believes Black Widows evolution in later films is due to the move away from the kind of hyper-sexualization, allowing the creative team to surface a multidimensional version of the comic book character.

And while her sexuality is still a part of what makes Widow tick, Johansson now believes instead that her strength was actually her vulnerability.

Young girls are getting a much more positive message, but its been incredible to be a part of that shift and be able to come out the other side and be a part of that old story, but also progress, she added.

The upcoming Black Widow film, which takes place before the events of Avengers: Endgame and explores the characters mysterious origins, also arrives at a turning point for Johansson off-screen.

Im a mom and my life is different, she said. Obviously, 10 years have passed and things have happened and I have a much different, more evolved understanding of myself. As a woman, Im in a different place in my life, you know? And I felt more forgiving of myself, as a woman, and not sometimes probably not enough. Im more accepting of myself.

Directed by Cate Shortland and co-starring Florence Pugh as a potential Black Widow replacement , the film is finally set to simultaneously hit theaters and debut on Disney+ via Premier Access on July 9, 2021, after multiple COVID-19-related delays.