Mark Ruffalo: Black Widow toys needed

Despite being a character with the third highest amount of screentime in the first Avengers movie, and despite appearing in two different blockbuster sub-franchise films (Captain America: The Winter Soldier andIron Man 2), Black Widow has been conspicuously absent from merchandising lines, from toys to clothes to food products. Even Funko, which finally took advantage of its recent Age of Ultron line to showcase the usually forgotten Hawkeye, didn't bother with a new Black Widow. (Since its initial announcement, Funko has added a specific Avengers: Age of Ultron Black Widow, as well as Scarlet Witch.)

Fans have been vocal about the character's inclusion in marketing campaigns, but yesterday, the outcry was raised to another level when Mark Ruffalo tweeted out his own complaint.

Ruffalo has also retweeted some passionate responses from fans, who bring up the fact that the merchandising issue is a larger problem than just having their favorite character represented.

Disney recently released a statement that included a link to available Black Widow merchandise, with the promise of "even more products available for back to school and Halloween." But even with all that, the character is still widely underrepresented when it comes to the film's marketing. Dare we hope for any improvement by the time Avengers: Infinity Wars arrives? Or even the possibility of a Black Widow standalone movie? One can dream.