Where are the Female Super heroes?

My husband is a huge Marvel fan so we see each and every new Marvel movie – usually on opening day and the new Avengers movie is no exception.  We watched Avengers Age of Ultron and thoroughly enjoyed the action-packed adventure.  

One of our favorite characters from the Avengers is Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson.  Her portrayal as a smart and fierce heroine is brilliant, and in Age of Ultron, Black Widow has some steamy scenes with Dr. Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk.  Age of Ultron also introduced several new characters, including the title character Ultron and a unique set of twins with special powers.  Although one of the twins, Quick Silver, does not survive, the remaining twin, the Scarlett Witch, plays a pivotal role in the successful defeat of the bad guy. 

Just a few days after the release of the movie, Avengers toys and promotional materials began to flood stores everywhere, but I was incredibly surprised and disheartened when I saw a Target ad for a set of Avenger toys that only included the male characters Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and the Hulk.

I am so disappointed in the decision to exclude Black Widow and Scarlett Witch from the collection, not only would girls like to be represented by these strong female characters, but they were central to the story.  The female characters are on all the promotional material along with the male characters and I am sure little boys would like them just as much as little girls. 

As a mother of two daughters, I am unhappy with the message that Target is sending to young girls everywhere.  By not including these female characters, Target is placing less value on woman. Now, more than ever we need young woman who are strong and confident, women like the characters of Black Widow and Scarlett Witch, who will face their fears and confront the bad guy – and who triumph over evil.  We should all be celebrating characters like Black Widow and Scarlett Witch, not excluding them.