Director Joss Whedon has deactivated his Twitter account following criticism by fans, saying he depicted Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow as a typical 'damsel in distress' in a few key scenes of "Avengers: Age of Ultron".
The filmmaker did not directly address the Black Widow backlash on Twitter before leaving the micro-blogging website.
He had been lauded earlier in his career for creating strong central roles for female characters in shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly", reported Digital Spy.
His departure created a wave of speculation on Twitter that he closed his account because of "death threats".
A search of tweets directed at him over the past week definitely turned up some deep ugliness, with some of the abusive users urging him to "die" or "commit suicide" over plot points they did not like in Age of Ultron.
The most abusive bullying came from viewers who objected to Black Widow's tentative relationship with The Hulk's Bruce Banner and another scene in which she was briefly captured by Ultron.
