Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner apologize for their derogatory Black Widow jokes

UPDATE: Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner have both issued statements regarding the below interview, expressing their regret for the comments made about Black Widow.

“Yesterday we were asked about the rumors that Black Widow wanted to be in a relationship with both Hawkeye and Captain America,” Evans said in a statement provided to EW. “We answered in a very juvenile and offensive way that rightfully angered some fans. I regret it and sincerely apologize.”

“I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone,” Renner also said in a statement provided to EW. “It was not meant to be serious in any way. Just poking fun during an exhausting and tedious press tour.”

EARLIER: Recent comments in an interview by The Avengers: Age of Ultron stars Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner have caused a backlash from fans.

During an interview with Digital Spy, Evans and Renner were asked about the fans’ shipping of different character pairs from the franchise, specifically Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow with Renner’s Hawkeye and Evans’ Captain America. And, with the news that Ultron may hint at a romance between Black Widow and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, the interviewer asked what the two actors think about the surprise couple in the film.

“She’s a slut,” Renner said, which caused the two to burst out in laughter as Evans chimed in with “a complete whore.”

The use of the derogatory slurs has drawn ire from fans online, while others defend the comments as merely being a joke intended to make light of the general audience’s willingness to pair Black Widow off with which male Avenger is convenient for the most current blockbuster’s plot.

Also coming under some criticism is Renner’s follow-up joke that “she has a prosthetic leg anyway.”

Watch the interview below, which kicks off with the exchange, before diving into an actual discussion about Ultron and the Marvel franchise as a whole.

Representatives for Renner and Evans did not immediately respond to a request for comment.