Throughout my childhood my mother traveled abroad a lot for work which meant my father was able to expose my brothers and I to superhero movies from a very young age. A particularly memorable moment of my childhood was when I saw Scarlett Johansson on screen as Black Widow in Iron Man II (2010). I looked at the screen and saw that there was a woman, a strong powerful woman, who like me, with at the time, curly red hair who managed to defeat the bad guys and save herself (Brave (2012), at that point wouldn’t be released for another four or five years).
After watching the movies, I started reading comic books, so when my mother returned, she was surprised to see me reading a Spider-Man comic book on the way to ballet class in my pink tutu, saying “I don’t understand why you like those, they’re violent, and they’re for boys.”
While my mother’s opinion did not deter me from reading comic books or attending the latest DC or Marvel movies, this stereotypical attitude of only men liking superheroes has problematically persisted. Interestingly, a study by Comics Beat in 2021 found 46.67 percent of superhero fans are women. This statistic proved what I already knew, a large number of women are superhero fans.
So why does the misconception about superheroes being gender specific to men prevail? To understand the gendering behind superheroes it is important to examine the male influenced history of female superheroes in comic books, and the perpetuation of sexism through superhero films, television shows, merchandise.
The primary reason superheroes are gendered to men, aside from the “violence,” is the fact that female characters are poorly portrayed, either as damsels in distress, or sexualized figures. This portrayal of women in comic books likely stems from the fact that all of their creators are male.
From the beginning, male artists at comic book companies like DC and Marvel’s effectively reinforced the sexist values that plagued society in the early nineteen-thirties when they were created. A perfect example of such a damsel comes from the very first Superman comic in which Lois Lane is featured not as a Whippersnap reporter, but a romantic interest for Superman to save.
Following World War II, comic book companies realized women were reading their comics in increasing numbers and created Wonder Woman. She was soon followed by heroes such as Batwoman, Jean Gray, Supergirl, and She-Hulk. These heroes could overcome almost any foe, except the one lurking off the pages: sexism.
Playing to male readers, male animators drew these women as scantily clad in overtly sexualized manners. Eventually, comics were filled with so many sexual images of women that they were known as “headlight comic books,” a crude reference to female anatomy.
According to a study by Jessica H. Zeller entitled, “Naked Ladies and Macho Men: A Feminist Content Analysis of A Burgeoning Graphic Novels Collection,” this practice continues, albeit slightly less, today. In Zeller’s study of comic books and graphic novels from a survey of superhero comic books women were portrayed as suggestively clad, or naked three times as much as men.
In addition, we can see further stereotypes in how the characters were named or invented. Many of the female superheroes such as Supergirl, Batgirl, or Spider-Girl would not have existed if not for the male characters they accompanied. Besides their diminutive names, they often, according to Superman himself in the first Supergirl comic, need to be “looked after.”
Female supervillains were even more sexualized. Infamous comic book villains like Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Mystique, and Black typically wore tight fitting clothes to emphasize their figure, and used their powers to seduce and manipulate men to get what they want, a stereotype long perpetuated in our culture, because of course all women are evil seductresses.
Women that often fall into the gray area between the two are often depicted as crazy and emotionally unstable. Scarlet Witch or Jean Grey are seen as “madwomen” when they grieve for a dead loved one.
These stereotypes carried over into adaptations of comic books into TV and film. Women continue to be portrayed as overtly sexualized, damsels in distress or female seductress. This likely spans from a lack of female input. Marvel and DC are two of the biggest superhero movie producers, but their film and comic divisions have never been managed in a major capacity by women, and it shows. However, this does not dismiss the fact that problematic storylines are included in movies, particularly when these studios have demonstrated an ability to change things in order to support male characters’ arcs.
Personally, I feel that Marvel missed out by having Thor kill Thanos in Avengers: Endgame (2019), instead of a comic book faithful adaptation in which Nebula delivers the final blow. Nebula, who was adopted by the cruel Thaos who abused her, kills him to avenge her sister Gamora’s death. It is a moving plot line demonstrating the bonds formed by sisterhood. It is far more nuanced than a drunken Thor walloping Thanos, but I suppose a nuanced female plot is a lot to ask of a movie.
Despite removing this feminist plotline, Marvel felt it should keep the “insanity” of Scarlet Witch as a plotline for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). It seems important to note that the movie was directed by Sam Raimi and written by Michael Waldro.
In the movie, The Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff has descended into a determination that turns dark and obsessive in a bid to get her children back, by jumping through multiverses and torturing dimensional jumper, America Chavez (who also gets a pretty rotten storyline spending much of the movie needing to be looked after by Dr. Strange).
As one of the only powerful female superheroes left in the Marvel Universe, I thought it might be beneficial to adapt the storyline. With the nuance found in WandaVision (2021), I had high hopes that the problematic plotline of a “madwoman,” would be changed, but I watched in dismay as one of the only remaining female avengers quickly became a 1500s stereotype. She is
seen as overly emotional, irrational, and crazy, things I hardly need to remind female readers we are often stereotyped as today. The movie could only be described as a slap in the face to female views. One would have thought that one of the most expensive movies ever might have been some redeemable qualities, but sadly MCU easter eggs and fan service doesn’t really make up for sexism.
Perhaps there is some hope in the fact that critics slammed the portrayal of Scarlet Witch in the press. Vulture’s Anjelica Jade Bastién called the movie “utterly sexist,” captioning a still from the movie, “Faced with infinite plot possibilities, Marvel couldn’t come up with a less sexist Wanda story line?” She further notes “Apparently Wanda — an immensely powerful witch who can bend reality — only aspires to be a mum… Olson is saddled with a character so thinly written as a crazy bitch, who can neither control her emotions nor her great powers, that of course her performance is half-hearted and tepid…Marvel is cunning in how it projects the appearance of meaningful representation in its stories, whether it be the totemic royalty of Black Panther (2018), or the glimmer of queer folks in Eternals (2021).
Another journalist, Jamie Weinmann, of The Toronto Star, suggested an alternative title, “The Scarlet Witch In The Multiverse Of Misogyny.” However, the most impactful review comes from Kylie Cyeung from Jezebel, who begs the question, “Why are we still being asked to see powerful men as heroes, and powerful women as scary? Why are female characters only likable when they’re struggling.” She identifies this as a troubling troupe in cinema, observing that women’s characterization “…changes entirely when they do obtain power; they become the villains, terrifying and ruthless, and are almost immediately, unceremoniously tossed aside as a result.” This particular critique is important because it seems to imply that powerful women have no place in the MCU, as once they get power they are quickly vilified. It makes one question what kind of message Marvel is trying to send to people, particularly little girls, and boys, when female characters with power are portrayed as crazy.
It is therefore relatively unsurprising that many of these male corporation heads seem to believe women do not deserve equal representation in the industry on and off screen. In fact, it is only within the past seven years that DC and Marvel have allowed women to lead and direct superhero movies. Former Marvel CEO, Ike Perlmutter claimed in leaked emails from 2015 that,
“female moves aren’t sustainable.” In his email, he proceeds to list three movies, the only three major studio superhero movies led by women, Catwoman (2004), Electra (2005) and Supergirl (1984), calling them “disasters.”
Perlmutter may have had a point back in 2015, as according to data by Rotten Tomatoes, it wasn’t until 2017’s Wonder Woman (2017) that a female superhero movie was successful. However, it is important to examine why previous female movies were unsuccessful, as to quote Forbes writer Scott Mendelson, is that, “often Hollywood sets up female superhero movies for failure.”
The previously mentioned Catwoman, which won numerous Razzie awards, is a perfect example of how a poorly financed and written superhero movie was set up for failure. Catwoman’s budget was two thirds of Batman Begins (2005), which was released the following year. The script was male-written and directed by unknowns. Halle Berry’s Catwoman was dressed in a costume made for nothing more than for sex-appeal, and the thrilling plot involved Selene Kyle being killed over face cream. How could the movie have possibly succeeded when it did not receive any of the resources a male led movie of the time would have?
This greatly contrasts with the cinematic success of DC’s 2017 Wonder Woman, which was well-financed and written. The movie was directed by Patty Jenkins and grossed $821.8 million against an estimated production budget of $120 million. Its success proved that female superhero movies can be profitable when they are directed and written correctly. In a typically male industry, the movie was groundbreaking on and offscreen, as Wonder Woman was directed and produced by a predominantly female creative team.
Marvel, having seen the proof of marketable superheroes, released Captain Marvel in 2019. However, Marvel, it seems, still felt a woman was unable to direct her own movie and had Anna Boden co-directed the film with Ryan Fleck. Perhaps this is why the movie could be described as 123 minutes and 31 seconds of pandering.
While Marvel has improved in terms of female led movies, it continues to struggle with representation, as there is a general lack of diversity in their films. Furthermore, many Marvel
movies lack a female creative team or diverse creative team, with only five of its projects being directed solely by women: Black Widow (2021), Loki (2021), WandaVision (2022), Eternals (2023), and She-Hulk (2022). The Marvels, which will be hitting theaters later in December, is also female directed. As of now Chloé Zhao, director of Eternals is the only woman of color to direct a Marvel movie. Similarly, DC has released films directed by and prominently featuring women like Birds of Prey (2020),, but has also canceled female led projects like Batgirl.
Despite the proven profitability of female led and directed cinema DC and Marvel still refuse to believe they are marketable, a fact recognized not only by fans but actors within the film franchises. Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo famously tweeted in 2015, “Marvel, we need more Black Widow merchandise for my daughters and niece.” Ruffalo isn’t wrong, as women are rarely featured in toy merchandise for these movies. According to an article by Wired.com, of the sixty items released to promote Avengers Age of Ultron (2015), Black Widow was featured in three, with Marvel going so far as to remove Black Widow from merchandise, replacing her character in Lego depicting her motorcycle chase with that of Captain America.
However, toy sales can also influence the movies themselves, as character’s gender can be determined by oy sales. According to Iron Man 3 (2013) director, Shane Black, “There was an early draft…where we had a female character who was the villain in the draft. We had finished the script and we were given a …memo saying that we cannot stand… because…that toy won’t sell as well if it’s a female.” So, it seems even toy sales aimed at boys have placed female superheroes on the outs, once again perpetuating the idea that women are second class superhero fans.
The perpetuation of these hurtful ideas about women has an impact, as exposure to stereotypes in television, comic books, and even toys have been proven to impact beliefs about gender roles, body esteem, and self-objectification. This means men marvel at women liking superheroes, because comic books, movies, and even Legos seem to attempt to erase or objectify women.
Women deserve to see themselves on screen as superheroes or even supervillains, but not as the oversexualized or stereotypical ways they can often be portrayed as. By removing the male gaze that often plagues the superhero industry, we can dismantle the notion that superheroes are only
for men. I want media, particularly of superheroes, that demonstrates that women and men are equally powerful. I want to see women as leads in superhero movies, and a greater number of female directors, actresses, and producers.
More than anything else, I want another little girl, maybe mine someday, to be able to watch a superhero movie and be inspired to be brave, courageous, and strong just like I was. And then, we can truly marvel at how far we have come.