In 2017, Wonder Woman marked the first movie in either of the two largest comic companies’ cinematic universes to feature a female character in the lead role. Before Wonder Woman, Marvel and DC’s movie studios had doubted the chance of success for a female-driven superhero film. But, the problem with previous attempts at female protagonists in superhero movies wasn’t a lack of viewers willing to see a female-led film: the movies were just terrible. Marvel’s Elektra, which was released in 2005 before their cinematic universe began, received horrible reviews with only a 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Similarly released before the current interconnected universes of movies existed, DC’s Catwoman starring Halle Berry got a dismal 9% rating.

So, why was Wonder Woman so successful?

One thing that set Wonder Woman apart from the other movies I mentioned was the popularity of its heroine. Elektra is not a Marvel character that many people know about now even after the movie came out and the character has been featured on Daredevil and The Defenders, two Netflix shows. While Catwoman was more familiar to audiences, she still did not reach Wonder Woman’s level of popularity. Wonder Woman has become a part of American pop culture since the character was first created in 1941, largely due to her 1970s TV show starring Lynda Carter as the titular character. Because Wonder Woman is somewhat of a household name, audiences were more likely to turn out and respond positively to her movie.

Another thing that set Wonder Woman apart was its female director, Patty Jenkins. With this film, Jenkins set a record for the highest-grossing movie of all time directed by a woman. But, you may be wondering, why was the director’s gender important? As a woman, Jenkins has the same female perspective that her protagonist does in the movie. She understands Diana Prince in some ways that a man would not. But, one of the areas where this is most clear is the costumes of Wonder Woman and the Amazons. The photo below shows the Amazons, a tribe of powerful, warrior women that Wonder Woman is a part of, in Wonder Woman (created by Lindy Hemming) on the left and more recently, the male-directed movie Justice League (created by Michael Wilkinson) on the right. In the first image, the women have practical armor; their vital organs are covered with metal or leather, they have metal gauntlets and shin guards, and areas of their body aren’t exposed unnecessarily. In Justice League, however, the majority of the women have absolutely no protection on their midriff (where their vital organs are) and the purpose of their outfits is clearly not what would be most appropriate in a battle, but instead, what looks the hottest. Jenkins and Hemming’s gender factored into their decision to prioritize practicality and realism over sexualization when designing the costumes and resulted in a drastically different characterization of the Amazons.

When I started this post, my goal was to talk about the background of Wonder Woman‘s success and the reason why said success was so important and the actual content of the movie, but I realized after I got 500 words in that it would probably be better to split this movie into two posts. So…

TO BE CONTINUED!

When I watched Black Panther for the first time, I was struck by how unique each female character was. They had distinct personalities, positions, interests, and motivations. They sometimes argued with each other due to their different beliefs and points of view, but as actress Lupita Nyong’o, who played Nakia, one of the leading roles in the film, explained, the women are never pitted “against each other.” When I started thinking about other action movies I’d recently seen, I realized that I viewed most of the characters (female and male) as fairly one-dimensional or at least, they had the same generic motivations as the other characters on their side of the conflict (i.e. the “evil” side is bad). The women who are a part of the main cast of Black Panther have unique personalities and points of view; they are in very high-powered positions within their society and demand respect. As ELLE Magazine explained,

These women are crucial to the structure of the film and to how the film’s central ideas play out. And they’re fully human: defined by their ideas, their ability to communicate them, and the lengths they’ll go to fight for what they believe to be true.

All of these characteristics make them positive representations of women (and in particular, women of color) in superhero films.

NAKIA, THE SPY

Played by Academy Award winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, Nakia could have easily been reduced to a typical superhero love interest, contributing little to the overall story and constantly requiring rescue or reassurance. Although she is the love interest of the male lead, T’Challa, that is not the only thing that defines her. She is an incredibly accomplished spy and fighter. Nakia is fiercely loyal to her country and her people, willing to do anything to protect them. When T’Challa asks her to stay in Wakanda instead of returning to the dangerous life as a spy, she makes it clear that she will not stand by and do nothing when she knows that there are people in need around the world who would benefit from her help. Her strong sense of morality drives her character in every decision she makes and is consistent over the entire course of the movie.

OKOYE, THE GENERAL

Okoye (Danai Gurira) is the commander of the all-female Wakandan special forces team called the Dora Milaje. These incredibly powerful women are the most elite group of fighters in Wakanda and dutifully serve the reigning king or queen. Okoye holds onto this belief of loyalty to the throne very strongly, even when it pits her against her husband on the battlefield. This sense of loyalty to the throne places her at odds with Nakia at one point in the film and leads to one of the most important scenes in the movie (at least in terms of female representation). At this moment in the story, (spoilers ahead!) T’Challa had seemingly been killed and a new king, Killmonger, had taken control of Wakanda. Along with T’challa’s mother, Queen Ramonda, and his sister, Shuri, Nakia made a move to flee the country to avoid the new king’s wrath. She assumed that Okoye would follow her lead and aid in the resistance against this new ruler, but Okoye refused, professing “I am loyal to that throne, no matter who sits upon it.” This conversation inverts the typical dynamic of conflicts in television and movies in relation to gender: the fight between the men (T’Challa and Killmonger) is largely personal and emotional while the conflict that occurs between the women is a debate on ideas where the ultimate goal is to make the choice that is best for an entire nation.

SHURI, THE GENIUS

This 16 year old is not only second in line for the throne of Wakanda, but is also the head of the country’s science and technology development program. According to the directors of Avengers: Infinity War, Joe and Anthony Russo, Shuri is the smartest character in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her inventions help to make Wakanda the most advanced civilization on the planet. Played by Letitia Wright, Shuri stood out as a fan favorite not only because of her incredible brains but due to her humor and liveliness. She is a typical little sister to T’Challa: mischievous and playful. She is confident and brilliant and serves as an inspiration that young girls can be the future of the scientific field.

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Representation is undeniably important. Danai Gurira, the actress who played Okoye, explained in an interview, “all children need to see that anyone can be anything, women can be the head of an army and black and bald (…) When I was a kid, and right up until just now, these images were not there. That, to me, is so vital.” Black Panther provides powerful role models to young girls by creating distinct, driven, strong female characters in vital, high-power positions.

Of the 100 top domestic grossing films of 2016, only 29% featured female protagonists. This number dropped to 24% in 2017 and in action films, women made up only 3%. Despite these dismal numbers, there are many notable examples of high-profile, fan favorite female leads in superhero and action movies such as Ripley in “Alien” and more recently, Wonder Woman who took on the titular role in the 2017 film of the same name. But, as Martha Lauzen, the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film’s executive director, explained, “a few high-profile cases can dramatically skew our perceptions of how women are faring as protagonists or in important behind-the-scenes roles.” Even though there are many memorable female action heroes, the fact that they only comprise 3% of action protagonists should not be ignored.

In this passion blog, I hope to look at examples of good and bad representations of women in the typically male dominated genre of superhero and action films, providing analysis of the roles they play, their interactions with other characters, and their development throughout the story.

Captain Marvel

While I don’t want to devote an entire post to a movie that has not yet been released, I wanted to briefly mention the upcoming film “Captain Marvel,” which is premiering on March 8, 2019. This will be the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature a solo female protagonist. The Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2008 with the premiere of “Iron Man.” Over the course of the last ten years, twenty superhero movies within the MCU have been released, but none have been led by a solo female protagonist (although, 2018’s “Ant Man and the Wasp” did feature a female title character). At San Diego Comic Con in 2016, Marvel announced that Oscar-winner Brie Larson would take on the role of Carol Danvers in “Captain Marvel” and ever since, fans have been anxiously awaiting the film’s release. Hopefully, this movie will be the first of many solo female superhero films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, announced earlier today that there are plans for many more female-led Marvel movies in the works.