Holding out for a hero: Marvel and the need for superheroines
By: Abstract Magazine
Tags: Movies, Marvel, Culture

This is the time of the geek and the big screen superhero — but where are the superheroines? By Georgina Kiely

Bring it on: Black Widow is just one of the many female superheroes ready to take centre stage. Photo: marvelousRoland/Flickr.

It’s a fact that universally acknowledged that we’re not exactly short of superheroines who are ripe for their silver screen debut. The potential candidates are endless: Silver Sable, Thundra, Jean Grey, take your pick!

Personally, I’d kill to see a Black Widow spin-off; Scarlett Johansson is certainly a big enough name for her own franchise and who doesn’t want to watch a film starring a kickass Russian assassin who could no doubt kill a man with her pinky alone? With so many examples of superheriones crying out for their time in the spotlight, it’s baffling to wonder why the idea hasn’t been picked up yet.

I have no problems admitting to being a geek — this is our time. The rise of the geeks has been rapid and all-encompassing, and Marvel has seized the imaginations of our generation. We’re living through a superhero boom and with writers like Joss Whedon at the helm, you’d think we couldn’t go far wrong.

However, Whedon is often asked in interviews why he often chooses to focus on strong female lead characters and his ultimate answer is “because you are still asking me the question.” Indeed, there is a noticeable lack of focus on our well-loved superheroines in many of Marvel and DC adaptations, and it’s about time someone poked them into producing something the fans are desperate to see: a female lead.

The Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has skirted around the issue, saying “I think it comes down to timing”. But when could there be a better time? Even Scarlett Johansson herself has expressed a keen interest in taking on a Black Widow movie, so what exactly is holding Marvel back?

It’s certainly not that audiences wouldn’t be ready for a female lead; we’ve already seen a talking racoon and a character who can only state his own name hold their own. Feige has said that he recognises the need for a female-led franchise, so the bluster leaves me with some niggling doubts about whether timing is really the issue.

Counterintuitively, the superhero fanbase, for all the futuristic movies and out-of-this-world characters, seem to be fairly stuck in their ways. When Marvel announced there would be a female Thor and that the new Captain America would be black, the twitterverse was, in the most part, excited.

However, there were ugly comments comments — such as ‘I’m done Marvel’ or the well-considered ‘remember when #Marvel wasn’t run by a pack of political correct gelded men #goodtimes’. Thanks for sharing, guys. Here’s a tip, if you’re itching to start a comment with ‘I’m not a racist/sexist but…’ then you’re probably better off just going home and considering your life choices.

What makes this announcement of a new incarnation of the god of thunder even more exciting is that this isn’t she-Thor, Lady Thor or Thorina, this is actually Thor, a superhero in her own right with all the clout of the character behind her. Could it be the potential backlash from a minority group of Marvel-ites that’s slowing the process?

It’s possible, but the picture is not entirely tarnished with testosterone. The much anticipated Ms Marvel will soon be making an appearance in Avengers 2: Age Of Ultron — a definite step forward in the rise of the on-screen superwoman.

However, it’s important to highlight that if Marvel isn’t quick enough to decide whether they can take the time to produce something the fans are pleading for, inevitably someone else will get there first. Female superheroes may be getting their time to shine sooner than we think.

Sony Pictures have hinted at a fresh new look at the Spidey universe, with a female-led picture set to be released in 2017. Even sooner, Warner Bros. seem to have beaten them to the punch with pictures of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in the 2016 production Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

These female superhero spin offs may be just what we need to re-vamp any remaining washed out clichés, so who’s going to get there first? Your move, Marvel.