Captain Marvel highlights the major problem with female superheroes - DigitalSpy.com

Note: contains Captain Marvel spoilers

Captain Marvel continues to smash box-office figures with its playful origin story of the character pitched to be the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

But while the fandom can’t get enough of Carol Danvers and co kicking the bad guys’ butts in a '90s setting, those expecting an impactful feminist tour de force – one that was highly anticipated in the run-up to the film’s release – were left feeling pretty damned disappointed.

This is in no way criticising the film as a solid entertainment powerhouse. But while it marks an important milestone for the MCU as its first female-fronted superhero film, it also missed an opportunity.

Captain Marvel movie poster, Brie Larsson

Marvel Studios

As we said in our review of the film, this is a much more conventional superhero movie than the triumphant Black Panther – it’s a shame after such a long wait that Captain Marvel doesn’t feel more like the event that it should be, only dipping its toe into the pool of feminist rage when it could have dived deep.

With time this may change, but for now Carol’s standalone venture is indicative of a wider issue regarding female superheroes in the MCU.

Yes, the franchise has certainly switched it up in recent years and embraced representation in all of its forms, what with the success of Thor: Ragnarok, the even bigger success of Black Panther and its decision to finally give us a solo Black Widow movie. However, there’s still a way to go: when it comes to the leading women of the MCU, there's still a one-size-fits-all approach.

Avengers Infinity War, Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson

Marvel Studios

What do Gamora, The Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow and now Captain Marvel all have in common? They all started out as flawed characters – villains, really – before realising they were fighting for the bad guys, moving over to the good side and subsequently fitting into the ‘powerful women with hearts of gold’ trope. They're all super-competent grown-ups fighting the good fight and – dare we say – a bit boring?

DC and the MCU tend to play it safe with the women at their core. But in their quest to reduce risk, the studios give us cookie cutter cape-wearers whose personalities are underdeveloped compared to their male counterparts. (Just look at the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America – a stew of volatility, greed, carelessness, pride and misplaced honour right from the off. Don't even start us on Batman over at DC.)

It was only two years ago that the DC Extended Universe introduced Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot as the first lead female superhero in more than a decade and the first to be directed by a woman.

Twitter / @GalGadotWarner Bros.

This lack of female variety surely highlights why the MCU kept Captain Marvel a conservative affair. It’s 2019 and we’ve only scratched the surface of what is possible for the women of the genre.

As female-led flicks become more commonplace, we’ll start to see more diversity and complexity. No doubt it’ll be a slow process, made even slower by the fact that the female-centric new Marvel show isn't going ahead after all.

Marvel's TV wing made steady progress in the depiction of female personalities in the MCU – Jessica Jones is a refreshingly imperfect, unique, angry and powerful woman – although the discontinuation of these shows and the fact that they’re not tied to the cinematic realm has meant that progress has halted.

Over time, however, we have hopes that this will change and Captain Marvel, for all of its prosaic approach, is a giant step in the right direction for the MCU. The film might not be groundbreaking in itself, but it certainly does the job of building on the past, setting up the future and developing an environment for inclusivity.

Fans of the comic books will have recognised the name of Monica Rambeau. Although she’s just eleven in the film – played with conviction by actress Akira Akbar – in the books Monica is known as one of the industry’s most prominent black superheroes, eventually taking the top spot as the leader of the Avengers. Something tells us this is only the beginning for this promising character.

DisneyMarvel Studios

Then there’s the possibility for a lesbian love story – note the many fans who were outraged Carol and Maria weren’t announced as gay in Captain Marvel – as well as Brie Larson’s call on the MCU to team up in the sequel with Ms Marvel aka Kamala Khan, the first Muslim character to get her own comic book.

“My dream would be that Ms Marvel gets to come into play in the sequel – that's the goal,” she said.

With the Black Widow film on the horizon and murmurings of an all-female Marvel movie set for the future too, Captain Marvel marks the start of a diverse future for the MCU.

“I think it's a commitment of what’s to come,” said Avengers architect Victoria Alonso. “We are determined to have more female directors. We are determined to have more heads of departments that are female and we are determined to have more balance in our characters so that everyone could be represented.”

Disney

There’s so much potential for the women of the MCU, from the belligerent and drunk warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) to the wickedly smart force of nature Shuri (Letitia Wright) – and now that Captain Marvel has arrived, hopefully we’ll start to see more female characters built with as much complexity as the men. Carol Danvers’ debut is only the beginning.

Captain Marvel is out in UK and US cinemas now.

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