Female Superheroes & The Feminine Appeal.
Physically strong and emotionally stoic, it seems that the model superhero has always been held up by the stereotypes of a man. Ask anyone to picture a superhero, and most of them are likely going to describe a male figure at first thought.
The Superhero Landscape so far
Since the start, the cinematic superhero landscape has always had limited spaces for the female superhero with their underrepresentation and constant comparisons to their male “colleagues”, despite a drastic evolvement to these characters. In an evidently male-dominated space, there is no surprise that being female will rarely be the first image associated with the cape-donning hero.
Yet, in a drastically evolving field of cinema lies a growing demand and anticipation for movies and even more roles of the female superhero. With an increasing amount of justified fights for more presence of female superheroes in cinema, it is clear that these female characters have something in them, specifically, that draws the audience.
In their own suits and stories, what is it then, that the female superhero can bring to the table their male co-stars can’t, while gradually garnering all these appeal and cheers in front of all their movie screens?
Subversion of Expectations
One thing that is always highlighted with the introduction of the female superhero is their femininity, a term that is often associated with being weak or fragile as seen by both on-screen characters and at times, even the movie audiences.
As a result, every time these female superheroes show their actual capabilities to those who think they can’t put up a fight not only becomes a surprise that proves these assumptions wrong but also translates as a sign that they don’t actually know half about these characters yet.
When Black Widow was first introduced in Iron Man, she was assumed to be the attractive assistant who does not know the basics of a fight, before she shocks everyone by effortlessly pinning Happy, Tony Stark’s bodyguard down onto the ground.
Supergirl’s ability to fight was doubted by Hank before she defeats the targetted villain of the episode, and is even trailed behind a strong defense for the “girl” in “Supergirl”. Even Hit-Girl from the movie “Kick-Ass”, an extremely skilled superhero and assassin, is also surprisingly an eleven-year-old girl.
As characters who are more than who they are first portrayed and introduced to be, there is no surprise that we will start getting curious and excited for scenes and moments that reveal more about their skills and stories. What’s more, that shock whenever someone new witnesses these punches that are wielded with more power than expected, can only be described as satisfying.
Emotional Tie-downs
On-screen, there are mostly two types of female superheroes: the emotional one or the cold one who has a dark past. Though often seen to be a form of disability in a successful battle, emotional tie-downs are what defines these characters best and the reason that makes them want to fight in the first place.
Female superheroes are more likely to be portrayed in a vulnerable state due to personal turmoil or reasons related to their loved ones, as compared to male superheroes. Scarlet Witch finds herself struggling with guilt after causing the destruction of a building which in turn killed innocent people in the majority of Captain America: Civil War.
Wonder Woman’s love for Steve and humankind was used to manipulate her in the final battle with Aries, though ultimately also wining due to it. Even Harley Quinn, the fun-loving and sadistic anti-hero battles herself most due to her love for the abusive Joker.
It is such vulnerabilities that make the battles these superheroes have so personal, in contrast to those that are explosive and large-scale. It is these emotional tie-downs that make these superheroes human rather than just beings with power, and in turn, characters that we can all relate so much more to.
Being a valuable and capable sidekick
The sidekick is often known as the most trusted companion and many a time, someone who does not have as much authority or spotlight as the protagonist. However, the capabilities and skills the female superhero possess often tell a different story.
Frequently portrayed as a secondary character to the often male lead in most superhero films, the female superhero, in contrast, displays a great amount of independence and power with her fight as a reliable right-hand man that regularly has an interesting background or personality to back her character up.
Mystique in Xmen is an extremely strong mutant with the ability to shapeshift, with the complicated background of a traumatic childhood, she is often only seen to be the help of Professor X and Magneto, the seeming main characters of the X-Men series.
Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok is a near equal to Thor in terms of their dueling abilities, who also came from the fascinating history as a Valkyrior, a unit of personal shield-maidens to the former Asgard King Odin, she is in turn only portrayed to be capable assistance in the movie. Even Catwoman, an extremely independent and skilled, yet controversial anti-heroine is simply an ally and help to Batman in the Dark Knight Rises.
Whether is it that these female superheroes already have their own solo movies or television shows, the help they provide to their often male protagonists with their great strength and intelligence makes us root for them as well. Adding on with their already interesting backgrounds, it is not a surprise that the female superhero is a character that we would want more scenes of.
A rarity on screen
I think it is rather safe to say that for most of us, the rarer something is, the more we would be interested, or even want it. Rather similar to how the female superhero is appealing largely because of how she is a capable side character who does not have much screen time, the small number of movies or television shows that feature such characters as the protagonist also play a role in the amount of anticipation and want for more received.
With the exception of DC’s Birds of Prey and Marvel’s Captain Marvel, superhero movies generally only have one to two female characters in comparison to the four or more male roles, especially in their ensembles.
Additionally, production studios also release much lesser solo female superhero movies as compared to male ones. For example, in the year 2017 when Wonder Woman was released, a film that was known to be the breakthrough for the female superhero trope, four other large-scale superhero blockbusters, all of them with a male protagonist and two being male-centered also reached the screens for the first time.
In such an evidently male-focused field of cinema, the spotlight of the female superhero is seen to be a rarity, and at times, even a breakthrough. As a result, such forms of disparity also produce anticipation among superhero fans and moviegoers, ultimately due to being something that they see so little of.
Conclusion
What comes from watching and understanding the female superhero is that they are not just a female counterpart of their male “colleagues”, and neither are they roles where the male psyche and traits can just be forced upon. Rather, they are interesting characters that have their own vulnerabilities and personalities, while possessing as equal, and at times, even more power and capabilities in what they fight in.
Watching a female superhero on screen can only be described as one extremely exciting and inspiring ride, and it is no surprise that more and more people are fighting for more such on-screen representations. Now, is the new Black Widow movie coming soon already?
