Skimpy or tight-fitting clothes, voluptuous bodies with unrealistic hourglass figures, action scenes in high heels, a general sense of being less powerful than her male counterparts—this is how people growing up in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and even the ‘80s, saw female superheroes in almost all the comic books ever published. Women in comic books have usually been given very sexualised and stereotypical roles. They are either damsels in distress in need of being saved by male superheroes, or they play women heroes whose femininity is more in-your-face than the practical demands of the superhero business.
The same has been the norm for women superheroes in movies—after all, the comic books that inspired them portrayed them that way. Whether it was Halle Berry’s Catwoman or Jessica Alba’s Susan Storm in the Fantastic Four movies, these women were oversexualised, their costumes were more about highlighting their shape, and the plot of the movies barely gave them any scope of being taken seriously, let alone being inspiring. Even women villains, like Poison Ivy, have been shown as femme fatales instead of criminals who can do actual harm. All of this, thankfully, has changed in recent years.
Move over, lads! She’s here to save the day!
The credit for this change must be given to all the women’s movements around the world, along with a rise in women’s interest in action and comic book-inspired movies. Conversations about challenging gender stereotypes, consent, and a relatable depiction of women in comic books and movies, clearly have changed the narrative. A remarkable change came about with the launch and popularisation of female superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), particularly with Wonder Woman, as portrayed by Gal Gadot, and Black Widow, as portrayed by Scarlett Johansson.
Now, women around the world have plenty of female superheroes to be inspired by. Some, like Lady Loki, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Supergirl, Harley Quinn, Black Canary, and Gamora have only recently made it to the silver screen, emerging from the depths of comic book canon where they were relegated to while the world enjoyed multiple remakes of Batman, Superman, and Spiderman movies for decades. In fact, if you take a look at the recent movies and television series by Marvel and DC, you’ll find this evolution of women characters—and all women characters, not just the superheroes—more fleshed out, realistic, practical, and highly relatable.
These are women who have a brilliant story arch, superpowers that can slay all sorts of villains, and costumes, which even when theatrical and OTT, aren’t as unrealistic and sexualised as they were even two decades ago. Here are a few such amazing women superheroes we have fallen in love with.
Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel
In a world that has extremely powerful superheroes like Thor, Captain America and even the Hulk, Captain Marvel stands out tall and proud, aiming to go “Higher, Further, Faster” than anyone else. First created in 1967 by Stan Lee and Gene Colan, Captain Marvel’s strength has varied over the decades, ranging from Class 50 to Class 100+ (in comic nerd language). But the Carol Danvers we know now is so powerful that she had to be kept away for most of Avengers: Endgame to make the war against Thanos more drawn out. If that doesn’t explain how much stronger than every man in the multiverse she is, we don’t know what will.
Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
First introduced in 1941 by William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman has forever been the most popular female superhero. Her earliest instalments did show her as a voluptuous, mini-skirt clad superhero, but in recent years, her character has developed into a character we can all love and respect. With her recent avatar in the DCEU movies, Wonder Woman has emerged as one of the most inspiring women superheroes, ever. Sure, her own idea of consent in WWII: 1984 (you know, where she gets together with Steve Trevor in a stranger’s body) might have been very difficult to swallow, but we hope creators get her right the next time.
Agent Peggy Carter/Captain Carter
MCU fans have been going crazy about the first episode of What If…?, and for good reason too. First introduced in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Agent Margaret ‘Peggy’ Carter first came out as a love interest of Captain America’s. More of a spy than a superhero, Peggy Carter first got her standalone feature in Marvel’s Agent Carter. Now, the new Marvel show has her headlining as Captain Carter, the superhero who emerged instead of Steve Rogers, and we’ve turned into fans at the sight of her might, even if it’s in an alternate universe.
Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel
With this South Asian-origin superhero slated to get her own movie soon, the buzz about Ms Marvel has only increased recently. But what many don’t know is that Carol Danvers was the first Ms Marvel, introduced in 1968. Danvers’ Ms Marvel becomes Captain Marvel only in a 2012 comic book. So, does that mean that Kamala Khan’s Ms Marvel will one day take over the powerful mantle herself? We sure hope so!
Jessica Jones
First created by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos in 2001, Jessica Jones’s journey is quite a unique one. She’s an ex-superhero who runs a private investigation firm, and has a cynical outlook as well as superpowers. Portrayed on-screen by Krysten Ritter, this female superhero’s exploits had a very popular run on Netflix, especially as a part of The Defenders. Jones’ voice is quite distinct, especially as someone who realises the impact of having superpowers in a world where not everyone does. At the same time, she’s a strong, independent woman battling her own demons and mental health issues we can all relate to.