The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is more progressive in its depiction of women than the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Now, I know that the DCEU will have a female-led superhero film before the MCU. Wonder Woman is slated for release in 2017 whereas Captain Marvel will not be released until 2019. Fans of the MCU have been clamoring for a Black Widow film almost from the moment she was introduced. This is not what I am going to argue. But rather, I am going to look at how each female hero is depicted in the universes. I am also aware that there is far less to look at in terms of the DCEU than the MCU.
I watched Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice a few weeks back and was struck by something that I didn’t really notice previously. Aside from the convoluted plot from trying to combine the events of The Dark Knight Returns with The Death of Superman, the ending did not have to play out the way that it did. Wonder Woman was completely capable of killing Doomsday with the Kryptonite spear. Superman did not have to assume the role of the Christ figure and sacrifice himself for the good of humanity. Wonder Woman is completely capable of wielding that spear without any of the effects Kryptonite. She is a goddess, an Amazon warrior. Yet, she was disregarded in favor of the male protagonist in an act of self-sacrifice. There seems to be a general lack of confidence in the female heroes.
In addition to the lack of confidence in Wonder Woman in that final battle, there is also the femme fatale introduction that we have to the character of Diana Prince in the film. We first see her alter ego at a party where she is portrayed as a mystery seductress. She uses her looks to throw Bruce Wayne off his game. It’s not the heroic Wonder Woman that we are introduced to but a sexy version that uses her wiles to get what she wants.
Now, the MCU is not entirely innocent in the sexualization of its female characters. Black Widow is definitely a character that uses her sexually to get information. Whereas Diana Prince is a goddess, Natasha Romanoff is a trained spy. In other words, Diana does not need to be sexualized in order to be successful. While women should be more than their physical forms, as someone without divine powers, Natasha using her sexuality in this manner is more forgivable.
The problematic sexualization of Black Widow aside, she isn’t treated as though she is any less in the eyes of the other Avengers. She is a fully capable member of the team and treated as such. During the Battle of New York in The Avengers and the Battle of Sokovia in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Romanoff fights side by side with her Avenger compatriots. She isn’t brushed aside in favor of the male heroes.
There is also the problem of the love interests in the DCEU versus those in the MCU. Now with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, we have the issue of Lois Lane. While Lois is a smart and capable journalist, she always finds herself in need of being rescued by Superman. It’s as though her only reason to exist within the plot is to put Superman into situations where he must rescue her sometimes risking the well-being of others. There is little that we know about Lois Lane beyond her interaction with Superman and Clark Kent as his love interest.
A direct contrast to the Lois Lane-Superman dynamic is the relationship between Captain America and Peggy Carter. Like Lois, Peggy is smart and capable. However, unlike Lois, she doesn’t ever need Cap to rescue her or any man for that matter. Over the two seasons of Agent Carter, we saw her take control of situations in ways that the men around her were incapable of doing. She was consistently underestimated by the men in power around her. Every time she rose to the occasion. While it bothered me at first when the tree speech was attributed to Peggy Carter at her funeral during the eulogy given by her niece, Sharon, in Captain America: Civil War, it does ultimately seem fitting for her to have said these powerful words. It’s probably one of my favorite moments in Captain America comics. For a woman to show such strength is important.
I must admit that I am less familiar with the DC television shows, but as they do not seem to be connected to the films, it seems ok not to bring those into the conversation. This is different from the way Marvel integrates film and television. Because of this, there are certainly more opportunities to develop strong female characters and women-driven storylines. It is telling that the second season of Jessica Jones will be directed by all women. It is also telling that the Wonder Woman film will be helmed by a man rather than a female director. There seems to be something empowering happening at Marvel Studios, and honestly, I can’t wait to see where it goes.
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