The "Problem" with Female Superhero Films

For years, fans have been clamoring for more female-led superhero franchises. It does seem unfair that women are relegated to supporting roles in these multi-billion dollar film franchises. We tend to look at this from the perspective that Hollywood thinks that female-led films won’t gross as much at the box office because they wouldn’t “appeal to the target demographic.” I think this is an oversimplification of the problem in one glaring way. Of course there is misogyny at play here, but it isn’t necessarily the kind that you think.

In Western society, by and large, there is still this idea of feminine fragility, that women need to be protected by men. This idea is the primary argument behind the exclusion of women on the front lines in battle. When we talk about women serving in the armed services, it is often argued that women on the front lines would be a distraction for their male counterparts as they might feel more compelled to go to great lengths in order to save a female soldier. They further argue that this chivalric impulse might compromise a mission in the field. 

This is the less ugly side of misogyny. We often think of misogyny in the most disgusting of terms, but it can also come from a less insidious place. Whenever we look at women as being in need of male protection, we undermine the equality of the sexes within the social structure. This is done whenever fathers talk about needing to protect their daughters from any boys who may be interested in dating them. Of course, this is coming from a place of love for their children, but if they do not treat their sons in a similar manner, the message that they are sending is that their daughters are less capable of making decisions for themselves about their own relationships and sexuality. It also sends the message that ultimately as a woman, her identity is closely tied to the idea of being property of a male. 

So how does all of this relate to the problem of female superheroes? Well, when we look at female superheroes as empowered women who are equal to their male counterparts, we are faced with the notion that a woman is fully self-reliant and in control of her own decisions. If she finds herself in a position of danger, it is up to her to get herself out which may include violence. 

When the villain is male, we are also forced to confront male-on-female violence in a situation that is not domestic in nature. We dislike Red Skull for fighting with Captain America in a physical altercation, but this is not because of the gender dynamics. It is instead a battle of good and evil. However, when we see Wonder Woman fighting with Ares, we are naturally more concerned for Wonder Woman’s well-being because we have trained to have more compassion for violence against women. Essentially, because of the problems of domestic violence in the US, we are more sensitive to what would be considered normal superhero violence. 

This is just one of the issues that can arise when we are talking about the inclusion of female-led film franchises in the superhero genre. There are other issues at play of course which I will look at in future posts.