I understand that as Marvel fans, you may feel disappointed after watching The Marvels. And you likely have many reasons to argue why this film does not meet your expectations. I completely empathize with your feelings. However, this outcome is not unexpected. Let's consider the movies that Marvel has released in the past five years: Black Panther 2, Venom 2, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Doctor Strange 2, Thor 4, and Eternals. Only a few of them have received ratings above six. It seems that Marvel's superhero movies are going through a midlife crisis: they feature the same characters, stories, and big scenes, but their overall quality may not be as good as before. Comparing The Marvels to the superhero sequels that Marvel has made in the past five years, the former is not particularly impressive (or terrible). However, I want to emphasize that from a feministic perspective, it does offer some differences compared to the past: it is a superhero movie where all the main characters, including the villains, are female.
There is no denying that superhero movies have predominantly focused on male narratives, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is no exception. Out of the 33 superhero movies released in the MCU since 2007, only Captain Marvel (2019), Black Widow (2021), Eternals (2021), and Black Panther 2 (2022) feature female protagonists. The remaining movies primarily revolve around male characters.
However, this does not mean that the MCU lacks female characters. Often, these characters are assigned supporting roles and serve as assistants to their male counterparts. They are portrayed as troubled girls, romantic partners, or to some extent, subordinate to the male leads. Unfortunately, these female characters frequently exhibit emotional instability. For example, Scarlet Witch, one of the most powerful characters in The Avengers, is constantly influenced and constrained by male characters, displaying a sense of brokenness and hysteria. Her superpowers are consistently used to serve her loved ones, such as her brother or husband. In the recent film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Scarlet Witch's temperament is depicted as closer to that of a hysterical woman and terrifying mother.
Having female superheroes play supporting roles to male characters sends a message: strong female characters will not threaten the masculinity of male protagonists. While this may reassure male fans, it can be oppressive for female viewers. Watching stories of vulnerable/dependent female characters for a long time can make girls feel dissatisfied with their own identities. Moreover, the oversexualization of female superheroes can lower female viewers' self-esteem regarding their bodies.
Hollywood seems to recognize the need for more and better female superheroes in the MCU to tell stories about women and inject energy and creativity into superhero narratives that the audience is getting increasingly tired of. This is why we are seeing an increase in female superheroes in the MCU, such as Black Widow which was released in 2021. Notably, it took ten years for Black Widow to get her standalone movie since her first appearance in Iron Man 2 in 2010. During these ten years, movies featuring male superheroes like Thor, Ant-Man, and Black Panther were greenlit and released, while Black Widow remained a supporting role. It was not until 2020, partly in response to the demands of feminists brought by the #Timesup and #MeToo movements, that Black Widow finally got her own movie.
In this context, Captain Marvel and her standalone movie serve to represent female characters who are lacking in Marvel movies. This representation is particularly prominent in The Marvels, where Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) is joined by three other main characters: Indian-American Kamala Khan, African-American Monica Rambeau, and Dar-Benn, a villain who seeks to restore her mother planet's ecosystem. Their female identities are/Female presence is evident. Therefore, when young Kamala proclaims herself as the chosen one, it resonates with me. For so many years, I have been accustomed to watching Marvel superhero movies from the perspective of white men. If I were a little girl, I might struggle to find a protagonist similar to myself in the MCU movies. Little boys can imagine themselves as Spider-Man, balancing high school life and saving the world. But what about little girls? Although Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse also features a young female Spider-Man, the overall origin and core of this IP still revolve around young boys. So when I see Captain Marvel confidently declaring herself as the chosen one on screen, I feel inspired, even though I am not of Indian descent and no longer a young girl.
Therefore, I must state that creating more female superhero movies holds social importance. The influence of the big screen is undeniable. Commercial films often have a profound impact on our thoughts and actions. A compelling piece of evidence is the 105% increase in female participants in archery competitions in 2012 compared to the previous year, following the release of Brave and The Hunger Games. The emergence of new female superheroes will undoubtedly inspire female viewers, boost their self-esteem and confidence, and instill in them the belief that they possess the ability to actively participate in events held in public spaces, whether it be within a community, country, or universe in need of saving.
However, acknowledging the feministic significance of Captain Marvel 2 does not imply that this movie is exceptional. Plot issues that are prevalent in Marvel's recent movies still persist in The Marvels. Moreover, the movie continues to rely on stereotypical impressions of female characters and lacks depth and imagination in their portrayal. Female characters are merely substitutes for male characters, and the development of the story and relationships between characters still adhere to the narrative structure of traditional male-centered movies. For instance, Carol is portrayed as a father figure to Monica Rambeau (Spectrum), who feels sad and depressed over the former’s long absence. Additionally, the scene where Carol dances with the prince on the planet rehashes the plot pattern of a male character having a romantic relationship with an exotic tribal princess during his journey around the world.
When it comes to character development, the most notable trait of Carol in The Marvels is her calmness. However, aside from being calm, she appears to lack other characteristics. Furthermore, her calmness is depicted as indifference towards external events and interpersonal relationships. Typically, the main plot of a superhero movie revolves around the superhero defeating the villain and saving the world, while the corresponding subplot focuses on the protagonist overcoming inner struggles and resolving psychological and emotional issues. The Marvels follows this formula as well. Carol’s primary mission is to defeat Dar-Benn, and save the planet the latter plans to destroy, and her own planet, Kree. To achieve it, Carol must confront the innocent people who suffer as a result of her actions, including the Skrulls and the Kree. The movie attempts to convince the audience that these suffering individuals have become Carol's inner struggles to the extent that she never returned to Earth to avoid them out of guilt.
Guilt is not exclusively felt by Carol; many other main characters in Marvel's superhero movies also experience it. For example, Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, joins the team to undo the future after the death of Spider-Man. However, the issue lies in the fact that the writers did not portray Captain Marvel's reaction to this emotional burden. On one hand, she does not make an effort to address the ecological deterioration caused by her presence in the Kree Empire. The Kree crisis is eventually resolved through her niece Monica's chance encounter. This leads to the most absurd scene in the entire movie: when Monica asks Carol why she does not use her powers to ignite the sun of the Kree and amend her mistakes, Carol's response is "I never thought about it." Finally, Carol quickly ignites the sun after being prompted by Monica. This means that the core of the dramatic conflict in the story could have been resolved by Carol in just a few seconds. Her long-standing guilt reflects her lack of initiative. On the other hand, she never travels back to Earth due to her guilt, and does not show any struggle or hesitation. If it were not for Monica's unexpected appearance, she would have continued to avoid facing her guilt. This significantly diminishes Carol's agency as a character: no proactive thinking, no proactive actions, no proactive expression.
The lack of depth in Carol's character directly results in a lack of emotional struggles that we can empathize with. It also leads to a lack of dramatic tension in her relationships with other characters. From the start, we see that Kamala looks up to Carol while Monica misses her. But by the end of the movie, their relationships remain unchanged. Aside from a physical connection, the emotional relationship between the three is quite the same. These problems contribute to The Marvels’ overall lack of appeal. Its current box office performance and ratings on review websites confirm this. However, what I want to emphasize is that the flaws of this movie are not due to its female protagonist. Instead, they stem from the writers' failure to develop the personalities of these three female characters and their relationships, and handle the dramatic conflicts in the movie. The Marvels’ failure does not represent the failure of female superhero movies. In fact, it highlights the need for more female superhero movies that explore how they can be different from traditional male-dominated superhero films. Female superhero movies should not simply be gender reversals of male superhero movies.
Perhaps there will be more anticipation of Madame Web which will be released next year. I still hope that production companies like Marvel will acknowledge and prioritize their female audience and the emotions of young girls when they watch the movies they produce.
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