The release of Captain Marvel fills a much needed hole in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While maybe it would have made more sense to have Black Widow be the star first, Captain Marvel was the first slated for her own movie. And it can’t be a coincidence that the release comes on International Women’s Day. What better way to celebrate than to see the movie?
If you’re like me, you’ll be in the comic mood once you’re done seeing the movie. And there are plenty of great female-led comics to read afterward (check out my list!). After seeing the movie, I’m inspired to read all the female-led comics. If you have any recommendations, definitely hit me up.
Anyway, back to the movie. Not only did it have some fantastic entertaining moments, but it showed that girls are strong and tough and can do whatever they put their mind to. With Marvel’s history of leaving out the women, this is not just a breath of fresh air. It was something that was much needed.
Captain Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Hero
At the basis, the story line of the movie doesn’t really deviate from what you would expect from the typical Marvel movie. Carol Danvers doesn’t know who she is at the start of the movie. She spends most of the movie on a journey to figure that out, filled with typical superhero stuff. It wasn’t the plot that got me excited about the movie. It was what the movie represents. (And the scenes with Goose the cat).
In the comics the movie was based on, we get a larger glimpse into Carol’s fight to be a pilot in the Air Force. It’s an element that I wish was expanded on in the movie, but we do get to see Carol always fighting to be equal to the boys. How awesome is it that she eventually becomes that (and more)?
In the eyes of Captain Marvel, there’s nothing that girls can’t do. Putting her on the big screen is a positive role model for girls everywhere watching Marvel movies. They all want to see themselves on the screen. And now they can. Yes, Marvel has a long way to go when it comes to diversity and representation, but this movie is a step in the right direction.
Bonus points: her costume also isn’t really sexualized, either. It’s more along the lines of something Captain America would wear. She’s also got a helmet that makes her hair into a Mohawk, and that’s pretty cool too. Her costume is practical and it still makes her look like a badass.
Basically, go support Captain Marvel because it’ll lead to Marvel making more female-led movies.
I LOVED Captain Marvel. It was a delight from beginning to end.
Yes! There were so many great moments. 🙂
I find it ironic you complain about Marvel’s lack of diversity mere months after the studio released Black Panther AND Into The Spiderverse, both of which sport black, male leads, and evidently you clearly are unaware of the fact that the current Ms. Marvel(the character has had more than one name change) is a teenage, Muslim heroine. Is that not diverse enough for you? You complain about their lack of strong female characters, while ignoring characters like Peggy Carter from The First Avenger who starred in her own spin-off on the small screen and had to fight a lot harder to get noticed in an era rampant with sexism or Princess Shuri, who was so unbelievably popular in the Black Panther movie Marvel gave her her own spin-off comic book. I also noticed you chose to ignore the fact that Scarlet Witch and Jean Grey are two of the most over-powered characters in comic book history, although Fox technically owns the movie rights of X-Men, the character in the comics remains Marvel property and as of 2019 Phoenix Jean will be the star of not one but TWO X-Men movies.
The fact that these characters were designated as mere supporting roles in the past is disheartening, yes, but it does little to change the fact that they are strong female characters, imo, some of whom have been acting as role models to young girls since the 1960s, on and off the screen.
Hi! I’m actually only focusing on the Marvel Cinematic Universe for this particular post, not the comics (which are a totally and completely different story). The movies in the MCU have a trend of leaving out diversity, except in recent years: https://mic.com/articles/188957/10-years-in-the-marvel-cinematic-universe-still-lacks-diversity-and-these-4-graphs-prove-it#.qFkfVtyLP.
I’ve read Ms. Marvel (which I mentioned in the other post I linked to in this post recommending comics to read in anticipation for the movie) and I’m not denying that there are strong women in the movies. There definitely are. But the fact is that out of the 21 movies in the MCU, one has a black lead and one has a female lead. Out of 21 movies. That’s not a great track record, especially when there are plenty of great characters to pull from in the comics. Spider-Verse technically isn’t in the MCU at this point, so I also wasn’t including this in my analysis.
I’m not taking away from the women of Marvel that already exist. I’m just commenting on the fact that the MCU is finally taking into account that these exist and are finally including them in their blockbuster movies. Again, specifically the MCU, not Fox or any other company that uses Marvel characters. I should have specified that in my post, and I’ll edit it to make that specification.