Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman and the age of female led superhero films

It’s taken years, but women are finally getting their moment in the superhero movie spotlight.

Not only can we look forward to Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, but according to Channel24, Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson has just been cast as Captain Marvel.

Why is this so important?

Well first off, Captain Marvel hasn’t always been a woman, and more importantly, hasn’t always been this badass. Unlike Wonder Woman, who has been gracing comic books (in her original form) for around 75 years, Captain Marvel is the name of several fictional superheroes that have appeared in Marvel Comics.

Brie will be playing the role of Carol Danvers - an air force officer who acquires superpowers which turns her into the great Captain Marvel.

Carol, who has been labelled a ‘feminist icon’ and ‘Marvel’s biggest female hero’, has been fighting for women’s rights since before most of us were even born.

In the publication of Ms. Marvel #1 in 1977, Danver was already known as a “Ms.” – associated with the feminist movement - and fought for equal pay for women in her civilian identity.

And, in 2012, she literally became the boss when Captain America asked Ms. Marvel to take on the title of ‘Captain’ and help him lead the Avengers.

She also has her own large following with fans calling themselves ‘Carol corps’.

Plus it’s very relatable. The essential thing about Captain Marvel is – she’s no Wonder Woman. She talks to herself a lot, she’s cynical, yet sweet and loves her cat. And that’s why having two movies with strong female leads is especially advantageous. Women are multi-faceted and should be seen playing roles that show various sides to their personalities. Peter Parker isn’t Bruce Wayne. The same with female characters.

Perhaps it’s Larson herself who said it best. “I think a lot about my little sister,” she told Variety when speaking about the roles she chooses.

“…But she is a white American girl and she watches white American movies," she continues.  "I would love to create more space for her complication, for stepping outside of clichés and showing women and other races and other sexualities — all the complexities instead of just focusing so much on the surface issues.”

Backlash and support

Kelly Sue DeConnick, the comic book writer responsible for Danvers’Captain Marvel debut from 2012 to 2015, is often credited with Danvers’ massive rise in recent popularity. It came as no surprise then that fans were eager to hear her opinion on the casting of Larson – especially when critics voiced their concern regarding her height and age.

“I am emphatically on her team no matter how old she is, because she’s the one who got it. She’s publicly had this role for 24 hours. I have a lot people following my lead, and I’m not going to tell the choir that she’s not right,” DeConnick told Vanity Fair.

New age of race and gender equality?

It’s been a very slow process (especially if you think of poor Danvers fighting for women’s rights way back in the ‘70s), but it seems Hollywood is finally moving onto an age of gender (and race) equality in film.

Ghostbusters has had an all-female redo, Star Wars: The Force Awakens now has a much more diverse cast and Black Panther (the first black superhero) will hopefully be in cinemas by 2018.

Lupita Nyongo, tweeted this picture two days ago – showing many of the upcoming Marvel stars.

(From left to right: Laura Harrier (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Elizabeth Debicki (Guardians of the Galaxy), Danai Gurira (Black Panther), Tilda Swinton (Doctor Strange), Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther), Rachel McAdams (Doctor Strange), Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy)

They’re not all leads in the respective movies, but we’re getting somewhere. However slowly.