There has been a lot of talk about diversity in the entertainment industry over the past few years, and several studios have been called out for their largely male-centric film rosters. The films that are a part of theMarvel Cinematic Universehave also been scrutinized in the past for the same reason, but as part of Phase 4, Marvel Studios seems to finally be listening and changing things up a little.
Phase 4 of theMCUwas launched earlier this year with the Disney Plus seriesWandaVision. While the first three phases of the films were largelyfocused on the Infinity Saga, the heroes are moving on to other issues and threats in this latest phase of the MCU. What’s interesting to note, however, is that Phase 4 has featured some very strong female characters so far, some of them even in lead roles. Could Marvel be making a conscious decision to give their female characters bigger roles?
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Stan Lee is one name that is synonymous with Marvel. The co-creator of the comics died at the age of 95 in 2018 and left behind an enormous legacy. One thing thatLee always strived towards was bringing more diversityinto the comics and the MCU. A video interview with Lee had gone viral back in 2017, in which he was heard talking about how the movies needed to have room for everyone, “irrespective of their race, gender, religion or color of their skin.”
For a long time, the MCU films were not reflective of those words. Lee’s philosophy of creating a universe that was a reflection of the world outside the viewers’ windows wasn’t fulfilled as the MCU lacked the promised diversity. The heroes were mostly White males, with the women working as supporting characters or simply the heroes’ love interests. However, as part of Phase 4, Marvel has decided to shake things up.
WandaVision,which kicked off things for the MCU’s Phase 4, primarily focused on the journey that Wanda Maximoff had to go on after having lost the love of her life. She created an entire town, called Westview, where she lived happily with her dead husband Vision, and her imaginary twin boys, Billy and Tommy. The show was the perfect example of the stages of grief that an individual would experience, and Wanda completed her journey when she accepted her chaos magic to become the Scarlet Witch.
Even though Wanda has been a part of the MCU prior toWandaVision, the show allowed her the opportunity to shine. She was finally the lead character, and her story was the main focus, rather than her just working along with the Avengers as a supporting character. Her powers have been on display in previous MCU films, butWandaVisiongave fans an insight into the true extent of her magic. In the comics, she is one of the most powerful heroes, and that didn’t seem to be the case in the MCU, up until WandaVision was released.
That’s not all the series had to offer. Apart from witnessing Wanda’s Scarlet Witch avatar for the first time, fans got to meet Monica Rambeau and Agatha Harkness, both extremely powerful individuals. Rambeau, who will return as part ofThe Marvelsin 2022, essentiallyhas the power to absorb large amounts of energyon the electromagnetic spectrum, glimpses of which were seen in WandaVision. Harkness, on the other hand, was powerful enough to put on a fight with Wanda, only momentarily though.
FollowingWandaVision, all the content that has been released as part of MCU’s Phase 4 so far, both television and films, has either introduced a new female character or allowed one to shine, when she was previously pushed to the sidelines.The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,Loki,Black Widow, andShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringshave all successfully offered female characters the platform that they had been missing in the MCU so far.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldierdid not just introduce the new Captain America to the world, but also brought forward an extremely intriguing character who will definitely play an important role in the MCU moving forward.Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, portrayed wonderfully by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, was first introduced in the Disney Plus series, and had left fans searching the depths of the internet to understand who she is and why she was assembling a team of heroes.
Speaking of her team of heroes, she enlists Yelena Belova inBlack Widow, who has turned out to become a fan-favorite character. When the film was released, fans were all praise forFlorence Pugh’s portrayal of Yelena. Not only was the character the perfect partner for Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff, but would easily go on to star in a standalone project sometime in the MCU’s future. Let’s not forget that Romanoff was only a supporting character in all her MCU appearances so far, withBlack Widowbeing the first time her backstory was explored.
Loki, the third Disney Plus series, introduced fans to Sylvie. At first, fans were a little skeptical about the romance between the two Loki Variants, but over time, they started to realize howSylvie would be an integral part of the Multiverse. Many referred to the character as the best part of the series and her character development was definitely commendable, with a lot of thought put in by the writers to ensure that while her story was revealed, there was a certain sense of mystery and ambiguity retained till the finale. The powerful hero should return in the second season of Loki, and fans are looking forward to witnessing her magic possibly getting even more powerful after her confrontation with He Who Remains.
Finally, joining all these female heroes are Xialing and Katy inShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In Awkafina’s words, Xialing is a “badass” character, who has clearly made her place in the MCU in just her first appearance.Her fight techniquealready makes her a cut above several of the MCU’s heroes, and with the Ten Rings organization now at her beck and call, she is bound to become one of the most powerful characters in the MCU moving forward.
Katy, on the other hand, has very humble beginnings, but goes on to not only shoot the Dweller-in-Darkness in the neck and save the day, but is also acknowledged as an important member of the MCU moving forward by her counterparts Captain Marvel, Bruce Banner, and Master Wong. This isn’t the last that fans have seen of her, and it seems like she will make an impact in the Multiverse of Madness.
In 2019’sAvengers: Endgame, there was a scene as part of the final battle that brought together all the female heroes from the MCU. While the scene was appreciated, for finally acknowledging the female Avengers, it seemed like it was a half-hearted attempt at portraying the MCU’s diversity. It even started a debate on social media on whether the MCU was “trying too hard.” Many felt that the scene wasn’t sincere, considering the MCU has had only one female-led standalone film so far,2019’sCaptain Marvel.
However, it seems like the MCU is finally giving female characters the right amount of power and screen time as part of Phase 4. It would be interesting to see if they will be able to keep the trend moving forward.Based on the trailers forEternalsandHawkeye, the two upcoming projects from Phase 4, Marvel shouldn’t have any difficulty in bringing in the diversity that Lee promised to the audiences.
