Women in Marvel Films

by Miriam Kent

Overview

The concept of identity in superhero narratives has become a burgeoning field in academic studies of this increasingly popular cinematic genre. Women n Marvel Films provides the first rigorous analysis of the portrayals of women, heroic and otherwise, in films based on Marvel comics from the 1980s to the present. It explores the relationships between this cultural phenomenon and wider issues of gender equality, considering the cultural moments in which Marvel films are made and incorporating complex histories of the comic book and Hollywood industries. The book also asks how feminist issues surface within superhero adaptations and how they are dealt with via Hollywood and comic book conventions. Kent shows how the Marvel superhero film taps into political complexities regarding gender and related identity issues, such as women's roles in society and their relation to men, and provides a fascinating insight into gendered power dynamics in contemporary American popular culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781474448826
Publisher:	Edinburgh University Press
Publication date:	04/13/2021
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Miriam Kent has a PhD in Film Studies with a focus on Marvel superheroes from the University of East Anglia, where she has taught a wide range of Film, Media and Gender Studies courses. She has published on superhero media with an interest in gender, representation and adaptation. Her previous work has appeared in academic journals, including Feminist Media Studies.

Table of Contents

List of Figures xxx

Acknowledgements xxx

Introducing … The Mighty Women of Marvel! 1

Comics on Screen: What is at Stake in Representing Marvel Women? 10

The (Super)Power of Feminist Film Studies 15

We're In This Together Now: Mediating Womanhood through Postfeminist Culture 21

1 'You Have a Knack for Saving My Life!': Wives, Girlfriends and Women in Refrigerators in Marvel Films 29

Damsels in Distress and Women in Refrigerators across Media 30

Women in Refrigerators in Marvel Film Adaptations 34

2 Pepper Potts and Gwen Stacy: Recuperating the Superhero Girlfriend 47

Iron (Wo)Man 48

The Amazing Gwen Stacy 58

3 With Great Power Comes Great Frustration? Configurations of Hero(ine)ism in Marvel Films 68

Superheroines and Postfeminist Media Culture 68

With Great Power Comes Great Frustration 75

4 Playing Superheroine: Feminine Subjectivity and (Postfeminist) Masquerade 93

'I Want You to Be the Best Version of Yourself': Postfeminist Masquerade and Subjectivity in Captain Marvel 101

5 Marvel Legacy: Girl Heroism and Intergenerationality in Marvel Films 119

Interconnected Womanhood in Elektra 120

All-New, All-Different: The Legacy of Wolverine in Logan 123

6 Mad With Power: Female Villainy in Marvel Films 145

Wicked Witches and Poisonous Women 150

Disease, Toxicity and Poison in Marvel's Evil Women 156

Make Asgard Great Again: Villainy and the Feminine Spectre of White Supremacy in Thor: Ragnarok 161

7 Mutants, Cyborgs and Femininity Unfixed? Addressing the Gendered Bodies of Mystique and Nebula 171

Fluid Gender and the Politics of the X-Men Films 173

The Strangest Superhero of All: Nebula's Cyborg Subjectivity 184

8 Disrupting the Rainbow Bridge: Dysfunctional Heterosexuality and Reinforcing Gender Difference in Marvel Adaptations 193

Dysfunctional Heterosexuality in Marvel Films 199

9 Black Skin, Blue Skin: Race and Femininity in Marvel Films 210

The Politics of 'Diversity' in Marvel Properties 214

10 The (Afro)Future of a Diverse Marvel: Gender, Race and Empire in Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther 233

Asgard as a People: Racial Ambiguity in Thor: Ragnarok's Heroines 236

Wakanda Forever: Black Femininity and the (Afro)Future 241

Afterword: Some Concluding Remarks on Marvel Women … Thus Far! 260

Filmography 264

Bibliography 267

Index 307