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Piper Stevens

Writing 2010

Professor Erin Rogers

9 March, 2017

Representation of Gender in Superhero Films

Superhero films are some of the highest grossing movies currently released. With a

plethora of interweaving storylines and interesting characters, comic books have been providing

movie makers with material for decades. Something about the story of someone bigger than life

never fails to draw millions of fans to movies theaters and comic conventions around the world.

Superhero movies can be viewed and enjoyed by kids, adults and people of all genders. Gender

often plays a prominent role in popular superhero films. The way both men and women are

portrayed in superhero movies is analyzed and often criticized in both academic communities

and fandoms. In the ongoing discussion of gender in superhero movies, sources predominantly

claim that male superheroes are usually hyper masculinized and play into heterosexual

stereotypes while male villains are often feminized to communicate the value of strong male

characteristics within society. Additionally, academics predominantly agree that females in

superhero movies are oversexualized and either exist as a tool to progress a male dominated

storyline, or suffer from their power; there is also a debate as to whether the lack of superheroine

movies being produced is an issue that needs to be rectified.

One widely discussed topic related to superhero movies is the hyper masculinized

portrayal of men through muscular bodies and behavior stereotypical of the heterosexual male

leader. This concept is addressed in the article Its a Bird! Its a Plane! Its a Gender Steryotype!

Associations Between Superhero Viewing and Gender Serotyped Play in which Coyne, Linder,
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Rasmussen, Nelson, Collier perform a study to observe the effect that watching superhero films

has on young children, boys in particular. Coyne et al. make the observation that, in general,

superheroes have an abundance of masculine characteristics including aggression, power, and

leadership skills. The authors hypothesize that masculine traits are positively reinforced to

audiences throughout superhero films: superheroes are most certainly rewarded (e.g., fame,

saving the city) for being assertive, aggressive, powerful, strong, and muscular (qtd. in Coyne et

al. 418). The study found that boys who viewed superhero programs were more gender

stereotyped in terms of their play and activities 1 year later (425). This conclusion makes sense,

since hyper masculinized superheroes often exist as role models for young children to model

their behavior after.

Sabine Lebel acknowledges the hyper masculine portrayal of superheroes discussed by

Coyne et al. and attempts to explain why that image of male superheroes has persisted and even

become more extreme in the essay Tone Down the Boobs, Please! Reading the Special Effect

Body in Superhero Movies. In the essay, Lebel describes the evolution of male superhero bodies

from super muscular bodybuilder bodies to unrealistic representation of the male form through

CGI enhancement. This push further and further away from the normal male body type reveals

anxiety about a loss of natural or essential masculinity understood as muscular and heroic

(60). In other words, as society has become more accepting of fluid gender roles and definitions,

the cinematic industry has responded by creating increasingly extreme representations of

masculinity. In fact, Lebel goes so far as to claim that a superheros humanity is defined by

their masculinity, which is, in turn, insistently heterosexual (62). With this, Lebel draws a

connection between Coyne et al.s observation that a large part of each superheroes identity is

rooted in stereotypically masculine traits and her own observation that these masculine traits
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have intensified with time and better technology. Superhero movies place such a strong emphasis

on masculinity and heterosexuality that the superheros identity and sense of humanity are

essentially defined by these traits.

While men are often characterized as overtly masculine in superhero films, Lee Easton

examines the opposite, feminization of male characters, in his essay Saying no to Hetero-

Masculinity The Villain in the Superhero Film. Easton makes the claim that villains are given

unmanly characteristics to reinforce the superheros masculinity. Easton uses Loki from the Thor

movies and other classic villains to illustrate that villains often use trickery and illusions rather

than physical force and bravery to accomplish a goal. Likewise, villains are usually shown

fighting against social norms, having bodies that are aligned with a soft feminine Other and

consequently covered in long costumes (40). Villains are also depicted as devoid of sexual

desires something that is usually of great importance in the storylines of male superheroes (41).

Easton asserts that because these feminized villains are fighting against the hyper masculine

good guy, superhero movies communicate a societal uneasiness towards individuals who are

queer or dont fit traditional male gender norms. As a result, the overall defeat of the villain

serves to reinforce a form of desirable heroic masculinity, and, simultaneously, to enshrine the

attributes of white heterosexual masculinity as the dominant fiction to which others must bow

(41). Eastons argument provides a new perspective to the discussion of masculinity in superhero

films. This perspective fits into the argument presented by Coyn et al. and Lebel and even

strengthens it by providing juxtaposition.

When addressing the portrayal of women in superhero movies, many different stances

can be taken. For example, in a study conducted by Kaysee Baker and Arthur A. Raney that

looked at gender stereotyped behavior in animated superhero media, they found little differences
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in behavior between male and female superheroes. The study tracked certain personality traits

such as warmth, independence, assertiveness, emotionality, etc. in animated superhero programs

and found that the means for these variables were almost identical for female and male

superheroes (36). Essentially, Baker and Raney found that female superheroes have been

masculinized in order to appear in mass media. This idea is contrasted by Charlotte E. Howell in

the article Tricky Connotations: Wonder Woman as DCs Brand Distributor. Howell criticizes

DC for not being able to create a Wonder Woman movie. Also that the few instances where

Wonder Woman has been given screen time, her character has not been as strong or powerful as

in the comic books. This article was published in 2015 so some of the information is out of date,

most notably the fact that a Wonder Woman movie is set to release in June of 2017.

Nevertheless, the criticisms made by Howell are still largely applicable to the present superhero

movie industry. In the article, Howell analyzes one attempt made by David E. Kelley and NBC

to adapt the Wonder Woman storyline for television in 2011. After parts of the pilot were leaked,

it became clear to fans that Kelley didnt know and DC didnt care about the core characteristics

of Wonder Woman (145). The resulting character was emotionally sappy and weak willed.

Nothing like the strong, feminine warrior that the Wonder Woman comics had created. This

representation was especially a slap in the face for Wonder Women fans because she had become

a symbol for second wave feminism in the 1970s and was now given the same gender

stereotypes that second wave feminists were fighting against.

Along with this misrepresentation of a strong female character, Howell also criticizes the

lack of representation Wonder Woman has had in any media at all: in terms of live-action

representation, each male superhero far outnumbers the single representation of Wonder

Woman (144). This is surprising considering that Wonder Woman is one of DC Comics
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Trinity of major super heroes along with Batman and Superman. Howells argument fits into

the overarching discussion of whether there needs to be more films released about superheroines.

In an email released by WikiLeaks in 2014, Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter discussed the idea of

female superhero movies with the CEO of Sony, Michael Lynton. In the email, Perlmutter lists

three female-led superhero movies, Electra, Catwoman, and Supergirl, and outlines why each

was a financial failure. In this email, it can be inferred that Perlmutter is of the opinion that films

about female superheroes should not be a priority in the future because in the past they have not

proven to be as financially successful as male superhero movies. In the article Why Female-led

Superhero Movies Fail William Avitt defends this opinion by claiming that female superhero

movies do not appeal to the target audience of superhero movies: The target audience for comic

book movies is still men and boys. Hell, the only reason Disney bought Marvel in the first place

was to have a brand to market to pre-teen boys (Avitt). In other words, it would be financially

ill-advised to produce a movie that most likely will not appeal to the target audience of that

movie genre. The arguments of Perlmutter and Avitt both use the low profits of past female-led

superhero movies to counter criticisms of Howell and others calling for more films centered

around superheroine protagonists.

In addition to analysis of the amount of representation women have in Superhero films,

the role that women play in superhero films can also be interpreted. In the book Super Bitches

and Action Babes: The Female Hero in Popular Cinema, Rikke Schubart classifies the roles of

females into five basic archetypes: the dominatrix, the rape-avenger, the mother, the daughter,

and the Amazon. Schubart explains each of these archetypes and ultimately ties each back to the

main idea that these women characters exist to play out roles in a male dominated world. In the

above mentioned essay, Tone Down the Boobs, Please!:Reading the Special Effect Body in
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Superhero Movies, Lebel uses specific examples to more deeply explore the damsel in distress

role that many women take on in superhero movies. Lebel uses the example of Mary Jane in the

Spider-Man movies because she is very clearly used as a tool to propel Spider-mans storyline

forward: Throughout all three films Mary Jane functions as little more than a place marker for

that girl, the girls next door. She exists solely in relation to Peter Parker/Spider-Man as a love

interest and someone to be rescued (62). Lebel then draws connections between the storylines

of Mary Jane and Betty Rosss character in the Hulk franchise. Rosss character is able to bring

the Hulk back from his angered state and essentially restore his humanity. She is a feminine

counterpart beside which the Hulk can develop as a character. Overall Lebel concludes that

Mary Jane and Betty Ross exist to be saved and fought over, not to have any character

development, internal struggle, or strength of their own (62).

In Saying no to Hetero-Masculinity The Villain in the Superhero Film Lee Easton agrees

with Lebels idea and applies it to even more superhero films: Even Steve Rogers achieves

success when he overcomes his boyish inexperience with women and (finally) kisses Peggy

Carter (Haley Atwell). Likewise, Thors successful maturation is at least partially linked to

establishing an ennobling relationship with astrophysicist Jane Foster (41). Thus, these two

things, success and getting the girl, become linked. This is yet another way that female characters

are used as tools to bolster the character of the male superhero. While Schubart merely classifies

and explains the different archetypes women have in superhero movies, Lebel and Easton expand

on a single archetype and analyze how that archetype fits into the overall storyline of the movie.

Nevertheless, these sources overwhelmingly agree that the primary role of non-super women in

super hero movies is to reinforce the humanity, morality, and heterosexuality of their superhero

love interests.
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Not only does Sabin Lebel discuss the role of love interests in superhero movies, she also

analyzes the role of superheroines in films. Lebel argues that most superheroines retain their

idealistic female form unlike many of their male counter parts like the Hulk and The Human

Torch. This could serve the purpose of draw[ing] the attention of the viewer to the idealized

female form, leaving the superheroines supernatural powers hidden and internal (65). In other

words, female heroines have to oversexualize their bodies to make up for their power. This is

because in a male dominated industry, strong female heroines might make some male viewers

uncomfortable. Sexualizing women removes that anxiety by lowering strong women to a level of

objectification and by valuing their self-worth on their body.

In the essay, Lebel also points out that female heroines often fall victim to their own

power, and suffer unfavorable fates because of it. Lebel uses the example of Jean Grey/Pheonix

who becomes overwhelmed by her power and begins to destroy an entire island. Eventually

Wolverine is able to walk towards her and beg her to stop, she whispers kill me and he stabs

her with his claws to save everyone, including her, from herself (65). A similar fate is suffered

by the heroine Mystique who is shot by an anti-mutant vaccine: Magneto abandons her there,

naked and regular (66). Lebel makes the connection that both these heroines suffered from their

powers and eventually lose them because the power is too much for them to handle. Rebecca

Strong also speaks to this idea in the article Why its time to Rewrite the Female Superhero.

Strong compares the fate of female superheroes to that of male superheroes: When [male

superheroes] are killed or injured, they generally return to their original heroic statesand

most of the time, they come back even stronger than before (Strong). This contrasts the loss

of power that many female heroines suffer in the same films. This is because heroine power is

closely tied with female strength, and by taking that power away from these heroines, it also
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enforces the idea that female force should also be taken away. Sabine Lebels article provides a

deep analysis of the role female heroines in superhero cinema.

People in both the academic and pop culture community have spent time analyzing the

portrayal of gender in the widely popular genre of superhero films. Sources argue that male

superheroes are often over masculinized while villains enforce this masculinity through

displaying feminine traits. Likewise, the general consensus was reached that non-super females

serve the purpose of propelling the male superhero storyline forward, and female superheroes

often suffer unfavorable fates because of their powers. Additionally, whether or not more

female-led superhero movies should be produced is an issue that continues to be debated. The

issue of gender is extremely vast within the superhero film genre and will no doubt continue to

face scrutiny and analysis from countless fans and academics globally.
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Works Cited

Avitt, William. "Why Female-led Superhero Movies Fail." Movie Pilot. N.p., 9 Jan. 2015. Web.

15 Mar. 2017.

Baker, K., & Raney, A. A. (2007). Equally Super?: Gender-role stereotyping of superheroes in

childrens animated programs. Mass Communication & Society, 10, 2541.

doi:10.1080/15205430709337003.

Coyne, Sarah, et al. "It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a Gender Stereotype!: Longitudinal Associations

between Superhero Viewing and Gender Stereotyped Play." Sex Roles, vol. 70, no. 9-10,

May 2014, pp. 416-430. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11199-014-0374-8.

Easton, Lee. "Saying No to Hetero-Masculinity." Cinephile, vol. 9, no. 2, Fall2013, pp. 38-44.

EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f3h&AN=100665839&site=

ehost-live.

Howelle, Charlotte E.Tricky" Connotations: Wonder Woman as DC's Brand Disruptor." Cinema

Journal, vol. 55, no. 1, Fall2015, pp. 141-149. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1353/cj.2015.0072.

Lebel, Sabine. "Tone Down the Boobs, Please!": READING the SPECIAL EFFECT BODY in

SUPERHERO MOVIES." Cineaction, no. 77, Aug. 2009, pp. 56-67. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f3h&AN=55275751&site=ehost-live.

Perlmutter, Ike. "Female Movies." Message to Michael Lynton. 7 Aug. 2014. E-mail.

Schubart, Rikke. Super bitches and action babes: the female hero in popular cinema, 1970-2006.

Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2007. Print.

Strong, Rebecca. "Why it's Time to Rewrite the Female Superhero." BostInno. N.p., 25 Jan.

2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.

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