I am a proud female comic book fan. This sounds like a contradiction I know. Normally, when most people think of a female superhero they think of the skimpy outfits and insane body proportions. To quote Marvel heroine Valkyrie, “Come on in the revolution is fine!” Marvel Comics has been focusing more on the empowerment of women in recent years, and this is an incredible sign of things to come! By using more realistic body standards, re-imaging character design, and implementing all women teams is allowing Marvel to lead the way!
During the 1970’s empowerment movement, women began demanding everyone's attention. This was when Stan Lee, famous writer for Marvel, realized his stories heavily lacked strong independent female heroes. Valkyrie was one of the first female heroines born and was inspired solely by the women’s empowerment movement. A couple years in the future, Chris Claremont began writing for Marvel. Claremont was one of the first male writers that focused on accentuating the mental aspects of women rather than physical - he wanted a hero young girls could look up to. He inspired Marvel’s current Ms. Marvel writer who proceeded to push the envelope further than Claremont.
G. Willow Wilson is in the process of transforming Marvel Comics with the release of the new Ms. Marvel. She is a Pakistani-American high school girl. Instead of following the Eurocentric standards of beauty, Wilson decided to make her version of this heroine as someone for a wider range of young girls to look up to. Along with re-creating of Ms. Marvel, there has been recent news of Marvel re-inventing another fan favorite. Thor is becoming a woman! Most of his/hers cast are becoming female as well. They are also renaming Asgard to Asgardia! If that’s not enough, G Willow Wilson is making an all female avengers called A-Force.
For the first time ever, Marvel is making a comic dedicated to an all women’s group, and they are using this time to talk about some hot button issues through its new character, Singularity.
“If we're going to have an all-female team, let's really push the envelope and talk about what gender means. Let's have a character on there who is not human, who has no natal gender and who, through various circumstances that readers will see as the book unfolds, chooses to kind of manifest as a woman.” – G. Willow Wilson.
I am incredibly proud of Marvel. This company is taking the power they have to really address some of the issues that are really wrong with society. Marvel is providing young females with heroes that they too can look up to by expanding the hero spectrum. So, next time you see a female reading a comic don't tell them it's unladylike.
Marvel, thank you so much for all the inspiration and empowerment you have provided me through Valkyrie, Black Widow, Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel and the A-team. This is your friendly neighborhood comic nerd reminding you to pick up your favorite marvel story today!
