Like any good Marvel enthusiast, I've finished my second (and hotly anticipating my third) watch of Captain Marvel in search for Easter Eggs and clues to see what happens next in the cinematic universe! I love Carol Danvers' (aka Captain Marvel's) origin and how her story breaks the mold of the classic hero narrative: She equally knows herself and yet, has no idea where she came from. For more context on this, I highly suggest The Take's video on Carol Danvers here. They break down her character, original origin story, and how important she will be for Marvel as they move into a post-Infinity War world.
But after this second watch, I found myself still amazed by the backlash this film received both before and after its release. This is Marvels first female-lead film and while most of the film community was stoked about it, especially after how successful Wonder Women was, some are still very critical of Carol Danvers and what she may represent. This first became apparent when the teaser trailer and poster came out.
The poster may not look like much and honestly, it's pretty standard for a teaser poster. It has Captain Marvel front and center and gives us a general idea of her character. But that's not what people got upset about: they got upset about her face or more specifically her lack of smile. Yup, you heard it right, the internet blew up with comments to Brie Larson to "Smile more" and even going as far as to say, "If she'd smile, she'd be prettier."
To say that I was, and still am, dumbfounded is an understatement. This was even a problem after the movie had been released, with reviewers criticizing Marvel for having a third or fourth wave feminist agenda. One reporter even went as far as to say that Captain Marvel ruined International Women's Month...(Armond White of the National Review). Personally, I wouldn't go that far, because the film doesn't seem to be overtly feminist to begin with. In fact, the film seems to be a very honest look at what it looked like to be a women in the 80's, 90's, and even now.
But before we get into all of that, fair warning: very mild spoilers ahead!
Carol Danvers: A Modern Woman and Marvel's Attempt to Make Things Right
When we're first introduced to Carol, she is a "noble warrior hero" of the Kree empire. She has no idea where she comes from, but she doesn't let that hold her back. Unlike all of her other Marvel female counterparts, she is introduced as a complex, three dimensional character. In the beginning, she is emotional, cocky, and occasionally abrasive with those around her. She also deals with identity issues, a complicated past that she is trying to remember, and people underestimating her and her abilities at every corner. She doesn't have it easy and that's refreshing for the Marvel universe.
Up until a few years ago, almost all of the female superheroes we'd seen on screen were there for one reason: the sex appeal. When Black Widow was first introduced into the cinematic universe, she was a sex symbol that could kick butt in a tight leather suit. She had a backstory, but it wasn't explored. We got glimpses of it in Captain America: Winter Soldier, but didn't really make any progress with her character until Avengers: Age of Ultron. There had been talks for years about a solo movie, but it kept being pushed back. Then DC's Wonder Woman in 2017 came out and proved that female-lead superhero movies could be successful. So it seems as though Marvel is trying to make up for all of that in Captain Marvel and they do not disappoint, making roughly over $935 million when this post was written!
Captain Marvel is an honest look at the female experience, even down to a guy telling her, "You should really lighten up, smile more sweetheart." (A bit ironic, right?) The only part of that interaction that might not have been too realistic is her stealing his bike afterwords, but it was one heck of a power move. So where does third or fourth wave Feminism come in and is Carol Danvers a feminist?
What Even Is Third-Fourth Wave Feminism? Is Captain Marvel a Feminist?
"Third-wave feminism is an iteration of the feminist movement that began in the early 1990s United States and continued until the fourth wave began around 2008." (Wikipedia 2019)
With this in mind, Carol Danvers would have been right in the beginning of third-wave feminism. During her time on earth, around the late 80's, she is an air-force pilot trying to make it. At that time, women were still not able to be on the front lines, but Carol is able to fly experiment planes and train for combat. In this aspect she can be seen as a feminist, but she wasn't on earth when the movement started to really gain traction. She was off saving the universe with the Kree. She crash lands on Earth around 1995-96, about six years after she disappeared without a trace.
So this leads me to my main question: if a film has a female lead, does it automatically become a feminist film? Or is it just a movie with a woman in it and her story? I would argue that Captain Marvel is an honest portrayal of what a woman goes through (minus the crazy super powers and zero details on her past... obviously). While I definitely believe that Carol Danvers is a feminist, her movie is honest about being a woman without the tradition political agendas. She gets chastised for being too emotional, she's underestimated, and, often times, underappreciated. She is smart, resourceful, and pretty proud about it. She gets angry and doesn't just stand by while her friends and family get hurt. She looks like a lot of women and it's so refreshing to see among a male driven genre. Kevin Feige, one of the creative heads of Marvel, has even said she is not only the most powerful superhero on screen to date, but she is extremely important to the next phase of the cinematic universe. I, for one, can't wait to see how she leads the Marvel universe, whether that be feminist or not. In about a month, we'll get to see her again, but apart of the Avengers in Avengers: Endgame and I'm not gonna lie to you guys... you might want to bring tissues.
But what do you guys think? Do you think Captain Marvel is a feminist film or no? Do you think if a female is leading a movie, it becomes feminist? Did you even like the movie? Let me know in the comments below!
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