Female superheroes in Marvel

Does Marvel sexualize female superheroes?

Since the introduction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Marvel has made 34 movies and eight tv series so far. Through the lives of superheroes and villains, Marvel has made great progress with the characters through the progression of the MCU. Their movies have continuously improved over time and the detail in character backgrounds has helped to shape the MCU as we know it. 

Marvel has created some remarkable superheroes all of which are known for their resilience and strength. Some of the male superheroes include Thor, Captain America, Star-lord, Hulk and Bucky. On the other hand, some of the female superheroes are Captain Marvel, Gamora, Black Widow, Valkyrie and She Hulk. The male superheroes look incredibly strong because they are incredibly strong. Whereas, the female superheroes are equally if not stronger, but don’t resemble it at all.

She Hulk is a perfect example of how marvel portrays female superheroes. When Bruce Banner becomes Hulk he is transformed into a large monster. However, when She Hulk transforms into Hulk, the only thing that gets bigger is her chest; she essentially just looks like a human who got taller. She is easily recognized as Jennifer Walters while she is in hulk form. In contrast, when Banner becomes hulk, he bulks out and resembles more of a monster. 

In the show, she is stronger than Hulk, but Marvel only did that to redeem the fact that she looks like a painted human, which they did to connect her double life as much as possible. Every superhero has dealt with the problems that stem from living a double life. Banner’s double life as a scientist and physicist, and, of course, his other life being Hulk. Marvel fell short with Walters by breaking the double life standard.

The male superheroes’ life, besides the superhero, is always a smart role. Bruce, Tony and Peter are all technologically smart and superheroes. It’s rare for a female superhero to be shown in both a superhero role and an intellectual role. Most of the time they’re playing the role of superhero, and when they’re not, they’re basically a background character.

In the comics, She Hulk turns into a bulked strong Hulk, she’s also nicknamed “The Savage.” In the show, she is far too sexualized and loses her comic name. When Marvel switches from the comic universe to the cinematic universe, Marvel loses its originality and in turn, loses reviews. Marvel comics have always gotten better ratings than their tv shows and the movies. 

Marvel makes great superheroes, but the female superheroes’ appearance in the movies and tv shows are sexualized. If Marvel kept it comically accurate and had She-Hulk ripped and every female superhero live a double life, the ratings would be better.

Marvel’s ratings are good with what they’re doing, but with the resources they have, they could be great.