Captain Marvel And Other Strong Female Superhero Role Models

Marvel’s long awaited first female-led superhero film is finally here and ready to make a splash at the box office. While reviews have been mixed, and not as strong as other additions to the superhero genre, it still marks a first for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and by all means it means a lot in the long run. Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel isn’t the only female superhero to hit the big screen though. Here are our favourites.

Wonder Woman: The Wonder Woman series that aired on TV by in the 1970s is more than a little dated, but for a lot of people it was still the image that came to their head when the character was mentioned. That all changed in 2016 though when Gal Gadot took over the role and made a slightly bigger than a cameo appearance in the Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice film. Her 2017 solo film was a huge hit, and showed the world that a female superhero can indeed make a lot of money at the cinema. A sequel is now on its way, and it looks to be an even bigger hit.

Black Widow: Let’s be honest here, you are wondering too why Scarlett Johansson hasn’t gotten a solo Black Widow film yet too aren’t you? Ever since she appeared in Iron Man 2 and started kicking ass, demand for a solo Black Widow film has skyrocketed. Yet, it still hasn’t happened. There are plenty of rumours that a movie is on the plate, and will be coming soon, but when that will be is still to be determined.

Gamora: Guardians of the Galaxy did what no one really expected it to do. It took a group of heroes that really only comic books geeks knew of, and turned them into mainstream icons. While a lot of people talked about the talking, walking tree, the raccoon, and Chris Pratt’s shocking muscular build, Zoe Saldana managed to hold her own as the green skinned assassin. She stole several of the scenes she was in by fighting with the best of them, and by becoming the love interest of the leading character. Sure she made have been sacrificed in the latest Avengers film, but this is a comic book film, and characters don’t really stay dead do they?

The Wasp: When Ant-Man was released in 2015, the Wasp was hinted at, but never really saw any screen time. That changed for the 2018 sequel though, with Evangeline Lilly’s character sharing top billing. And on top of that, Michelle Pfeiffer played an older version of the character as well. That’s two Wasps for the price of one. And of course, Lilly’s Wasp managed to outdo Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man whenever she had the chance.

Shuri: Black Panther broke all sorts of boundaries when it came to the superhero genre, but the title character wasn’t the only one people were talking about when the movie ended. The brains behind the tech wasn’t some old dude (ala Q in the James Bond series), but Black Panther’s little sister Shuri. She stole scenes with her quick wit, and in the latest Avengers movie she even managed to get a few kick-ass moments in. We’re looking forward to seeing more of her in future films.