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The role of women in the
superhero/action genre has evolved quite considerably. For years, it was thought that
only males wanted to see action or superhero films. Females were stereotyped as only
wanting to see dramas. But in the late ‘90s and 21st century, a number of superhero
films or programs received half their base from females.
What happened to
change this? Many of the earlier heroes seemed to be based on and aimed at toddlers.
The Hulk was a behemoth with the mind of an angry toddler. Even the classical heroes
that had more of an intellect often resolved things by pure brute force. Of course, they
were all male. Any female superheroes were toned down when compared to their male
counterparts. An example of this would be Wonder Woman, who was clearly not as powerful
as Superman.
Change in the superhero world started as early as the
‘70s in the comic books that are spawning many of today’s superhero movies. The X-Man
Jean Grey, then called Marvel Girl, went from being a weak telekinetic, to a strong
telepath/telekinetic. She was joined by Storm, a powerful weather manipulator. Jean
Grey eventually died and came back as the Phoenix, a being with such vast mental powers
she was capable of doing whatever she wanted to. The movie X-Men 2 was about Jean’s
transformation, death, and upcoming resurrection as the Phoenix. Other powerful women
joined the X-Men as well, and as a result, in the ‘90s and in the 21st century, half of
the X-Men’s members are female. This is not only because of the powerful female heroes,
but also because the X-Men have to strategize and think their way out of situations.
Also in the ‘90s, television shows like Hercules and Xena featured
powerful females as goddesses and heroes, who were as powerful as the male gods and
heroes. Xena, a powerful physical fighter and occasional sorceress often won fights with
the gods by outsmarting them. As the superhero genre moved to encompass the female half
of the population, it became much more mature and interesting. And of course, it became
a lot more profitable.
