Summary
Only a handful of movies and TV shows in theMarvel Cinematic Universehave been primarily led by female superheroes, and some have been far stronger than others. When Marvel Studios kicked off the MCU in 2008, the higher-ups at Disney and Marvel Entertainment worried that prominently featuring female heroes wouldn’t garner a wide audience. Unfortunately, this meant that the women of the MCU were sidelined for quite some time, but there has been a major shift in recent years, with morepowerful female MCU heroesbeing introduced, with many leading their own projects.
Including 2019’sCaptain Marvel, the MCU’s first female-led movie,there have only been ten projects focused on Marvel’s female superheroes. This is set to increase with the upcoming releases ofAgatha All AlongandIronhearton Disney+, and there have thankfully been many more female heroes included in others' solo movies and team-up projects, such as Hope van Dyne’s Wasp, Gamora, and Valkyrie, among others.Marvel Studios' ten female-led moviesand TV shows have released to varying levels of success, but have mostly been strong stories for these formidable women.
Marvel’s Female Avengers Cast (As We Know It)
Marvel Studios has introduced many female superheroes over the years, any number of whom could join forces to form the MCU’s female Avengers team.
10Black Widow Didn’t Give Audiences What They Wanted
Black Widow Was Led By Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff, A.K.A. Black Widow
Despite being the longest-running female superhero in the MCU,Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widowdidn’t embark on a solo adventure until Phase 4.Black Widowreleased after Romanoff’s death inAvengers: Endgame, and initially gave audiences the grounded espionage thriller that many had wanted to see for Romanoff for several years. Unfortunately,this theme didn’t stick, asBlack Widoweventually devolved into yet another CGI-filled superhero action movie, which meant it lost a lot of its personality and intimacy.
“It Is Still Happening”: Scarlett Johansson Confirms Her Secret MCU Project Is Still In The Works
After months of no updates and its status unknown, Scarlett Johansson has finally confirmed that her secret MCU project is still good to go.
Until the movie’s final battle,Black Widowwas doing well to keep things subtle.Romanoff’s surrogate family history was explored beautifully, the introductions of Yelena Belova, Alexei Shostakov, and Melina Vostokoff were handled well, and the mythos of the Red Room was developed nicely. It’s a shameBlack Widowdidn’t keep this up throughout, however, particularly since this was set up as the final farewell for Scarlett Johansson’s popular Natasha Romanoff.
9The Marvels Is (Surprisingly) Marvel Studios' Lowest-Grossing Movie
The Marvels Was Led By Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, A.K.A. Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau, & Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, A.K.A. Ms. Marvel
The sequel to 2019’sCaptain Marvel, on paper, should have been a smash-hit for Marvel Studios. However,The Marvelsbecame an unfortunate victim of major Hollywood strikes, huge changes at Marvel Studios, and an altered attitude towards superhero movies. There was a lot going forThe Marvels:the movie’s fast pace kept the action going continuously, the development of the relationships between Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan was compelling, and the advancement of the MCU’s overall multiverse storyline was thrilling.
Nevertheless,The Marvelsstill became the MCU’s lowest-grossing movie since the franchise began, bringing in just over $206 million (viaBox Office Mojo), faring even worse than 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk.The Marvels’box office failure might not make much sense, but this will ultimately leave the future of the MCU’sCaptain Marvelfranchise in jeopardy.Large sections ofThe Marvelsalso felt a bit rushed, and there was little connection to the movie’s prequel series,Secret Invasion, which altogether felt jarring.
8She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Was Entertaining Despite Its Problems
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Was Led By Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters, A.K.A. She-Hulk
While Marvel Studios hasn’t been able to produce anysolo projects featuring Bruce Banner’s HulksinceThe Incredible Hulk, Jennifer Walters' She-Hulk was thankfully available. As the MCU’s first legal-comedy series, 2022’sShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawhad the perfect format for TV, and did a good job of introducing Tatiana Maslany’s new superhero.She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’sstorytelling techniques, including major MCU cameos, breaking the fourth wall, and a case of the week structure, worked perfectly for the series.
She-Hulk Season 2’s Disappointing Update May Prove Marvel Is Learning An Important Lesson
A disappointing update has been given regarding She-Hulk: Attorney at Law season 2, though it may prove that Marvel has learned a vital lesson.
Having said that, similarly toThe Marvels,She-Hulk: Attorney at Lawalso became a victim of recent criticisms aimed at Marvel Studios. Most notably, the visual effects and CGI quality throughout the series left something to be desired.After years of seeing a high-quality Hulk in the MCU’s Infinity Saga, it was a shame that She-Hulk wasn’t depicted in the same way, but this was a sign of the greater mistreatment of visual effects workers at Marvel and Disney, who have since unionized.
7Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Struggled Without Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Was Led By Letitia Wright’s Shuri, A.K.A. The Black Panther
Following the tragic and sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, the original plan forBlack Panther’ssequel was altered massively. Instead of developing the story of T’Challa,Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverbecame a more solemn exploration of Wakanda’s grief over the loss of its King and protector, with a more intense focus on Letitia Wright’s Shuri, who became theMCU’s new Black Panther. Despite being a beautiful memorial for T’Challa and Boseman,Wakanda Foreverstill struggled without the franchise’s beloved star.
The death of T’Challa perhaps would have been enough forBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverto focus on. However, director Ryan Coogler also included the introduction of the mutant Namor, the evolution of Shuri into the Black Panther, attacks on Wakanda, the death of Queen Ramonda, and the development of a wider-reaching political storyline.This meant that there was quite a lot going on inWakanda Foreverthat sometimes overshadowed the emotional impact of the movie, but it still delivered a touching remembrance of Boseman.
6Jessica Jones' First Season Was Its Best
Jessica Jones Was Led By Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones
Marvel Studios recently confirmed thatNetflix’s Defenders Saga is canon to the MCU, meaning the Krysten Ritter-ledJessica Jonesnow takes place in the MCU’s official timeline. Out of the six Defenders Saga shows,Jessica Joneswas one of the most popular, and one of two that ran for three seasons, alongsideDaredevil.Ritter’s Jessica Jones was an incredibly complex antihero, and the series' grounded, more mature, and darker themes reflected this brilliantly.
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Jessica Joneswas popular for its entire three-season run, but audience viewership did begin to wane after its premiere season. Season 1 pitted Jones against David Tennant’s sinister Kilgrave, whileseasons 2 and 3 featured smaller villains, including Jones' own mother, Trish Walker’s Hellcat, and serial killer Gregory Sallinger, contributing to slower-burn storylines.Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones may return to the MCU, as recent speculation suggests, so hopefully she will achieve her previous level of popularity.
5Eternals Was One Of Phase 4’s Most Divisive (& Underrated) Movies
Eternals Was Led Primarily Be Gemma Chan’s Sersi
Following its release in 2021, Chloé Zhao’sEternalsbecame one of the MCU’s most divisive projectsever. Many criticized the movie’s attempt to introduce ten powerful new superheroes in only a short space of time, which, granted, did make the storyline feel rushed and over-saturated at times. However,Eternalswas an experimental movie for Marvel Studios, with innovative new cinematography (Zhao’s trademark), an acclaimed all-star cast, and an expansive storylinethat explored the history of the MCU like no previous project.
In the years since,Eternalshas achieved a new level of respect from audiences, with appreciation growing for the project’s ambition and scope. While the movie focused on a large group of heroes, it wasGemma Chan’s Sersiwho led the charge, taking over as the Prime Eternal after Ajak’s demise.This was Chan’s second MCU role, but was a much stronger performance than her debut as Minn-Erva inCaptain Marvel, so hopefully there are many more stories for Sersi and the Eternals in the MCU’s future.
4Captain Marvel Was The MCU’s First Female-Led Movie
Captain Marvel Was Led By Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, A.K.A. Captain Marvel
The MCU’s first female-led project is still one of the franchise’s strongest, despite unfounded criticism aimed atCaptain Marvel’slead star, Brie Larson.Larson did a fantastic job at bringing Carol Danvers into the MCU at the end of Phase 3, and managed to imbue the seriously overpowered hero with humanity and relatability, something that many other actors would have struggled with. Set in 1995,Captain Marvelalso set the stage for some exciting stories in the MCU’s present day, including those featured inWandaVision,Ms. Marvel, Secret Invasion, and the movie’s own sequel,The Marvels.
The fact that Brie Larson was so outspoken in her political views and her views on feminism, and the simple fact thatCaptain Marvelput a powerful woman front-and-center, spurred a campaign by a vocal minority to derail the movie, even before its release.Despite this ridiculous campaign,Captain Marvelstill managed to gross over $1 billion at the global box office, marking a huge success for the MCU’s first female-centric movie. Thesuccess ofCaptain Marvelmade the failure of its 2023 sequel even more unexpected and shocking.
3Echo Was A Solid Continuation Of Maya Lopez’s Storyline
Echo Was Led By Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez, A.K.A. Echo
Even thoughEcho, theMCU’s first Marvel Spotlight series, went through a tumultuous production period, and was deemed unnecessary by “fans” prior to release, the series still became a successful installment in Phase 5. Continuing Alaqua Cox’s story as Maya Lopez, who initially debuted in 2021’sHawkeye, the five-episodeEchoprovided a deep dive into the history and culture of the Choctaw Nation, as well as expanding Lopez’s own relationship to her villainous father-figure, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin.
Echo’sreliance on its cultural exploration makes it a unique addition to the MCU. Produced in collaboration with the Choctaw Nation,Echo’sauthenticity is beautiful to watch, and its representative storyline of not only Native American history, but also the deaf community, means it is a hugely significant MCU project. The ending of the series did feel rather rushed, a symptom of the series' rocky production, butEchocontinued Maya Lopez’s storyline wonderfully, and set the stage for an even bigger narrative forKingpin in the MCU’s future.
2Ms. Marvel Introduced The MCU’s First Mutant Superhero
Ms. Marvel Was Led By Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, A.K.A. Ms. Marvel
One of the most exciting recent introductions to the MCU has been Iman Vellani, who has playedKamala Khan in 2022’sMs. MarvelandThe Marvels. As an MCU superfan, Vellani’s love for the franchise, and the Marvel Comics source material, is evident in her portrayal of Kamala Khan.This passion makes every moment she’s on screen entertaining and exhilarating, particularly when she is showing off her abilities. Vellani also has the honor of being the MCU’s first on-screen mutant.
Ms. Marvel Actor Discusses “Assured” MCU Return After The Marvels
Following her first appearance in the MCU movies, Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani gives a positive update on her return after The Marvels film.
Ms. Marvel’sblend of live-action and animated graphics emphasized the youthful nature of the titular hero, and not a second of the series' six-episode run felt wasted. Spanning from Jersey City to Karachi,Ms. Marvelwas a truly global series with a massive, dimension-crossing storyline that Vellani did a fantastic job at taking in her stride, which is even more impressive considering this was Vellani’s first on-screen acting role. Kamala Khan is set to be a huge part of the MCU’s future, as the suspected leader ofMarvel Studios' Young Avengers team, so hopefully this joyous temperament will continue.
1WandaVision Was A Complete Experiment For The MCU’s Multiverse Saga
WandaVision Was Led By Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, A.K.A. The Scarlet Witch
Marvel Studios' most impressive female-led project was also one of the MCU’s most experimental and risky installments:WandaVision. The MCU’s first TV series developed for Disney+,WandaVision’sformat saw each episode inspired by different decades of TV sitcoms, spanning from theI Love Lucy-style 1950s to the present day. Prior toWandaVision, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff had been a promising supporting character in theMCU’sAvengersprojects, but this really gave her a chance to showcase her sheer talent.
WandaVision: Each Decade, Ranked By Pop Culture Accuracy
Each episode of WandaVision covered a decade of sitcom tropes, from the 1950s to the 2000s. How accurate were the depictions on the MCU show?
WandaVisionmarked Wanda Maximoff’s full transformation into the Scarlet Witch, and explored a deeply emotional storyline of family, grief, and trauma.Olsen has done a brilliant job at demonstrating both the hilarity and more vulnerable and complex elements of Wanda, all of which were showcased throughoutWandaVision. The fact thatWandaVisionwas so successful set a high bar for subsequent Disney+ shows in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, which may have contributed to the criticism aimed at some, but has also made theScarlet Witch’s returneven more hoped-for.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
