Chas Pridgen: Captain Marvel is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe soon in the first female-led solo film in the MCU roster. It only took 11 years and 20 movies. Because of this momentous movie release, I decided to look out how female superheroes have been treated in the past. To learn more, I talked to Brittany Harvey, an aspiring filmmaker and major movie buff.Are you a superhero movie fan? 

Brittany Harvey: Yes…… You can’t be a movie fan and not like superhero movies. I’m just saying.

Chas Pridgen: Marvel’s “Daredevil” spinoff “Elektra” came out in 2005 to mostly negative reviews. Now, it has a score of 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, most people online seem to agree that Jennifer Garner played the title character with “gusto.” The reviews say things about the script being bland and the fights being generic, and there are definitely some butt shots along the way.

Before “Elektra, there was Catwoman.” Halle Berry played the main character, and this role is generally accepted to be one of her worst. With a score of 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, reviews said that this movie was an excuse to get Halle Berry to wear sexy clothes, and that the character was nothing like her comic book counterpart.

Now, these obviously were not the most best portrayals of women in Hollywood, but things are starting to move in a better direction. Filmmakers are realizing that having leads who aren’t straight white men isn’t actually a risk.

Brittany Harvey: “I feel like these ideas aren’t risks. Putting women – Putting minorities or anybody in film is not a risk. I feel like movie studios have convinced themselves that you can only sell to a particular audience. That’s not always true, so I feel like we need to get away from that ‘putting a woman lead is a risk.’ It’s not a risk. People want to see people in film. ”

Chas Pridgen: More recently, “Wonder Woman” joined the Worlds of DC. Princess Diana was very well received with a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 88% audience score. “Wonder Woman” was directed by Patty Jenkins, and the film was praised for not pandering to the male gaze. There were no butt shots, the costumes were practical, and there were multiple well-rounded female characters. If you compare “Wonder Woman” with “Catwoman,” there is a definite improvement.

Hopefully “Captain Marvel” can meet the standard that “Wonder Woman” set!