Gender Stereotypes In Superhero Movies

Although superhero movies have become some of the most popular and successful movies of the 21st century, most of these movies have been about men and focused on their trials and triumphs while also creating and perpetrating negative stereotypes of women. The female superhero movie falls into one of three gendered stereotypes: the victim, the tomboy and the bombshell. In the first category, the victim constantly finds herself at the centre of trouble and requires the main man in the movie to swoop in and save her as she is a passive and weak character. The bombshell tends to be highly sexualised, wearing tight clothes and given a ‘femme fatale’ characterisation, not physically powerful but manipulative and unscrupulous. The tomboy is a strong

Diana is naïve to the world of man and starts out innocent and surprised by the horrors she sees. Then, rather than becoming hard to what she sees, Diana’s caring nature dictates how she acts; having to be dragged away from a group of refugees and protecting a village from invaders. ‘I glimpsed the darkness that lives within their light. I learned that inside every one of them, there will always be both. The choice each must make for themselves - something no hero will ever defeat.’ She becomes aware of how dark the world is but rather than become hardened by it she allows herself to love and hope instead. The promotional material for the movie also depicts Diana as a complete person, rather than the faceless or passive women usually seen in superhero movie advertising, positioning her in powerful poses, showing her power and determination in her facial expressions and stance. Although Wonder Woman does reinforce some aspects of the bombshell stereotype, Diana’s characterisation is where Wonder Woman differs from other female superhero movies featuring a sexualised lead. Her compassionate and living yet powerful and strong nature becomes the focus of the movie and removes the need for her to be overtly sexual to have an active presence in the

This character denies all ties to femininity and tries to act and fight like the men around her, becoming a shallow and simplistic character. Diana is none of those things. She is written and acted as a complex and unique character, unique not because no woman is like her, but because no female superhero so far has ever come close to being like her. While the tomboy bottles up emotions, refusing to act in any way that may be associated with femininity, Diana does the utter opposite, embracing her femininity, and never doubting that a woman can accomplish anything a man can without sacrificing her identity, ‘I am Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. In the name of all that is good, your wrath upon this world is over.’ Her naiveté and simplistic world views also create a freshness and honesty of character that the tomboy loses in their attempts to be ‘one of the boys’. Diana’s need to fight is not driven by a love of violence or longing to be tough, but is driven by a need to protect those who cannot protect themselves and driven by her hope and love, ‘It’s about what you believe. And I believe in love.’ The love that drives Diana also dictates her interactions with others making her a caring and supportive character. She never becomes ‘tough’ and closed off to complete her mission instead acknowledging the