The New Superhero: Authenticating Female Power in "Captain Marvel"

English, Film

Hussain, Zamira

Peebles, Stacey (Mentor)

Superhero films have had an unprecedented presence in popular cinema over the last decade. Many argue that Marvel Studios’ 2008 film, "Iron Man", jumpstarted a mainstream cultural phenomena with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, it took eleven years before Marvel Studios released their first [female-led] film, 2019’s "Captain Marvel". This isn’t to say there haven’t been many other action heroines over the last several decades. However, while performing an analysis of 2019’s "Captain Marvel", I will address how this depiction seeks to authenticate female power through physical violence without recourse to the necessary narrative elements of the early to mid 2000s “action babe cinema.” Range within representation is important as female heroes deserve to exist in roles and plots that are not reliant on their gender. Captain Marvel is made multi-dimensional as her femininity and power is allowed to co-exist.