The Marvel president defends his studio’s lack of female leads following Ant-Man controversy.
[dropcap size=small]J[/dropcap]ust in the last few months, Scarlet Witch has become an Avenger, Tilda Swinton has been cast as the traditionally-male Ancient One in Doctor Strange and it’s been confirmed that Elektra will join Daredevil. In 2018, Captain Marvel will become the studio’s first female-led superhero film. Marvel is certainly taking steps towards a more gender-diverse cinematic universe, but their latest film, Ant-Man, has caused some to question whether they have just taken a few steps back.
Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, spoke to the Singapore Times in an attempt to clear a few things up.
‘If you go back to look at our movies – whether it’s Natalie Portman in the Thor films, Gwyneth Paltrow in Iron Man or Scarlett Johansson in The Avengers – our films have been full of smart, intelligent, powerful women.’
Of the three mentioned, only Johansson’s Black Widow has fought for the male-dominated Avengers, but in light of the recent upsurge in successful female-led movies, Feige recognizes the ‘very vocal clamouring for standalone female characters’.
‘Look at Mad Max. It’s called ‘Max’, but Charlize Theron is the hero of that movie and she was great. Or look at The Hunger Games, or Frozen, or Lucy with Scarlett Johansson. They are just as viable as any movie.’
He thinks that this might be the result of the evolution taking place across fanbases, particularly the comic book fanbase.
‘The female-genre fanbase is either growing or getting more vocal, or both. When I go to conventions or premieres and see people dressed up as characters, there as as many if not more women than men now. So women are very much a gigantic portion of the fanbase.’
Feige is clearly aware of the need for strong female characters, and he knows that a female-centric film won’t put audiences off. All this leads to Black Widow, Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel being joined by plenty more female Avengers, but Feige insists that it will take time, and that he won’t rush into anything based on what he reads online.
‘It would paralyze you if you were trying to develop a character that is going to please everyone on the internet. You would curl up into a ball and never do anything.’
See Ant-Man in theaters now.
