It’s a bird … it’s a plane … it’s super[wo]man

Graphic: Fia Miller When she was first introduced in 1965, Gwen Stacy was -Man’s pretty, blonde, reasonably intelligent college girlfriend. She remained as such until 1973, when she was thrown off a bridge and died. For 40 years, she has been a testament to the disposable role of women in a male-dominated industry, but things are finally changing. As of February 2015, Gwen Stacy has been revived as Spider-Woman, running her own comic universe. Although it was fitting 40 years ago for a woman in media to be nothing more than a superhero’s dead girlfriend, it is now possible for her to be the superhero herself. It’s not just Gwen Stacy who is transforming or the superhero industry—it’s the media as a whole. It’s changing, and strong women are beginning to take places they never could before. In movies, books, and television, there are more and more action heroines and women doing things beyond simply being the “hero’s girlfriend.” Peggy Carter, previously known as “’s girlfriend,” was given her own eight-part mini-series, in which she takes on both supervillains and rampant 1940s sexism. In a few years’ time, Wonder It’s a bird … it’s a plane … it’s super[wo]man

Woman will have her own movie, as will Captain Marvel (the tastefully renamed former Ms. Marvel). Katniss Everdeen both competes in and wins the Hunger Games; Tris in Divergent fights an oppressive, corrupt government; Harry Potter’s Hermione Granger is “the brightest witch of her age.” These women are all more than the protagonists’ girlfriends. They’re powerful, independent, and liberated. This recent trend raises some questions: Why weren’t there women like this in the media before? Why are they coming to the forefront now? There are no hard-and-fast answers for any of these questions, but simply opinions regarding the matter. It’s not that there haven’t been strong women in the media before— and Captain (“Ms.”) Marvel have existed for decades. In video games, Lara Croft has been the famously buxom forerunner of Tomb Raider for nearly 20 years. The problem is that in a patriarchal culture, they weren’t quite enough. Not only were action heroes predominantly men, but the few women were also given noticeably different treatments than their male counterparts. Usually physically and mentally weaker, they often wore skimpy, impractical outfits that covered very little. Yes, the spandex tights the men wore weren’t that much less ridiculous, but at least they were fully clothed and not fighting in bathing suits. That’s changing now; society is changing. Women are finally being seen by the media as people rather than decorative objects, and are being given personalities and outfits to match. Even Lara Croft was given reasonable proportions and full-length pants in the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot. This topic brings us back to Gwen Stacy. Not only did she finally receive the fair treatment she deserved, but she also entirely took over a previously male role. For all intents and purposes, she became Spider-Man, at least in her branch of Marvel lore. In doing so, she radically rewrote the story; instead of the plot being based on a teenage boy who is bitten by a radioactive spider, it is centered on a girl who gains superpowers in a similar situation. And though her storyline is very different from the original, it is by no means any less effective. Marvel is currently rebooting Spider-Man yet again, and though they’re most likely going to stick with a male lead character, it makes for an interesting hypothetical. What if they chose a female lead? She wouldn’t be Gwen Stacy, just a girl version of Peter. How different would the story be then? Most likely, not very. There would still be a radioactive spider, dead Uncle Ben, a spandex suit, and a lot of crime fighting. It’s the same formula, just with slightly different components. The idea of a female Spider-Man is controversial and prone to criticism. One could argue that he has to be male; it’s a quintessential part of his character. But there really isn’t a strong reason that Spider-Man needs to be a specific gender. With a bit of a push and a few more examples, maybe the skeptics will be more willing to accept this It’s a bird … it’s a plane … it’s super[wo]man

viewpoint. Beyond just Spider-Man, there are a great many action franchises with male leads, and quite a few of them could benefit from a change. Doctor Who and James Bond recast their protagonists quite often, and classics such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones might be getting a second chance at life. If they were to make their stars women in their next incarnations, it would mean a great deal to their growing female audiences. Ghostbusters is being rebooted with an all-female cast, and the reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. Action movies aren’t just for boys anymore, and it’s time that Hollywood realizes it. That’s not to say we have to demand every action hero to be a woman, just that they can be. It’s 2015, and if women can lead world powers and multi-billion dollar companies, there is no reason they shouldn’t be allowed to don spandex suits and save cities from a couple of criminals.