East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Undergraduate Honors Theses Student Works 12-2017 With Great Power: Examining the Representation and Empowerment of Women in DC and Marvel Comics Kylee Kilbourne Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/honors Part of the American Popular Culture Commons, Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Kilbourne, Kylee, "With Great Power: Examining the Representation and Empowerment of Women in DC and Marvel Comics" (2017). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 433. https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/433 This Honors Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. WITH GREAT POWER: EXAMINING THE REPRESENTATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN DC AND MARVEL COMICS by Kylee Kilbourne East Tennessee State University December 2017 An Undergraduate Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment For the Midway Honors Scholars Program Department of Literature and Language College of Arts and Sciences ____________________________ Dr. Phyllis Thompson, Advisor ____________________________ Dr. Katherine Weiss, Reader ____________________________ Dr. Michael Cody, Reader 1 ABSTRACT Throughout history, comic books and the media they inspire have reflected modern society as it changes and grows. But women’s roles in comics have often been diminished as they become victims, damsels in distress, and sidekicks. This thesis explores the problems that female characters often face in comic books, but it also shows the positive representation that new creators have introduced over the years.