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SBU | Culture

Women In The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Olivia Francis Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

If I were to ask someone, “Name the first Marvel hero that comes to mind,” a lot of people would probably say Captain America, Iron Man, or The Hulk. Believe me, I am not saying that these are not important figures in the Marvel Universe, but there are heroes that are just as important, and a lot of these figures are women. If you, somehow, do not know about any women Marvel heroes, you have come to the right place, as I am not only going to tell you who some of these heroes are, but I will also discuss how they are important to the MCU.  

Natasha Romanoff- “Black Widow” 

In April of 1964, Natasha Romanoff was brought into the world of Marvel Comics as a female antagonist. Later down the line, she used her talents of being a spy and an assassin by joining The Avengers. Although she does not have any superpowers, that does not mean that Romanoff is useless. She is intelligent, resilient, and, in some ways, willing to do anything for the people she cares about. Soon, her life ended when she sacrificed herself to save trillions of lives during “Avengers: Endgame”. Although many fans continue to struggle with the loss of Natasha Romanoff, fans always remember that she finally proved to herself that she can be a hero. 

Carol Danvers- “Captain Marvel” 

This superheroine is more interesting, in my opinion, because Captain Marvel was not always a female. In 2012, after the original Captain Marvel, who was a man named Mar-Vell, passed away, his former girlfriend, Carol Danvers, took up the mantle and became known as Captain Marvel. Now, the reason she is important to the MCU is because of two things. One, she was the first female to get her own solo movie in the MCU movie franchise. Two, she was one out of two female heroes that stood a chance against taking down Thanos during “Avengers: Endgame”. Even though many people do not like her as a heroine, she has those qualities that truly make someone a hero. She has strength, courage, and a fighting spirit. If she is presented with a challenge, she will not back down from it.  

Wanda Maximoff- “The Scarlet Witch” 

Personally, Wanda Maximoff is one of my favorite heroines. Yes, I do know that she was a villain in “Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness”, but she was not always like that. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Maximoff first came into everyone’s lives in March of 1964. When she became an Avenger later in the comic world, she thrived off of it, knowing that she could leave her past life behind and flourish with her powers. In the MCU franchise, this is clearly pictured in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” when she realized that she was on the wrong side after watching Ultron almost destroy an entire city filled with innocent people. Not only that, when her brother, Pietro Maximoff, died at the hands of Ultron’s drones, it was time for her to fight alongside the Avengers to end Ultron’s reign of terror. Throughout the movie franchise, many fans label her as one of the most powerful Avengers, as with every battle she fights in, she helps tip the scales in the Avengers favor.  

So, for this Women’s History Month, Marvel fans remember all the hard work that women do, including the ones I have not listed above. Whether they have powers or not, these strong and intelligent women have done everything in their power to fight against the injustices in the world and do everything possible to keep people safe. Now that shows what it means to be a hero.  

Olivia Francis is a second-year member of the Her Campus at SBU chapter. She oversees the site’s culture, entertainment, and wellness verticals on the site, including mental health, relationships, TV shows, and movie coverage. Olivia is currently a second-year student majoring in Communications, Social Justice & Advocacy at St. Bonaventure University. Beyond Her Campus, Olivia has been published in many anthropologies over the years through an organization called Young Writers. She is also one of the leading coordinators for SBU's Break The Bubble. In her free time, Olivia enjoys writing poetry and short stories, along with taking walks while listening to her favorite music genres on Spotify such as Pop or R&B. One of her goals is to travel the world someday and explore new foods and customs. An interesting fact about Olivia is she is not only the first college gen student but, she is the first female in her family to go for a higher education.