The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a franchise revolving around heroes from the Marvel Comics and their task of protecting citizens of Earth from devastation. From the X-Men to the Avengers, there is no shortage of heroes to choose from. Thanks to Stan Lee, the MCU is a diverse place with a wide range of heroes whose goal is the same: to keep peace in the human world, fighting any threats that arise. That said, for a time, there was very little women representation in the MCU, with heroines mainly being side-characters with little to no background — until recently.
The MCU has been male-centric for the first few Phases of the franchise, but Marvel made history towards the end of Phase three with the introduction of Captain Marvel, giving us a taste of what to expect in terms of representations for Phase Four. With the introduction of stronger, more potent women characters like Captain Marvel, the MCU is creating a great deal of role models for young girls (and boys) everywhere. To honor Women’s History Month, here’s a look at every woman-led MCU release so far and the upcoming ones we’re excited about.
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Ant-Man and the Wasp
Marvel Studios
Ant-Man and the Wasp was the first film in the MCU to have a titular woman character. While the film revolves around Scott Lang getting into his role at Ant-Man, he fights alongside Hope van Dyne AKA The Wasp, who already has a handle on things while Scott struggles to find his bearings and balance his new life as a hero with his civilian life. One of the first portrayals of a heroine showing more expertise than the hero, Ant-Man and the Wasp paved the way for women to lead in the MCU, leading to the introduction of Captain Marvel into the MCU. Evangeline Lily even earned a nomination for Choice Action Actress at the Teen Choice Awards for her performance as The Wasp.
WandaVision
WandaVision was the first Disney+ Original installation in the MCU. It follows Wanda Maximoff as she goes through the stages of grief following Vision’s passing, but rather than mourn and grieve, she resurrects him and creates a happy fictional world, recreating old sitcoms she used to watch with her brother when they were children. While this is not Wanda’s first appearance in the MCU, it’s the first time we see the true extent of her powers. It’s also the first time that Wanda is the true focus of the plot rather than just a supporting character, revealing more about her past and all her dreams that went unfulfilled.
Captain Marvel
Yet another first on the list is Captain Marvel, the first woman-led standalone film in the MCU, starring Academy Award-winning actress Brie Larson as the extra-terrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself smack dab in the middle of the war against the Skrulls. Set in 1995, Captain Marvel seeks to uncover more of her past through her flashbacks with help from Nick Fury while harnessing her mysterious powers to defeat the Skrulls. Captain Marvel was a turning point for the MCU, introducing a new generation of strong lead women characters. Captain Marvel received a number of nominations and took home the MTV TV and Movie Award for Best Fight between Captain Marvel and Minn-Erva.
Black Widow
Black Widow is most known for her appearance as a member of the Avengers and while many argued that she was only there for woman representation, Black Widow shows the audience that she is worthy to fight alongside Iron Man and Captain America. Black Widow aka Natasha Romanoff proved herself worthy enough to receive her own spin-off set after Captain America: Civil War and before Avengers: Infinity War. In Black Widow, we see more into Natasha’s past, getting a glimpse into her former life as a spy and the relationship with her dysfunctional family long before she ever became an Avenger. Black Widow was a box-office hit and even won the People’s Choice Award for Movie of 2021.
Eternals
Eternals follows an alien race of immortal beings, referred to as Eternals, with superhuman powers. These beings have lived on Earth in hiding for thousands of years, but have now been called out to use their powers and reunite to battle the Deviants and save Earth. With a star-studded cast led by Gemma Chan and Salma Hayek, and including Angelina Jolie, Kit Harrington, and Richard Madden, Eternals is a new addition to the MCU. Directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, Eternals features a number of women leads equal to the number of men — a first for the MCU. While some critics felt it was just another average superhero film, Zhao was praised for her directorial work.
Excited About: She-Hulk
One series everyone is getting revved up for is the release of She-Hulk in June 2022. Casting has been confirmed featuring Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk and Mark Ruffalo reprising his role as Bruce Banner. The series will consist of ten episodes and is set to debut of Disney+ as part of Phase Four. The first footage of the film was released on Disney Day, November 12, 2021, showing Walters saying: “Don’t make me angry; you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” While the content of the series has been kept tightly under wraps until the release, it’s safe to say that Marvel is letting women take the reins as Jessica Gao serves as her writer on the show with Kat Coiro leading the direction team.
Excited About: Ms. Marvel
Another addition to Phase Four in 2022, is the Disney+ miniseries Ms. Marvel. The series is set to follow young Kamala Kahn/ Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani. A fan of the Avengers, specifically Captain Marvel, Kamala struggles to fit in among her peers until gaining powers of her own. On top of being a woman-led series, Ms. Marvel makes history as the first Muslim character to headline their own series. Ms. Marvel is slated to serve as a set-up for the film The Marvels where Vellani will reprise her role as Ms. Marvel. While the series was expected to debut in 2021, the release of Hawkeye led to the delay as the studio felt that releasing two at the same time wouldn’t do well for either series. Ms. Marvel will be released on Disney+ in mid-2022.
Excited About: The Marvels
One highly anticipated film is The Marvels, a sequel to Captain Marvel and a continuation of the Ms. Marvel miniseries and will also feature the character Monica Rambeau, introduced in WandaVision. The Marvels is set to be released in February 2023 as part of Phase Four. The film will follow Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel and while little is known about the premise of the film, there is sure to be more revealed in Ms. Marvel.
