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Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
No, it’s yet another white male superhero, here to save(?) the day.

by Tobias Breidt, 17 March 2026

Superhero movies have become increasingly popular since the mid-2000s. Especially examples like the cumulating blockbuster of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Endgame (2019), show that superheroes have landed safely in mainstream media.While non-white or female heroes only reached the spotlight with Black Panther (2018) and Captain Marvel (2019), respectively, the rise of the superhero movie genre – and the majority of the movies – was, and still is, primarily dominated by a strong, white male superhero like DC’s Superman or Marvel’s Captain America. These heroes often marginalize women or characters of colour into mere supporting roles, which transfers to our real world by (implicitly) reproducing harmful patriarchal and ‘white saviour’ narratives at the cost of other groups of people

     When Iron Man landed in the cinemas in April of 2008, superhero movies were still largely considered niche or trashy. The subsequent success of the genre is largely based on the intertwined nature of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, which connects almost all movies and series that have been released since Iron Man. Interestingly enough, the first phase of this universe revolves around Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America. All of them are white men and define a certain superhero archetype regarding body image, strength and character. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, Iron Man’s and Hulk’s alter egos, serve as intelligent researchers and geniuses, with an emphasis on wealth, egoism and leadership in Stark’s case while physical strength and aggression are significant in Banner’s case. Thor and Captain America, a literal god and a ‘super soldier’, in turn define the muscular, strong body image of a typical superhero, which Coyne et al. summarized in their research from 2014:

"An examination of superheroes in the media reveals that they portray strong gender stereotypes for males. Superheroes are generally portrayed as strong, assertive, aggressive, fast, powerful, leaders, and as portraying a muscular ideal body type." (p. 417)

The researchers focused on the different portrayals of male and female superheroes and found relatively similar qualities to male superheroes even in the (rarer) female superheroes, although they often appear as “more emotional and overexcited, while male superheroes were more likely to be portrayed as threatening and to show anger”. As children are often influenced by the protagonists of the superhero genre, especially the characteristics of male superheroes, such as anger and aggression, are passed down to the (male) audience, as Coyne et al. also found out :

"[V]iewing superhero programs in the media is related to greater adherence to gender stereotypes for boys in terms of play and activities, both in the short- and long-term. Additionally, exposure to such media was also associated with increased weapon play for both boys and girls." (p. 427)

Notably, female heroes – when they are properly integrated in the MCU – primarily adopt the aforementioned masculine characteristics of powerful, strong and athletic heroes, be it by human training (e.g. Black Widow (2021)) or by some sort of cosmic superpower (e.g. Captain Marvel (2019), She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)), ultimately challenging the traditionalrole of a “damsel in distress” in earlier examples of the genre, as well as establishing a less isolated and more collective approach to their roles as superheroines in comparison to their male counterparts, as Thanong Aupitak explains:

"While male heroes often operate in isolation and independence to underscore their self-reliance, perpetuate this attribute as a hallmark of heroism, and sustain its ideals, female heroines, instead, champion the significance of connection. They regard it as a wellspring of collective strength that can be harnessed to attain their objectives, particularly when combating the shared oppressions they might confront.” (p. 119)

The patriarchal oppression of women finds its primary example in the MCU with the prequel movie Black Widow (2021), exploring the roots of the highly skilled agent and spy Natasha Romanov, aka Black Widow. Romanov, as well as her ‘sisters’ are taken into the “Red Room” organisation and get brainwashed by the tyrannic General Dreykov, a Soviet officer who controls and trains them to be ruthless assassins. The movie specifically revolves around female indoctrination and mind control and its reversal by the antidote “Red Dust” and a unified resistance and solidarity under the tropes of sisterhood and found family.

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     In contrast, the role of women is drastically different in the narrative of the Black Panther movies (2018; 2022). Largely untouched by westernized – or, regarding the aforementioned Soviet example, Eurocentric – gender roles, female characters, 
especially Shuri, the sister of the primary hero and first Black Panther, King T’Challa, operate on the same societal and interpersonal level as the male inhabitants of Afrofuturistic Wakanda. In the first movie, Shuri is able to lead the research and 
technology department of Wakanda with ease, a role that would be harder to achieve in present western societies. Additionally, she also manages to relieve the ex-Soviet sleeper agent Bucky Barnes of his mind control, which could be interpreted as breaking the oppressive and patriarchal perspective of Dreykov and the Red Room, highlighting the harmful nature of the patriarchy, even to men. As Shuri ultimately follows her late brother, taking up the role of the superhero Black Panther, she has to face obstacles, which are not gender-related, but rather results of imperialistic and colonial actions, primarily by the in-universe US. Once again, the fictional countries Wakanda (representing Africa) and Talokan (representing Latin America), despite previous fights, ultimately team up to resist the westernized, capitalist oppression.

 

     In general, the audience has been significantly more welcoming of Shuri’s movie than, for example, those of She-Hulk or Captain Marvel (Rotten Tomatoes audience ratings: 93% vs. 32% and 45%), which was often attributed to the immensely strong superpowers of the latter two, making them “Mary Sues”, idealized, nearly perfect characters without a real character arc or significant growth. A different explanation could be that audiences expected different depictions of westernized female superheroes, according to their ‘traditional’ gender (superhero) stereotypes, in contrast to the largely equality-based, Afrofuturistic Wakanda. Shuri did not have to break free from patriarchal oppression, or as Aupitak formulates it:

“The movie [Black Panther] presents an alternative society – one wherewomen can wholeheartedly embrace the role of heroines, unrestricted by traditional gender norms reinforced by the patriarchy of the Western world, the type of heroism that women like Captain Marvel and SheHulk who live in the patriarchal world are led to experience.” (p. 123)

Interestingly, this difference between white and PoC characters seems to be implicitly anchored in some parts of the audience, although also in a more negative way. A study by Obenauer et al. has shown that if asked indirectly, many participants specifically recall the race of a non-white hero in contrast to a white hero, implying a certain racial bias connecting the superhero prototype and ‘being White’.

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     Based on these factors, superhero movies seem to appear as harmful and exclusionary to non-white or female heroes. However, especially in the more recent phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as other superhero media, PoC (e.g. 
Black Panther (2018), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Eternals (2021), Ironheart (2025)) and women (e.g. Captain Marvel (2019), WandaVision (2021), Black Widow (2021), The Marvels (2023), Ironheart (2025)) have properly arrived in the spotlight. While initially critically received by a predominantly white, male audience, depictions of diversity have grown increasingly popular, not just by fans of colour or other marginalized groups. As we live in times of increased political and social polarization, often fuelled by hate, misogyny, racism or queerphobia, it might be important to let each and every child and adult have a hero to identify with. After all, it is the task of superheroes, not just in fiction, but also in our real-world troubled times, to promote hope and security for those in need.

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Sources Quoted:

  • Aupitak, Thanong. “Feminist Quest Heroine: Female Superheroines and Deconstruction of Male Heroism.” REDEN. Revista Española de Estudios Norteamericanos, vol. 5, no. 1, 2023, https://doi.org/10.37536/reden.2023.5.2153.

  • Coyne, Sarah M., et al. “It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a Gender Stereotype! Longitudinal Associations Between Superhero Viewing and Gender Stereotyped Play.” Sex Roles, vol. 70, 9-10, 2014, pp. 416–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-014-0374-8.

  • Obenauer, William G., et al. “Is “Being White” a Component of the Superhero Prototype? Perhaps, but Research Participants Won’t Tell You That.” Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-03-2024-0116.


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