These Women are Marvel-ous!

Marvel’s long-awaited ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ has just hit theatres to rave reviews and huge fan-fare. While filled with drool-worthy, meme-worthy and tear-jerking moments, one of the scenes that definitely stole the show was the post credit scene which references the upcoming ‘Captain Marvel’ movie. Captain Marvel aka Carol Danvers is one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe.

Boasting of superhuman strength, speed, flight and the ability to absorb energy and send it back, Captain Marvel is a force to be reckoned with. Much speculation is already being done regarding her role in the war against Thanos but that is not why this movie is so important. Captain Marvel marks Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first female superhero movie.

After DC’s ‘Wonder Woman’, it was high time for Marvel Studios to make a movie spearheaded by a woman superhero and Captain Marvel does seem like an incredible choice. However, Marvel does boast of a stellar cast of female heroes who have been vital to their stories and held their own in films largely male-dominated.

The very first of these ladies is, of course, Black Widow. Played by Scarlett Johansson, she is a trained Russian assassin boasting of a formidable skill set and is a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. eventually going on to join the Avengers. She was first seen as an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in ‘Iron Man 2’ and is one of the few people that can calm the Hulk down.

Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen was first seen in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and her remarkable and tremendous range of powers were immediately showcased as she slyly controlled Iron Man’s visions. She possesses the ability to alter and manipulate reality and she is also a powerful sorceress. Her tremendous range of powers has not yet been fully explored in the MCU but what is shown sure does make her seem exceptionally powerful.

Gamora and Nebula are the adopted daughters of Thanos. Their strained relationship is explored in the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ franchise. Gamora is an assassin who betrayed Thanos to free herself of his ways. Nebula, also an assassin, with cybernetic enhancements served as the right hand of Ronan the Accuser. She also ended up deserting their father and wanting to kill him.

After the huge success of ‘Black Panther’, Letitia Wright’s Shuri quickly became a fan favourite. The young scientist who made meme references could just not be disliked. Shuri, as we know, cured Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier of the brainwashing done by HYDRA and designed the new hi-tech Black Panther suit and a bunch of other cool gizmos. Let’s also not forget that it is Shuri who gave Cap his new shield and Bucky his new arm.

Also one of Wakanda’s most powerful women is General Okoye (and of course her troupe of female warriors, The Dora Milaje ) who showed extreme loyalty and strength in Black Panther as she stood upto her lover to save her country. Of course, who can forget when she delivered the line, “I would make a great queen because I am stubborn… If I wanted to.”

Pepper Potts has been missing from the MCU for quite some time now and may not boast of superpowers like the other Marvel ladies. She will, however, be remembered for her adroit handling of Tony Stark and his eccentricities and managing Stark Industries when Tony was off saving the world.

Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and has previously appeared in the ‘Avengers’, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’. She is one of Nick Fury’s most trusted agents and has been of steady help to the Avengers.

Mantis was quickly accepted by the Marvel fandom for her naivety and innocence as well as her hilarious interactions with Drax the Destroyer in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2’. Her ability to sense and influence emotions set her apart from the rest of the team but is in no way any less important.

Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson was another highly appreciated female character. This powerful female with past baggage who then comes out of self-imposed exile for a cause they once swore to is a brilliant example of a classic male trope being subverted. She hasn’t appeared in ‘Infinity War’ and with the ‘Thor’ trilogy completed, her future in the MCU is yet unknown. One thing for sure though, don’t enter a chug-athon with Valkyrie.

A rundown of the powerful women in Marvel will be incomplete without Peggy Carter, an SSR agent during the Second World War She was instrumental in making the super soldier serum that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America and accompanied him in the mission to save the 107th division from Nazi captivity. She passed on her skill to her niece Sharon Carter (Seen in ‘Winter Soldier’ and ‘Civil War’). Many a tear has been shed over her death in ‘Civil War’.

While we wait for ‘Captain Marvel’ to hit the theatres next year, let us all take a moment to appreciate all the badass women in Marvel who have shone despite being overshadowed and having a major part of their story focused on their love life.

By: Sre Ratha