Warning: Spoilers ahead for Women of Marvel #1Marvel has officially called out internet outrage culture perfectly with its latest multiversal villain. In recent years, the internet has given rise to a pretty prominent movement of people calling out Marvel, DC and other comic publishers for focusing on characters who aren’t just straight white cis-men. These attempts at expanding their universes with characters beyond this narrow range of heroes tend to be met with consistent replies of “woke” politics before they are even released, as seen recently with X-Men ’97‘s upcoming launch. Now, Marvel has officially called out these responses in a perfect way with its latest anthology.
In Women of Marvel #1, the story “Malice the Mitigator” introduces a new villain named the Mighty Mitigator who is able to kidnap every woman in the Marvel Universe and manipulate the world to make it as if they never existed. This attempt to create “a world without females” is quickly defeated, though, when the Mitigator realizes that he’s accumulated every female hero and villain all in one place. However, when he suggests that he could remove all the men in their timelines, believing that “it’s only fair,” the heroines are quick to correct him.
They assure the Mighty Mitigator that they have no qualms with the men in their universe, stating that they “love those guys.” They only want to be seen on an equal level as their male counterparts, and that means giving them a spotlight to tell their own stories.
The Women of Marvel Respect, Rather Than Hate, Their Male Counterparts
The most interesting detail behind this discussion between the Mitigator and the women he’s kidnapped is how much they admire the men they encounter in the Marvel Universe. Captain Marvel appreciates Iron Man by saying he’s “surprisingly great” while Spider-Woman mentions that Spider-Man is “the best.” Jessica Jones throws her husband Luke Cage into the mix, and She-Hulk even shows some love for her cousin Bruce Banner by saying he’s “a good, good dude.” There’s no bad blood or a battle between the sexes going on in the Marvel Universe or the creative team behind fan-favorite characters. Heroes like the Avengers are still beloved by the characters and those who get to write about them for their careers.
Spotlighting Female Heroes Is a Step Toward Being Equal, Not Phasing Male Heroes Out
The biggest message readers can take away from this encounter with the Mighty Mitigator is that the stories being published today are meant to expand the universe, not minimize it. When looking back at Marvel’s long history, there were comics that gave women the spotlight, but stories featuring men as the lead were far more prominent. For the most part, women would be relegated to supporting roles or be featured on teams, rather than getting a chance to stand on their own.
Now, women are featured in comics more than ever, and it’s being done out of love for Marvel’s heroines, not as a sleight to the men in their universe. Ms. Marvel, Ironheart, Spider-Gwen and now even Mary Jane Watson as Jackpot are getting chances to tell their own stories. While some tales have certainly been better than others, it’s still a major step toward making female heroes have the same level of exposure as their male counterparts rather than be forced to the sidelines.
This story in Marvel’s latest anthology for Women’s History Month is incredibly important because of the message it has for those who disapprove of new stories featuring characters who aren’t straight white cis-men. It’s not an “agenda” but rather a chance to take beloved characters from the past and develop their characters further to make fans learn more about them, even creating new heroes for readers to potentially enjoy in the future. This was a brilliant way for Marvel to criticize internet outrage culture, and it all came from introducing a new multiversal villain to the universe.
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