Where Have All the Good Super-Women Gone?

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

By Steven McLain

Superheroes are here to stay.  The success of The Avengers, Batman, and the reboot of the Spiderman franchise have done nothing but demonstrate the viability of superheroes as money-makers.  The question remains, though: Why aren't there any lady superheroes?  Sure, we've got Black Widow in The Avengers, but can you really call her a superhero?  Agent provocateur, definitely, but can you really classify her ability to get information from people as a super power?

Yeah, there's talk of Wonder Woman in the forthcoming DC/Warner Justice League movie, and the CW, who made Superboy and the Green Arrow fan favorites, have decided to reboot Wonder Woman on the small screen.  Focusing on her up-and-coming years, instead of as an established hero, CW is hoping to reproduce the success of Smallville.  The difficulty for them, however, lies in the fact that fans of Wonder Woman are really more concerned with her costume (or lack thereof) than with a strong, female superhero.  When NBC tried to reboot Wonder Woman with Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), fans rejected Adrianne Palicki as the iconic amazon because she wore pants.

Adrianne Palicki

If superheroines are to destined to become viable properties--as well as role models for impressionable young girls--the focus has to shift away from their . . . ahem, assets . . . and instead focus on strong character, a story that resonates with audiences, and the sense that they can be taken seriously.  Because, let's be honest: People don't take superheroines seriously.  Part wish-fulfillment and part wet-dream, superheroines typically lack the depth of more established superheroes.  There's really no shame in this; for decades the accepted demographic of superhero comics was boys and young men; skimpy outfits and bulging bosoms boosted sales.

Frankly, I think the answer isn't a top-down revolution instigated by publishers; I think it's a bottom up revision arising from a new crop of female writers and artists, and a commitment to art that exemplifies realism.  That last one's going to be hard, because at their core, these comics are escapist literature; superheroes, by definition, exceed reality.  They wouldn't be superheroes otherwise.  But the solution is there, I think, and it lies with women interested in comics and willing to bring that sensibility to the industry.