For 11 years, the women have gradually risen up from working behind the scenes to war front liners.
Looking back 11 years ago, in 2008, everyone would focus on the titular hero that goes by the name of Iron Man. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark was everything to Marvel fans—but who is Tony Stark without one Pepper Potts? From being the women behind successful men to being the successful women alongside the men, the ladies have long been the ruler of MCU; we just didn’t see it until recently.
Phase One: The Peppers, Janes, and Peggys of the World
For the longest time, women have always been working on the sidelines. To many (especially men), women are their accessory. They believe having one (or many) beside them would make them look cool. But didn’t we all start loving Tony Stark more when he finally committed with Pepper Potts?
Potts is probably one of the perfect examples of a woman who has worked her way up from “12% credits” for the creation of the old Stark Tower to ultimately saving Tony’s life in the third ‘Iron Man‘ film. Jane Foster was at a worse position. She was working behind two men: Thor and Dr. Selvig. It’s almost as if Thor would survive without Jane on the scene—what do you know; Ragnarok was the best ‘Thor‘ movie out of the three.
There was a lot of potential for Peggy’s character in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger‘. If you put together her scenes in all MCU movies and series, 90% are fight scenes—some of which she fought alongside Captain America But much as there’s a bunch of opportunities for her character, she was still pushed aside to focus on the first avenger, Cap. We would later forget she exists until she’s old and gray.
Phase Two: The Rise of Women in MCU
When Phase Two began with “Iron Man 3‘, sure enough, the spotlight was on Pepper Potts. After falling victim to Aldrich Killian’s bioweapon, Pepper was the one who killed the Mandarin saving Tony’s life. While it still isn’t sure when Black Widow will have her own spotlight, she sure did a good job on the second installment of ‘Captain America‘. She has proven herself to be an agent of her own but still knows when to put friendship and teamwork on the game as she plays.
Phase Two is probably most memorable for me because of Gamora and Scarlet Witch. In this phase, we’ve met the two from two different movies. Both characters started out strong and powerful, making them two of the most loved women in the MCU. Slowly, Disney-Marvel has begun to turn the gears that will later put women to the top for the next phase.
Phase Three: The Powerful Women of MCU
As Phase Three progressed, there’s been a lot of changes in the MCU. After exposing the fragility of men in the movies (not to mention, series), women have proven themselves as leaders and warriors. Characters to take note of are the Dora Milaje (all-female Wankandan warriors), the Valkyrie (elite warriors of Asgard), Scarlet Witch (way to go!), and of course Captain Marvel. Much as I would like to expound more, it would require a bunch of spoilers (for those who haven’t seen the past few movies from this phase).
Phase Four: Women to Rule the Universe
I’m claiming it, the women will completely rule MCU in the next phase. There is not much to argue having that the strongest hero they have right now is a woman (sorry, Thor, it simply ain’t you). But we’re not pushing aside all the efforts of the men in the universe. In fact, from working on the sidelines, the fact that Captain Marvel is the first standalone movie with a female lead tells us that women are no longer settling on hiding behind the shadows of the men.
