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The villain character is often one dimensional in today's superhero movies. “I will destroy humanity for some money, oh no a kind white man has defeated me, oh well.” Historically, superhero movies have become popular around social and political unrest to ensure a sense of security, hope, or patriotism for it's viewers. Events like World War II, the Cold War, and the Civil Rights Movement saw an uprising in superhero movies and later became its own defined genre. However, the protagonist in these films is often a cis white man and consistent efforts for diversity often fall on the villain. When people would call out for more representation, the characters would be one sided with very little to no character development.
Female leads are an example of misguided representation. Their main motivations would involve men, and the crime fighting and action scenes are sexualized far more than a male lead would be. An example is Catwoman 2004 fight scene, the angles the camera uses focus more on her body and how her attackers would see her rather than her perspective fighting off the attackers. In addition, her outfit blatantly is meant to show attention to her body. (https://youtu.be/6rxZLAaAbPQ)
The main characters aren't the only ones who have the opportunity to be misrepresented or offensively portrayed. Indiana Jones Temple of Doom 1984 is a great example of immense stereotyping and cultural insensitivity (and outright racist scenes). The main villains in the movie are Asain mob bosses and Indian cult leaders. Even the Asain friends of Indiana are heavily stereotyped. The communities Indiana and his team are fighting to save are shown as helpless and uncivilized and in need of a savior. The food they share with Indiana is untastely and disgusting but they love it. The people are shown as other worldly and inhuman.
Superhero films are often family friendly, making it many kids favorite movie genres. Representation in superhero films is important for children to have role models to look up to, and imagine themselves as these strong characters. The antagonists should also be layered, having many motivations because it makes for a better story, and if they are representing a culture it cannot be offensive or derogatory because it is teaching young kids to literally villainize “the other”. The evil characters don't just serve as an obstacle to cross, but can unknowingly push certain stereotypes.
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Hey Katrina! I completely agree with all of your points about the lack of representation of superheroes. I especially wanted to acknowledge your point about female superheroes being sexualized instead of showing them as strong heroes like the men are portrayed. I remember watching Iron Man 2 when I was little and seeing that Black Widow was treated a lot differently than Iron Man was. When she was on camera, the emphasis was definitely more on her body than her abilities. Luckily in the modern era of superhero movies, women are much less sexualized and they are beginning to be shown more as capable heroes. Good work with this post!
ReplyDeleteIm so glad i was able to find a fellow super villain lover!!! Great post Katirna i loved the points you made about the one dimensional side that has just become the super villain norm, they have no character on main plot it just seems like a half though bit the best way to support a movies plot is make it seem you don't know what side to root for. I loved the points you made about female leads and how they have misguided representation. Keep up the good works
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