Written by directors Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck as well as Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Captain Marvel is also the first Marvel movie to have a female director and only the second, after 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, to credit women as screenwriters, according to The New York Times.
The 21st entry into the Marvel cinematic universe, Captain Marvel is also the first film in the MCU to star a solo female superhero.
The woman with that role, Brie Larson, will be looking to extend an ongoing run of wondrous women who have starred as superheroes in recent years.
Gal Gadot’s take on Wonder Woman in the film of the same name has gotten most of the ink, but there are a number of other women who have done super jobs as superheroes.
Along with Larson, we’ve collected five of ’em below and a sample of what the critics had to say.
Captain Marvel opens nationwide on March 8th.
Super Sorority Sister: Brie Larson
Role: Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in Captain Marvel
Film Release Date: 2019
A Critic’s Take: N/A
Super Sorority Sister: Evangeline Lilly
Role: Hope Van Dyne/Wasp in Ant-Man; Ant-Man and the Wasp
Film Release Date: 2015; 2018
A Critic’s Take: “As the Wasp, who with those fluttering wings is a partner (and possible romantic savior) to Ant-Man’s ant-riding cowboy, Evangeline Lilly seizes her moment with a refreshing air of skepticism. Her Hope doesn’t trust the whole superhero thing, and comes off a stronger heroine as a result.”
Super Sorority Sister: Gal Gadot
Role: Diana/Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman
Film Release Date: 2017
A Critic’s Take: “As skimpy as Gadot’s outfits may get, for example, [director Patty] Jenkins’ camera never leers or lingers gratuitously — Diana is always framed as an agent of power, rather than its object. When she finally unleashes her full fighting potential in an extended battle sequence on the front lines, the movie comes alive in a genuinely exhilarating whirl of slow-motion mayhem, and Diana’s personality is never lost amid all the choreography.”
Super Sorority Sister: Tessa Thompson
Role: Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok
Film Release Date: 2017
A Critic’s Take: “In Marvel comics, Valkyrie is white, blond, busty and scantily clad. In Thompson’s hands, Valkyrie is an enormously strong wisenheimer who drinks too much. She’s got a cape and her own cool-looking leather getup that’s both practical and attractive and avoids turning into dominatrix cosplay. Oh, and she’s bisexual. As Thompson herself described the character, ‘she cares very little about what men think of her.’ So not only is a black woman co-opting Valkyrie, but heads can now explode over her identification as a feminist.”
Super Sorority Sister: Margot Robbie
Role: Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad
Film Release Date: 20016
A Critic’s Take: “Her name is Harley Quinn, and you’ve probably seen legions of her admirers skipping around every Halloween. As played by Margot Robbie, she’s the best thing about Suicide Squad, the big DC Universe bring-on-the-bad-guys extravaganza that desperately wants to prove the burgeoning multiverse franchise can do dark and funny. Everything the film wants to be is in that performance. And Harley is, hands down, the single biggest piece of collateral damage involved in this scorched-earth, soul-killing cinema du superhero blockbuster.”
Super Sorority Sister: Halle Berry
Role: Storm in X-Men, X2, and X-Men: The Last Stand; Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Catwoman
Film Release Date(s): 2000, 2003, and 2006; 2004
A Critic’s Take: “Catwoman is a movie about Halle Berry’s beauty, sex appeal, figure, eyes, lips and costume design. It gets those right. Everything else is secondary, except for the plot, which is tertiary. What a letdown. The filmmakers have given great thought to photographing Berry, who looks fabulous, and little thought to providing her with a strong character, story, supporting characters or action sequences.”
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