The Marvel Cinematic Universe has given us over 10 years of moments that emanate pure power. It takes some major strength to save the world, and while the strength shown during the emergence of the Infinity Saga was mostly wielded by men, the women of the MCU have since begun their ascent to power.
For each of them, establishing their place among male superheroes and a male-dominated genre could not have been easy, but when their world needs heroes, these ladies do not hesitate to use all their skills and the resources at their disposal, step up, and do some true hero’s work.
The Wasp’s Debut
By the time Hope fulfills her birthright and slips into the Wasp suit, plenty of female superheroes had already found their place in the MCU. Hope herself had gotten to show off her fighting skills in Ant-Man, teaching Scott a thing or two about martial arts.
After the film’s end credits scene had teased her becoming the Wasp, Ant-Man and the Wasp finally sees her living up to her full superhero potential. After Sonny Burch refuses to give her the component for the quantum tunnel she had arranged for, she circles back, this time in the Wasp suit, to take out Burch and all his bodyguards in one swift move.
Introduction of the Valkyrie
Following the Thor trilogy’s first 2 movies’ making a damsel in distress out of Jane Foster and an underdeveloped character of Queen Frigga, this moment kicks off the last and most women-powered film in the trilogy, Thor: Ragnarok.
The Valkyrie first meets the god of Thunder on the planet Sakaar as he is being captured by alien scavengers. Swigging from a bottle, falling-off-the-ship-drunk, she lays claim to Thor and destroys the army of scavengers with a flick of her wrists. She even gets to prove her fighting skills in addition. She takes total command of the scene and establishes her strong personality that only leaves fans wanting more of her throughout the movie and beyond, a stark contrast to Thor’s preceding female acquaintances.
The Ancient One v. Kaecilius
She enters the scene as a soft voice from the shadows, warning the Master Kaecilius that the ritual he has stolen “will bring you only sorrow.” She emerges mysteriously in a robe and transports a fleeing Kaecilius and his army of about a dozen to the Mirror Dimension. She bests most of them with ease, and although Kaecilius escapes her, remains poised and composed all the same. Not only does the Ancient One make a name for herself in this scene, but she also makes fans invested in the new, complex world full of eccentric characters that Doctor Strange introduces.
Scarlet Witch in the Battle of Wakanda
During the climax of Avengers: Infinity War, when Thanos’ army emerges in its entirety on the Wakanda battlefield and Wanda sees that they are about to wipe out everyone on her side of the war, she leaves her post with Vision and the Mind Stone to defend her team.
Right as the Threshers are about to make the Avengers a thing of the past, Wanda diverts the wheels and sends them into the Black Order army. She is one of the most powerful beings in the MCU, but it wasn’t truly evident until she faces Thanos on the battlefield and single-handedly almost defeats him while destroying the Infinity Stone.
Extremis Pepper
It was a moment that had been 5 years in the making. After spending the better part of 3 movies as simply Tony Stark’s girlfriend, Pepper Potts, essentially the matriarch of the MCU, finally steps out of the damsel-in-distress role and gets powers and a fight scene of her own in Iron Man 3, which is not only a monumental part of the movie but is cited as one of the ways Pepper could return to the MCU after Tony’s death.
After enduring the Extremis experiment, Pepper falls into a vat of fire. She is believed to be dead by Tony until she emerges as an enhanced, superhumanly strong being and, as Aldrich Killian is about to kill Tony, swoops in and saves him.
Black Widow’s Hallway Scene
Iron Man 2, while regarded as one of the worst movies of the Infinity Saga, has at least one redeeming quality: the introduction of Black Widow. Her role in the movie marks another milestone for the women of the MCU. Although she wasn’t the first long-standing woman introduced to the universe, she is the first who displays superhero capabilities.
It may not be Natasha’s most exciting or high-stakes battle, but the scene in which she defeats a hallway full of Hammer’s men goes down in Marvel history as the first time a woman wasn’t someone who needed saving but someone capable in her own right.
Okoye v. W’Kabi
During T’Challa and Killmonger’s fight for the Wakandan throne in Black Panther, this couple falls on opposite sides of the war. In the final battle, when the full force of each army is pitted against each other, Okoye and W’Kabi have a confrontation between themselves. While they are both extraordinary warriors, she makes it clear that she would, in fact, kill him for the good of Wakanda, and he is forced to surrender.
There are countless other occasions in the film where Okoye displays an extensive knowledge of physical and tactical combat. While she does little more than raise her spear in this scene, the complete and utter command she holds over him, as both an opponent and an army general, says as much, if not more, about her power than any battle could.
“You Will Always Be My Sister”
Guardians of the Galaxy leaves the rivalry between these sisters unfinished, but Vol. 2 sees them reunited in a fiery fight scene. Where the first movie depicted them both as detached, emotionless characters almost as the reason for their excellent battle skills, the second gave them more dimension.
Another example of how empowerment doesn’t always come in the form of physical capabilities, the final scene between Gamora and Nebula illustrates how women don’t need to choose between being strong and having emotions. The interaction was game-changing in bringing complexity to these women.
All-Female Team-Up
This iconic shot of all the women in the final Endgame battle had been the culmination of all the journeys they had taken and all the paths that led them all to be saving the world together. In the scene, the women team up to defend Captain Marvel as she takes the Infinity Gauntlet across the battlefield.
Fans often refer to this shot as the A-Force scene, referring to the Marvel comic series, A-Force, which followed an all-female Avengers team, instilling hope in fans that Marvel will someday make an all-female movie.
First Female-Led Film
Captain Marvel made history by becoming the first movie in the MCU with a solo female lead. That’s among the haul of box office records it has broken, including the biggest opening for a female co-directed film, the biggest opening for a female-led superhero film, and the biggest opening for a female-led movie worldwide.
While a huge accomplishment on its own, Captain Marvel will also pave the way for other woman-centric Marvel movies, like the upcoming Black Widow movie and, of course, a possible Captain Marvel sequel or two. Ultimately, it’s this legacy the movie leaves and the opportunities it allows that reserve its place in the superhero history books.
