The female heroes of the MCU wield some of the strongest, most extraordinary powers in their universe. While their male peers may have had the spotlight until now, these women are working to overturn over a decade of precedent, setting up Marvel’s next phase to be, rightfully and inevitably, female-powered. They will owe it, in part, to the inspirational ladies of the Infinity Saga.
While not the end-all, be-all of a character’s contribution to the universe, the amount of time they spent on screen is a good indicator of what they meant to the story. IMDb has recorded each character’s total screen time in each Marvel movie. Let’s reflect on the women we’ve seen the most in the MCU.
Peggy Carter: 22 Min.
She begins her MCU journey with a bang in Captain America: The First Avenger as the SSR agent overseeing the program that would transform Steve Rogers into the Captain. She develops a romance with Steve, which would abruptly end when he dives into the frozen waters. Peggy, though, would go on to make a name for herself outside of Captain America’s girlfriend.
Not included in her total screen time is the Marvel series, Agent Carter, which follows her adventures in the SSR. A Marvel One-Shot released on the Iron Man 3 home release, as well as her brief role in Ant-Man, shows that she would become the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Betty Ross: 27 Min.
Considering The Incredible Hulk is regarded as one of the worst entries in the cinematic universe, it’s no wonder why it is sometimes left out of the lineup. With the one film, though, Betty Ross racks up the most screen time of any female character in a single male solo film.
At 27 minutes, not even Pepper in any of the Iron Man movies nor Natasha in Captain America: The Winter Soldier can beat her time. Doctor Ross is also the only woman to make this list who has only been featured in one movie, making the accomplishment all the more impressive.
Wanda Maximoff: 34 Min.
First featured in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and properly introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda has proved herself as one of the most powerful beings in the known universe. She makes the journey from opponent to ally to full-on Avenger.
In Infinity War, she single-handedly almost defeats Thanos while destroying the Mind Stone. While her time in Avengers: Endgame totals to less than 3 minutes, she is expected to return, namely in the Disney+ series WandaVision and in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Nebula: 34 Min.
While a hostile force against the Guardians of the Galaxy upon her introduction, Nebula later makes amends with her sister and comes to realize the evil nature of Thanos’ plan. She fights against her father in the war for the Infinity Stones and is one of only two characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy world to survive the Snap.
She is also part of Endgame’s time heist, using her knowledge to travel to 2012 steal the Power Stone back from Thanos. She even has the opportunity to reconnect with her sister and see their relationship in a way she hadn’t been able to while Gamora was alive.
Jane Foster: 46 Min.
While painted as simply a wide-eyed scientist/damsel in distress in Thor, she begins to prove how influential a role she can play once she encounters the Aether in the film’s sequel.
As the primary love interest of the trilogy’s title character, she was on screen enough to rank number 5 on this list after only been featured in 2 films (excluding a less-than-15-second appearance in Endgame). Understandably, fans have been missing her since her absence in Thor: Ragnarok, but she is expected to have a more central role in Thor: Love and Thunder, set to release in 2021.
Hope van Dyne: 52 Min.
While she may not be mentioned as often as some of her peers, in terms of the women of the MCU, Hope has made history herself. She bears the distinction of being the first female title character of an MCU film, excluding ensemble-casted films, where the women are lumped together with a large group, like the Avengers or the Guardians of the Galaxy.
First introduced in Ant-Man, Hope reluctantly agrees to help her father prepare Scott to take over the role of the Ant-Man, a role she believes herself to be a better fit for. Whether she was or not, a post-credits scene reveals the beginning of her stepping into her mother’s title of the Wasp, a role we see her fully embody in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Pepper Potts: 1 Hr., 10 Min.
Making her debut in Iron Man, the MCU’s first film, Pepper is the first of the ladies on this list to appear. She is the only woman to be featured in all three films of any of the existing trilogies. She has yet to truly step into her superhero persona, Rescue, though this is preluded in Iron Man 3, where she is affected by the Extremis experiment and has superhuman abilities, and in Endgame, where she dons an Iron Man-adjacent suit of armor.
Little has been revealed about her role in Phase 4, or if she will have one, though the topic is under heavy debate by fans. Now that Tony has been killed, it may be time for Pepper to find independence as a character and take on a hero role of her own.
Carol Danvers: 1 Hr., 11 Min.
That Carol ranks high on this list isn’t a surprise. As the only woman in this universe at present to have a solo film, she also boasts the most screen time of any female character in a single MCU film.
Although fans consider her character to have been underused in Endgame, Captain Marvel’s record-shattering box office stats almost guarantee her a sequel. Her entrance to the Avengers’ universe also opens doors for her to step into a more central role in future MCU films, possibly taking a leadership role among the other Avengers.
Gamora: 1 Hr., 20 Min.
Unlike the female characters in the MCU’s other ensemble casts, Gamora has a prominent leading role and feels more like a protagonist than a supporting character in her films. Her screen time comes in second only to Peter’s in both Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel.
She is also on-screen for more time than any of the Avengers in Infinity War, coming in second to Thanos. Despite having only been featured in a total of 4 movies in the franchise, she has more screen time than almost all other female characters.
Natasha Romanoff: 1 Hr., 50 Min.
Since her introduction in 2010’s Iron Man 2, Natasha decides to transition from her role as a spy to that of a soldier and teammate in The Avengers, she’s involved in the takedown of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and her death, though heavily debated, is crucial in defeating Thanos in Endgame.
As the only woman in the original Avengers lineup, she sets a precedent for all the female superheroes who would follow her. Although she is no longer alive, her solo movie, Black Widow, takes place after Captain America: Civil War and is set to release on May 1st.
