From being told to ‘smile more’ to weak stereotypes, female superheroes continue to face sexist double standards.

Mae Abdulbaki, a writer and TV editor at The Young Folks, wrote that there are obvious differences in the treatment of women and men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A popular example that has been hanging there for a while are Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) and Tony Stark(Iron Man).

Films that contain male leads can be anything that want to be without a second thought of criticism or even compared with other male leads. The movie Captain Marvel has included racists and sexists. Why do people make the statement that Captain Marvel has to smile more and not the other male heroes? Double standards that’s why. 

Many people have complained that Captain Marvel is arrogant and has a huge ego; but so  does Iron Man, so why isn’t there backlash about Tony Stark’s attitude? The difference in these reactions is because Captain Marvel’s pure confidence in herself and powerful abilities as a strong female-lead is seen by the public (especially with the male audience) as arrogant and problematic. 

It is often seen by society that wanting more female-led roles in films is getting rid of white males.  It’s about wanting more representation and more understanding that if we are going to judge our women protagonists, then we should absolutely give the same treatment to our male protagonists. 

Another recent example is Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) and Doctor Strange. Wanda Maximoff is seen as a villain for “enslaving” an entire town due to her grief of losing her lover Vision. 

In an article by CBR, Renaldo Matadeen discusses Scarlet Witch’s comeback to a recent double standard. Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange opened a portal that caused the Multiverse to be disturbed. Strange deliberately ignored Wong’s warning and to fuel his own ego, opened another reality. Yet, no one even bats an eyelash at that. 

With the Super Bowl trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda Maximoff calls out the double standard. She makes a great point after the Westview incident from the Disney+  show WandaVision, on why others aren’t held accountable and how she’s the only one who gets reprimanded. It’s because of the double standard. 

Other male characters such as Iron Man and Hulk, Sony Stark and Bruce Banner respectively, created Ulton which in turn caused death and destruction of Sokovia. These men never ever had consequences besides the one they handed themselves. The hypocrisy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is real.

When dealing with the MCU, we as a society should have equal treatment and equal criticism with both our female and male lead roles.  

And, as Scarlet Witch once amazingly told off Strange, “You break the rules and become a hero. I do it; I become the enemy.”

If you want to make it know to Marvel Studios about these double standards, then use this link to send an email to the studio about your concerns