Everything in life is political. The decisions we make, our inclinations, and our preferences are based on a certain policy. There is not a single area in life that politics does not influence. Cinema, of course, is an art form deeply affected by politics. When my curiosity about the history of cinema began, the first thing I noticed was how cinema was influenced by general history and the political upheavals of the times, even being shaped by them. Cinema, with its narrative, is a political reflection of the era it belongs to. Many of the cultural films we love were shaped by or inspired by the political influences of their time.
Nowadays, politics is present not only on the screen but also off the screen. In fact, it influences the product itself financially more than it shapes the story on the screen. Especially with social media bringing us together from all over the world, the rate of our common discussions has increased. Now we express our political views quite openly and act according to these views, because it has become very easy to find like-minded individuals who share these beliefs.
One of the most heated debates in recent years is gender equality, particularly under the term “woke.” On one side of this conflict are people with views leaning towards the extreme right, calling themselves anti-woke, who react strongly to certain representations on screen. Their voices are so loud that their decibels seriously impact the box office performance of films. The problem is that under the extremism this noisy but small crowd claims to oppose, there lies a hidden racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. Of course, this group does not accept the accusations directed at them. They claim to oppose the forced imposition of the woke perspective on screens, introduced into our lives along with politics. They even have a new nickname for Marvel: M-She-U. Are they justified? No, not at all.
Marvel, especially after the end of the marathon with Endgame, has definitely produced works deserving of criticism. They wanted to start anew after the finale but ended up making a mess of it. However, the foundation of these criticisms is not the company’s turn towards wokeness. At least, not in my criticisms. Along with the mass production that started after Endgame, the company seriously lowered the quality while also failing to substantiate the Multiverse idea they introduced with great marketing after Endgame. Even those who, like me, looked forward to the Multiverse idea with great excitement eventually lost all hope. In fact, they themselves admit their failures in the latest Marvel film, Deadpool vs Wolverine.
However, the criticisms from the group I’m discussing in my article are not the same as mine. Their criticisms are fundamentally based on riding the wave of the new far-right movement that began with Donald Trump. The hostility towards certain groups initiated by Trump and his MAGA circle has also influenced those included in this group at the ballot box, and the criticisms have started to become a reflection of this political rabble-rousing. And coincidentally, all the baseless criticisms against Marvel began during the Trump era, particularly in his last year.
It wasn’t just Trump; new far-right figures that emerged during his term also waged war against this so-called woke extremism. Even those who once criticized Trump switched sides and turned to flattery. They all used the same arguments in their speeches and writings: Marvel started forcibly including female characters in stories. They increased the number of black characters in unrelated ways. The stories of the films began to be based on woke thinking. But how true are these claims? When explained with numbers, it becomes clear that they are not true at all.
The Marvel universe, despite attempts to include Blade and Elektra in the recent Deadpool vs Wolverine film, officially began in 2008 with Iron Man. It’s 2024. In this 16-year period, Marvel has released a total of 34 films. This list does not include films by Fox and Columbia. If we list films featuring Marvel characters outside of Marvel, our list starts with Howard the Duck in 1986. Since 1986, the number of films featuring a Marvel character is 70. Quite a good number. So, how many of these 70 films have a female lead?
The first film where Marvel gave a lead role to a female character was Captain Marvel, released in 2019, 11 years after the universe began. In the 21st film of the universe, for the first time, a woman became the sole lead. Although there are female characters like Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, and Nebula within the universe, the main characters were generally male. Not just the main characters, but the villains were also mostly male. Marvel finally making a woman the lead or even considering it only happened in the 21st film. The sadder part is this: Elektra, produced by 20th Century Fox, was released in 2005. Although Marvel now embraces all its characters, including those from Fox, back then, Elektra was not considered Marvel. But if we accept this embrace, we must acknowledge that the next female lead after Elektra did not appear 11 but 14 years later. Including films from other companies, 39 films were released between Elektra and the next female-led film. Thirty-nine!
But it is no coincidence that the accusations of a woke approach directed at Marvel began precisely with this film. From the very first movie, this vocal minority refused to accept the female character they saw on screen. There are two reasons behind this rejection: one is subconscious, and the other is political. The first is the existence of the character Carol Danvers. Although the original Captain Marvel was male, Marvel chose to make Carol Danvers, who later gained her powers within the story, the new Captain Marvel. This decision did not sit well with the minority. They were uncomfortable with a woman being the one to save the day.
Another reason for the criticism of Captain Marvel is the presence of Brie Larson in the lead role. Brie Larson openly declares her feminism and her fight for minorities in the industry. She is not only vocal about actors but also brave and aware enough to highlight the lack of black film critics. Naturally, Brie Larson’s personal struggles irritated this minority. These criticisms could be considered an accident along the way, but the same criticisms began to be directed at all films with female leads without exception. As a result, as mentioned above, Marvel was given the new nickname M-She-U. However, the problem is that the Marvel universe does not have enough female leads to deserve this label.
Of the 70 films released by Marvel, including those by other companies, only 9 have female leads. For those who do not follow the films, I would like to note: Although it cannot be said that the lead in Eternals, which I believe is the best Marvel film made after Infinity War despite being heavily criticized, is solely a woman, I felt the need to include the film in the “female lead” list because the general story revolves around Gemma Chan’s character. Otherwise, Eternals has a multi-character structure.
Despite only 9 out of 70 films having female leads, this group insists that Marvel has succumbed to woke thinking. So why do they persist in this criticism when only 9 out of 70 films have female leads? Because 8 of these 9 films, and this is quite significant, were released in the last 6 years. Let me explain in more detail: They were released especially during the period when Trump, refusing to leave office fairly, tried to divide the country for 4 years. The atmosphere of hatred he created and the voices of those who were emboldened by him to increase their volume mercilessly reflected their hidden hatred towards certain groups in these 8 films each time they were released.
Criticism, of course, is an acceptable thing. You might not like a film for many reasons within it and you can express this. Regrettably, Madame Web (2024) is quite a bad movie. However, as I mentioned at the beginning of my article, this political contrast has now started to affect the box office performance of films. Those who have succumbed to the country’s wind of hatred did not go to see films with female leads on screen, and coincidentally, all the female-led films released after Captain Marvel have ranked among Marvel’s most unsuccessful films. There will be many who will oppose this inference of mine. They might say, no, those films flopped at the box office because they were actually bad. But those who are truly familiar with the Marvel universe know that there are really very bad films among the 70.
So how does this storm of criticism look on the television front? Marvel, especially after Endgame, started a new path by incorporating Disney series into the universe. As I write these lines, Marvel has exactly 17 series on Disney. Of these 17 series, only 4 are directly led by a female character. One of these is the solo series of Scarlet Witch, who is featured throughout almost the entire universe, another is the series of a new character, Kamala Khan, another is Echo, which tells the story of a Latin superhero, and the fourth and most criticized one is She-Hulk, which does not shy away from criticizing those who criticize Marvel throughout the series.
Although Wandavision, starring Elizabeth Olsen, managed to escape criticism, the remaining three series were subjected to all kinds of attacks imaginable. During this process, accusations were made that Marvel had sold its soul to woke thinking, that women were being forcibly shoved in the audience’s faces, and hundreds of irrelevant accusations about the technical aspects of the produced content. However, on the TV side, the criticisms were not only directed at women. There is one series that also took its share of criticism: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
For those who do not follow, let me provide some information: after Endgame, which ended the 11-year Marvel marathon, Steve Rogers, who carried the title of Captain America, chose to retire and leave the Avengers team. With his departure, it was decided that someone should carry the title of Captain America, and in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, this title was given to the character played by Wyatt Russell. However, when it became clear within the series that this character could not handle the responsibility, the title was entrusted to Sam Wilson, who has been part of the universe from the beginning. The problem is, Sam Wilson is played by Anthony Mackie, who is black. And this drove the group I mentioned mad.
I have actually wanted to write this article for a long time, but I couldn’t start because I couldn’t organize my thoughts. The uproar over Sam Wilson becoming Captain America has become even more amusing and ironic these days. Seeing Coco Gauff and LeBron James as the flag bearers for the United States at the ongoing Paris Olympics makes me think that this vocal minority must be losing their minds in their corners. No, a black person cannot carry the title of America, they argue, but the current situation is far from what they desired. We can clearly understand this from the hatred they spread on the streets and every corner of the internet.
When we look at the numbers, a question arises. It is a question you need to ask yourself. Is Marvel dedicating 8 out of 19 films released in the last 6 years to women succumbing to woke thinking? Is finally giving women lead roles after 51 films a form of political oppression, or is it an acknowledgment of existing discrimination? It’s easy to say, but out of the 70 films, only 9 have female leads. Many beloved characters in the universe were never given a solo film opportunity and were always presented by blending them alongside men.
The political divide we are in now unfortunately affects us in every area. Some people are quite insistent on maintaining the status quo they are used to. They want women, whom they have seen as sidekicks to men on the big screen all their lives, to stay in their place. They don’t want to see strong, confident women saving the day on screen. And not just on screen. From cinema to sports to the business world, the presence of women is increasing everywhere. As women rightfully claim the positions that were forcibly taken from them, this vocal minority becomes louder.
As I said at the beginning, Marvel has significantly lowered its quality, but this has nothing to do with a woke perspective. Unfortunately, they had nothing more to offer after Endgame, but for the continuation of the universe, or rather for the flow of money, they continued their stories in a forced manner. They introduced many new characters. While they did some things right, they did many things wrong. While there are managerial and cinematic issues at play, the group I mentioned used this failure to reflect their hidden hatred. However, the numbers clearly show how wrong they are and that they have chosen to be on one side of the political divide we are in.