Fandom, Feminism, and the Female Superhero on Film

Are the growing numbers of superheroines we see on screen truly breaking boundaries and providing new models of female representation, or do they instead fall prey to the pitfalls of postfeminist representation and toxic fandom dynamics? Lauryn Angel applies a critical feminist lens to the influx of female superheroes within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe and compares them to their comic book counterparts to interrogate both the promises and perils of this cinematic landscape and its fanbases. Rather than promoting equity and diversity, Angel posits, many of these characters become stuck in the mire of one-dimensional tropes that perpetuate the idea that feminine experiences are one-size-fits-all. This inaccurate representation is compounded by toxic fans—also known as anti-fans—of the superhero genre who argue that any female superhero is nothing more than a cog in the “woke” agenda. Ultimately, Angel finds that the most positive representations also prompt the loudest outcry from anti-fans, further complicating the minefield of competing motivations around the prominence and accuracy of feminist representation in a postfeminist landscape.