A League of Their Own

By recurring guest blogger, C. L. Schock:

Because the Captain Marvel movie is scheduled for release later this week, I thought it would be fun to write about some of my favorite female heroes and why I have an affinity for them. My husband knows much more about comics than I do, but never let it be said that I am not a geek in my own right or that I don’t have my own distinct opinions on all things nerdy.

Certainly, my journey started many years before I met him. When I was in elementary school, my favorite cartoon was Super Friends. (Footnote: It was eventually eclipsed when the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon came out, but that’s a tale for another time.) While watching these iconic super heroes fighting crime on Saturday mornings, I became well... a bit obsessed with Wonder Woman. In addition to the Super Friends cartoon, I faithfully watched the live action Wonder Woman television show starring Linda Carter throughout its run. I can neither confirm nor deny that Underoos may have been purchased. And I even spent many hours on the playground pretending to fight criminals as an Amazon princess. That’s a powerful and empowering image that remains vivid in my memory even today. So, as you can imagine, when I saw the DCEU Wonder Woman movie starring Gal Gadot, my eight-year-old self was dancing for joy inside my head as I sat there in the theater. Therefore, while this is more a series of reminiscences rather than a ranking, Wonder Woman would have to rank #1 for me if I were to create a list of my favorite comic book heroes.

Carrying that logic forward, I think I could quickly rattle off the next few heroines on my list—if I was making such a list, which I’m not—though the next contender could only be considered a comic book hero in an indirect sense. Princess Leia, from the Star Wars universe, has political influence, serves as a general in the Rebel Alliance, and can hold her own with a blaster. She plays an important role in many battles and is well respected both as a diplomat and a tactician. Though I never owned any Star Wars comics, I played with several different Princess Leia toys as a child—all of which would surely be worth much more today if I had left them in their boxes. However, the value of those memories is... no, who am I kidding. I had lots of toys as a kid. I should have left the Star Wars toys in their boxes. (Sigh. Groan. Sigh. Giggle.)

Later, after my husband came on the scene, my exposure to comic-book-based entertainment expanded—both because of his love for the genre and because its prevalence simply increased. I remember enjoying the 1990s X-Men cartoon, in particular, and, if I was ranking my favorite heroes—which I’m not—then I know I’d need to add two of their number into the third and fourth slots.
 

Number three on this non-existent list would be Rogue. I know she has a complicated back story in the comics, and started off as a villain, but I hadn't really known much about the character before this appearance and I liked how she was portrayed. I find that the nature of her powers makes her quite sympathetic, and I think that the cartoon did a decent job of conveying that in a way that even kids could understand.

The other X-Man in question would be Storm. I like how, at least in the cartoon, the stories helped to convey that Storm usually only uses a fraction of her full power. Her capacity to alter the weather is enormous, and it shows her level of self-control when she only uses them to the extent necessary to get the job done. Her skill in leading a team in a fight is admirable, and she rightfully earns the respect of her fellow X-Men.

Does this positioning suppose that I like Princess Leia more than any one X-Man? Not necessarily. I'd like to say it's a profound philosophical decision--because it feels too much like a beauty contest or because I chaff at the idea of pitting women against women--but it's more basic than that. I'm sure my husband could describe to you in detail whether Rogue's powers would work on Diana's Amazonian abilities or whether Leia could navigate a snowspeeder through one of Storm's tempests, but the traits I tend to idolize in my fictional heroes are more absolute rather than comparative. Wonder Woman is kind and noble. Storm is wise and self-possessed. Leia is courageous. Rogue is perseverant.These are all core aspects of the characters that don't need to be stacked against each other--traits that I value not only in my superheroes, but also in the people I choose to surround me.

And from my current vantage in life, I find that there's one more heroine that I'd like to add to this select circle--Elastigirl from Pixar's The Incredibles. Whereas I spent hours pretending to be Wonder Woman on the playground as a child, I find that Helen Parr represents the kind of grown-up I want to be. Not one of the throng of femme fatales that litter comics, she's a realistic modern woman who strikes an almost perfect balance between being a powerful super hero and being a great wife and mother. As a mom myself, I have a personal appreciation for this character and what she represents. She's not perfect, but she owns up to her mistakes. She is a powerful and intelligent superhero, using her abilities in creative and sometimes unexpected ways. She does her best to protect her family while also catching villains and making meatloaf for dinner.

Time will tell whether or not I will enjoy the Captain Marvel movie. But I know one thing for sure--that a lot of previous female heroes have influenced my opinions on the subject and that I'll be judging Ms. Danvers not on marketing hype but on expectations set by them and the other real-life women and men I consider to be role models. Does that set the bar pretty high? Yes, I suppose it does. Within the week, we will learn if she can fly higher.