Wonder Woman is easily the most popular and mainstream female superhero of all time. She’s impressive because she stands alongside Batman and Superman as their equal. She represents the women that take the last step, go that extra mile and have what it takes to seal the deal.
Black Widow is complicated and that’s why everyone loves her. Her back story of being an orphan and taken in as a trained assassin as a young girl gives Black Widow that deep rooted history of tragedy and rising above it. She represents the power of training with her precise martial arts abilities. Most important, however, is that she has no inherent super power. Despite this, she is often responsible for saving the day for The Avengers. She represents the balance of hard work, the importance of perfecting a skill and making the most out of a tragic past. For Black Widow, it’s not what she was born with that makes her a superhero. It’s what she has made for herself.
Cat Woman is a complicated superhero with a devastating past as a teenage runaway, orphan and dominatrix. As Batman’s love interest, Cat Woman is not only the femme fatale but also the complicated woman. Not exactly perceived as the villain or the anti-heroine, Cat Woman is in a league of her own. She represents the woman who isn’t all good and isn’t all bad, the woman who understands the phrase, “It’s complicated.” She is the woman who does what it takes to survive and maintains her feminine strength at the same time. However, her moral compass gets disheveled at times making her the ultimate femme fatale.
Captain Marvel represents establishment and success. Before she gained her powers, she was an established military figure. Her lengthy resume includes colonel of the U.S. Air Force, CIA Spy, and Chief of Security of NASA. She is the picture of hard work, security, strength and what it takes to be a leader. With a resume based in the male-dominated military field, Captain Marvel represents female determination.
The first appearance of Superwoman, Lois Lane, has conflicting representations for women. Her powers were at first false, kept up by Superman as an illusion. Later on, Superman lends Superwoman his powers for up to twenty-four hours, but her powers always fade. Additionally, her reputation is largely cast as “the female Superman.” What does she initially represent? A failed attempt at gender equality and women being made from the rib of man.
