Phase 4 is fixing an old MCU criticism about the lack of female heroes, but Marvel still needs to do more. When the Marvel Cinematic Universe took off over a decade ago, it did not take long for audiences to notice that the leading heroes were traditionally white men. This led to growing criticism of the MCU for not giving lead hero roles to women or people of color. While Black Widow, Wasp, and Gamora became major characters in other franchises, Captain Marvel in 2019 marked the first time a female hero had a solo movie.
The lack of female-led MCU projects and women superheroes, in general, is changing in Phase 4. Marvel Studios kicked off the post-Infinity Saga storyline with WandaVision on Disney+, which put Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch in the lead role. Scarlett Johansson's long-awaited Black Widow movie was meant to begin Phase 4, and it still became the first movie on the slate after multiple COVID-19 delays. Marvel Studios has also had Sersi (Gemma Chan) as the focal point of Eternals' ensemble and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) star in Hawkeye, while Ms. Marvel is led by Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani). The Marvels and She-Hulk are some of the other female-led projects confirmed for Phase 4.
It is quite clear that Marvel Studios' plans for Phase 4 and the MCU at large include putting a greater focus on women as heroes. Those like Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Shuri (Letitia Wright) are leading movies, while She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) and Ms. Marvel headline Disney+ shows. There have also been the introductions of Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) in Loki, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) in Black Widow - just to name a few. As a result, Phase 4 has fixed the old critique that the MCU does not have enough female heroes or female-led movies, and has improved the ones it already has by making them focal points of individual movies and shows and the MCU overall.
For all of the female heroes the MCU has introduced by now, there is still room for Marvel to do more. There are a plethora of women superheroes from the comics that could join the MCU next. Doctor Strange 2 briefly introduced Clea (Charlize Theron) in the post-credits scene and it's certain she'll return. There is great speculation that Moondragon or Phyla-Vel will appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Marvel Studios' plans for Fantastic Four mean that Sue Storm is on the way, while developments of a Thunderbolts movie could also mean Melissa Gold, a.k.a. Songbird, is on the horizon. The MCU's roster of female heroes can also eventually include the likes of Medusa, Spider-Woman, Squirrel Girl, and more.
The MCU has yet to even dive into one of the biggest treasure troves of great female superheroes: the X-Men. Mutants will join the MCU at some point, and while Wolverine is mostly at the center of those conversations, the collection of women Marvel heroes connected to the X-Men is vast. The likes of Storm, Jean Grey, Rogue, and Kitty Pryde could all be contenders to be part of the first X-Men MCU team. That still leaves room for Emma Frost, Psylocke, X-23, Jubilee, and more to also join.
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