Jacqueline Arias in CultureMoviesTV & Movies

It’s about time we gave these Marvel superheroines screen time

It took the Marvel Cinematic Universe long enough to make a solo female superhero movie, but we finally got it in the form of Captain Marvel. Although we’ve seen several heroines in other movies like Jean Grey, Gamora, The Wasp, and Scarlet Witch, having a standalone film—one that’s also directed by a woman—was a must at this point because we all don’t want to see the ladies as mere sidekicks or romantic interests to the male leads.

We know the MCU has more female-led films coming up like Black Widow and Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan, but they should really consider giving the spotlight to their other heroines. Most especially those with compelling storylines and are just as strong as the men that many already idolize. Here are some suggestions:

She-Hulk

Yup, she’s basically the female version of The Incredible Hulk. Lawyer Jennifer Walters received her superpowers when she was given a gamma-fied blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner. Hence, the She-Hulk persona. She eventually joins The Avengers, Heroes for Hire, The Fantastic Four (temporarily), and other factions in the Marvel universe. In fact, she’s even present in the Civil War comics.

Here’s the tricky part though. According to Screen Rant, Marvel still doesn’t have the full rights to She-Hulk for her to appear in a solo movie. Since The Incredible Hulk was originally under Universal, She-Hulk was also roped in the deal. Unless all rights go to Marvel, we might just see her make a cameo in future MCU films—but we’re also hopeful that she’ll get her well-deserved screen time.

Rogue

Rogue has appeared in the previous X-Men under Fox movies before the confusing timeline refresh. (Ugh, don’t get me started at how annoyed I am with the current arc.) But since we might not see Anna Paquin reprising her role and there are rumors that the X-Men will soon be part of the MCU, I personally want Rogue to have a standalone film, especially after Captain Marvel. I just think that it’s interesting to direct attention to her because of her ability to absorb memories and superpowers, and the fact that she got Carol Danvers’ powers in the comics, which gave her the ability to fly and be a force to be reckoned with.

It may not be a great way to end Carol’s saga in the MCU. But it’s also a good build-up for the upcoming Kamala Khan film (whenever this’ll be) since she’s taking up the Ms. Marvel mantle after Carol. Plus, in case you didn’t know, Kamala is the first female Muslim superhero.

Kate Bishop

There’s an undeniable pattern of passing down mantles in Marvel comic. Another example is Kate Bishop, who is Hawkeye’s heir and shares the same archery skills as him. She’s part of the Young Avengers, which is basically the younger version of the current team, and it might be inevitable that the arc will shift to the new generation sooner or later.

Since we’re still waiting on a Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) solo movie and we’re not getting it yet, MCU might as well make a standalone origin story for Kate. It makes sense since Clint will adopt the Ronin persona in Avengers: Endgame.

Silk

Here’s one web-slinger who wasn’t part of the Into the Spiderverse roster. Silk is a Korean-American teenager who was also exposed to a radioactive spider like Spider-Man. But unlike him, she can organically produce webs, in addition to her heightened senses and hand-to-hand combat abilities.

Although there are reports that Silk will join an all-female spin-off of Into the Spiderverse, we’d rather see her hold her own in a standalone film. Maybe she can even be a tandem with Tom Holland in the next Spider-Man franchise post-Endgame.

Squirrel Girl

I’m kinda disappointed that Squirrel Girl, whose ability is controlling hordes of squirrels, hasn’t appeared to defeat Thanos yet. (Fun fact: She did in the comics.) But I’m still holding up hope for her to do the job. If not, the MCU should give her the solo film she deserves. The plot can range from her origin, her involvement in an Avengers vs X-Men stand-off, and even her stint as the babysitter of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s baby—that is, if Disney will get the full rights of the former Netflix characters.

After all, Disney already has an animated series featuring Squirrel Girl. So, it only makes sense that they consider giving her a full-length feature.

Photo courtesy of Marvel Fact Files’ Instagram account

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