How The Marvel Cinematic Universe Erases Women

The Iron Man Trilogy

Iron Man (2008) – Directed by Jon Favreau, written by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway

Iron Man 2 (2010) – Directed by Jon Favreau, written by Justin Theroux

Iron Man 3 (2013) – Directed by Shane Black, written by Drew Pearce, and Shane Black

In the MCU, the character of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is central, because it was his franchise that birthed the entire cinematic endeavour. The main difference between his films and the comic book source material, however, is the use of the character of Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

In the comic books, Potts is romantically involved with Happy Hogan (the chauffeur/bodyguard of Tony Stark/Iron Man played, in the films, by Jon Favreau). While she has a fascinating and dynamic friendship with Iron Man – which eventually leads to her becoming the superhero Rescue – her heart belongs to the tragic Happy. This means that there is wider scope for a higher number of female characters, because women – such as the capable Bethany Cabe – could rotate in and out as romantic interests of Iron Man. By changing the story to have Potts as the romantic interest of Iron Man, that scope for greater female involvement is instantly removed, and this is demonstrated clearly by the first film – 2008’s Iron Man – which has just three named female characters among a cast of hundreds.

Two years later, Iron Man 2 introduces us to Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), who is revealed to be an impressive S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Another two years on, and we have Iron Man 3, with its veritable explosion of female characters – from three to five. The film is notable in that it sees the development of the character of Potts toward fulfilling her role as Rescue. However, the initial move to have her be the romantic interest of Iron Man still causes the same narrative problems that plague every Marvel film – the distillation of the number of female characters into a bare minimum means that the remaining character must be all women.

She remains a token onscreen, and must appeal to everybody, instead of being a well-written character in her own right. She is required to be powerful, independent, vulnerable, intelligent, emotional and, above all, act in deference to the male lead, while fulfilling the male fantasy of a ‘strong woman’. Yes, real women are highly complex human beings and we should see that reflected in stories, but when all of that complexity is put on a single character – whose screen time is massively limited due to her supporting nature, and who is only permitted to speak to or about men – the result is unsatisfactory, at best.