Wonder Woman is finally coming to theatres and this is no doubt a significant moment for the genre – not only because it will be the first high profile female-led comic book movie, but because Wonder Woman’s enemies list features a high proportion of female villains. While we now have a trailer, little is known about the plot beyond the fact that it will encompass the famous origin story of her journey from Themyscira to Man’s World, after Steve Trevor crash lands on her home island and tells her about World War I. We catch glimpses of many characters in the trailer – one of which is a mysterious woman in a half-face mask – played by Elena Anaya. Could she be the main villain of the piece? Theories on her identity range from Baroness Von Gunther, to Circe, to Doctor Cyber, to Mask herself. Unfortunately, we have to wait until June 2nd, 2017 to find out.
Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theatres on July 7th, 2017, and the chances of a female villain here are slim, to non-existent. As is often the case with movies centred on the iconic web-slinger, the women of this version seem to be confined to roles that support the hero. Female enemies of Spider-Man have featured in the comic books, though, and include Black Cat, Titania, Tarantula, and Shriek.
Thor: Ragnarok is a beacon of hope, and arrives on the big screen on November 3rd, 2017. Not only does it feature the female villain Hela (Cate Blanchett) as its main antagonist, but it also features Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), who is a complex character sometimes depicted as an anti-hero in her own timeline. Though she is connected to Thor as an Asgardian warrior, she has, on occasion, been seen to be in the service of Hela.
Though we will not see it in theatres until November 17th, 2017, it seems unlikely that Justice League will give space to female villains. Despite the source material providing great evil women in the form of Galatea, Vamp, Scream Queen, Vanessa Kingsbury, Aurora and Olympiad, among others, the plot –as set up by events in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice – is clearly heading toward a showdown with Darkseid, and his many, mostly male, minions.
Black Panther is highly anticipated, being the first high profile comic book movie to be led by a black superhero – and it’s released on February 16th, 2018. It may also feature a female villain, in the form of Nakia – played by Lupita Nyong’o. Though the main antagonist would appear to be Erik Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan), the role of Nakia has also been included in early casting announcements and, in the source material, she is a former bodyguard of Black Panther who becomes the first incarnation of the supervillain Malice.
Compared to his fellow superheroes, The Flash seems to have a fairly low number of female enemies, and the film version – due for release on March 16th, 2018 – is likely to reflect that. The project is still in early development, though, so there’s still a slim chance we might see the Speedster cross paths with Star Sapphire or Christina Alexandrova.
Avengers: Infinity War is a long way off – not set to arrive until May 4th, 2018, with another one due on May 3rd, 2019 – but we already know that some level of female anti-hero action will take the form of Gamora (Zoe Saldana). The involvement of Thanos (Josh Brolin) would also suggest the film might also feature Nebula (Karen Gillan) – depending on the fate of her character in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2. With the general thrust of the action here looking to centre around Thanos, the inclusion of other female villains seems unlikely – but in the source material there are plenty to choose from. Moonstone, Madame Viper, Black Mamba, Vapor and Lucia Von Bardas have all come into conflict with the Avengers at various points.
Marvel will release its first film to feature a female superhero in its title with Ant-Man And The Wasp, on July 6th, 2018, and little is known about the direction in which the plot may head for this sequel. For his part, the most significant female villains faced by Ant-Man in the source material are arguably A.I.M agents, but The Wasp has faced many, including Cethlann, Aquarius, Frenzy and Alkehema.
Aquaman will surface on July 27th, 2018, and it is currently rumoured that the main villain will be Black Manta – possibly played by Michael Kenneth Williams. The sometimes villainous Nuidis Vulko (Willem Dafoe) will also feature. In the source material, female villains are few and far between in Aquaman’s narrative, but he has been seen in conflict with Karla, V’lana, and Siren.
