By Ryan Smith The increasing popularity of superhero movies, such as those produced by Marvel Studios, is undeniable. It seems that each new film released breaks multiple box office records. With Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War grossing over $2 billion worldwide (Box Office Mojo, 2018), the genre of superhero movies has amassed a vast following. Many of these films, however, depict very few female heroes, and when they do, these characters are often much weaker than their male counterparts. Currently, one of the most popular female superheroes actually has no superpower at all. Black Widow, of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a highly trained and highly intelligent spy. She has exceptional combat skills and leadership qualities but she lacks real knockout punch type firepower. She often times needs a male hero like Hulk or Thor — both of whom are incredibly powerful and masculine — to step in and save the day. Pennell and Behm-Morawitz (2015) point out in their article that...