Live-action female superheroes have come a long way since the days of Supergirl (1984), Elektra, Catwoman and even Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman. As one of the leaders of this new wave, Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones surprised comic book fans and TV critics alike, with the series slowly but surely beginning to build Emmy buzz. Speaking to espnW, Ritter touched on just how far portrayals of female superheroes in the live-action medium have advanced.
"I’ve felt a responsibility in a lot of ways to carry this show and do this character justice. Like I said, I hadn’t seen a character like this portrayed before and I wanted to it justice so that more will follow. They haven’t really made a lot of female superhero movies, and they’re always quoting the failures of Elektra and Catwoman, two movies from forever ago. I’ve never seen Elektra or Catwoman but I would just hear about [them] a lot when originally prepping for the show. People would talk about no one watching female superhero movies, because of these two, and those movies are very old. We haven’t tried. We haven’t tried enough to say that female superhero movies haven’t worked. Supergirl came out this year and also Jessica Jones. People are eating it up, and obviously there’s an appetite for it."
Female superheroes are definitely in a resurgence, with
Supergirl, Jessica Jones and even
Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Quake leading the charge on the TV front. With
Wonder Woman and
Captain Marvel films on the horizon, perhaps the days of packed, opening-night theaters being predominantly filled with adolescent males will become a thing of the past.
Speaking of female heroes, perhaps the time is right for female supervillains? Check out
7 candidates the MCU should consider after Cate Blanchett debuts in Thor: Ragnarok.
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