Marvel Comics is the most loved and influential comic of all time. The extent of the impact that it has on its fans is undeniable. Some characters are very minutely built, and ferociously smart while some like Black cat and Emma Frost are shallow and sexist.
Over the years, Marvel’s women characters have become restrictive and shallow instead of becoming progressive. It’s high time they need to improvise on the writing style for its women characters if nothing else. One thing that has been prevailing constantly in Marvel comics is treating women as sexual objects in revealing costumes. This makes no sense but is just appealing to the eyes. Women in outlandish costumes are saving the world and we are believing it. Marvel hasn’t paid that much attention to its female characters and has even written some of them very poorly. Before these female leads get a fair go, let’s look at some of them who have been the worst-written characters in Marvel.
#8 Madelyne Pryor Was Literally Made To Love Cyclops
Madelyne Pryor is a clone of Jean Grey created by Mister Sinister who looks like to have picked up his infatuation with the Summers family. This tragic figure is not even allowed to find her own path, according to the character stated by the writers. They have kept her obsessed with Scott Summers or his family for her entire character play.
Her personality is all about being obsessed with Summers men which is totally unhealthy for her. But the writers have pushed her to an extent where she is seen wearing revealing costumes. She must be given some extra credit roles in MCU and those should be written thoughtfully.
#7 Black Cat Relied Too Heavily On Seduction
All Felicia Hardy ever does is being obsessed with Spider-Man. Although she is a beautiful woman but writers haven’t done much justice to her character. They have focussed primarily on her beauty or her obsessive love for Spider-man at most.
This Black Cat is seen in a tight catsuit that is enough to seduce anyone around. Over the years, her catsuit has become more and more revealing. All her scenes and plots are written around seducing the male hero. Writers don’t seem to find anything more productive for her. Felicia has the potential to be a great character only if modern writers treat her that way.
#6 Black Widow Was The Girl On The Team
Another sexual figure appearing both in comics and MCU is the Black Widow. This character has been highly sexualised around men. Marvel writers thought of her to be a pleasant gaze for the men around her. So, they decided to centre her role around her sexuality itself.
Erotic seduction and alluring tactics is what she is great at. You’ll spot her dressed in skin-tight catsuits and fishnet tights making her look super sexy. Interestingly, she had come to US and joined the Avengers originally for her love for Hawkeye.
#5 Mary Jane Should Be More Than Motivation For Spider-Man
Spider-Man’s beloved Mary Jane is loved by her fans. Her intimacy with Peter is just so beautiful that fans often forget her true motive. She deserves to be seen as a more powerful character than someone who just motivates Peter in what he is. Writers haven’t been that kind to Mary Jane Watson.
She should be seen as a strong personality who is building a career of her own instead of running around the Spidey. Spider-Man focuses on the male lead and keeps her at bay. She can definitely do much more than this.
#4 Scarlet Witch Is Written To Be A Hysterical Woman
Better known as Wanda Maximoff, Scarlet Witch has seen a lot of tough times despite being one of the most powerful mutants in the world. Wanda has appeared in both MCU and comics, shaping her reality the way she desires. Even though she gets to do this, she never ends up being happy.
Wanda is a beautiful witch with little desires of her own. She ends up destroying her surroundings every time things go unplanned. Her role of being a Hysterical woman needs to be refined because she surely deserves to showcase a much better side to her.
#3 Patsy Walker Was A Shallow Impression Of A Teenager
Patsy Walker serves an impressive character play but the writers have kept her at bay. She gets a side role time and again despite kicking asses as costumed hero Hellcat. Even her personal life is quite steady as a teenager ever since her first appearance in the 1960s comics.
#2 Ruby Thursday Doesn’t Make Any Sense
When Ruby Thursday was introduced in the 1970s, she looked quite promising. She had an ideal body, dressed in a revealing costume and a red sphere-like head. With time, her character became very strange. She was seen joining the villain group the Headmen as their first female member. Ruby as a villain is very powerful but no one knows anything about her past. Why does she look the way she is, why her character story is so complicated- no one knows.
For instance, she’s obsessed with putting her colleague’s heads on other heroes’ bodies. She keeps getting caught, but then she’s suddenly at large again. Nothing makes sense about her character.
#1 Emma Frost Deserves More Credit And Fabric
Emma Frost is a very powerful character with a successful business. She owns the ruling council of Krakoa and has accomplished almost everything that she has gotten into. But Marvel writers haven’t done justice to the character. She has been treated as a sexual object time and again, by the men around her. Her dresses are intentionally designed for revealing her body. Not a single scene in her character play has been seen without skin show.
