Stereotypes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

This week we read a few stories about stereotypes and it got me thinking about all the stereotypes in movies, specifically stereotypes about women in superhero movies.  Women in superhero movies are usually included for objectification purposes, love interests, and a supporting role for the male characters.

I felt the Marvel Cinematic Universe did a good job steering clear of these stereotypes until I did some further thinking.  The Black Widow , for example, is a very strong female character that I thought defied these stereotypes until I thought back to when she was first introduced in Iron Man 2.  Tony Stark objectified her by saying "I want one" when she walked into the room.  This is extremely demeaning because he refers to her as an object and not a human being.  Even though the Black Widow hasn't been associated with that stereotype since Iron Man 2, she still has yet to be in a role other than a supporting one. 


Another powerful female character that I thought did not fit into any stereotypes is Agent Peggy Carter.  When she is first introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger, she is portrayed as an intelligent and straightforward character.  But as the movie goes on, her primary role shifts from a strong leader to Captain America's love interest. 

Marvel is slowly trying to get rid of these stereotypes by possibly making a Black Widow movie and giving Peggy Carter her own show; but as of right now, these stereotypes still exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and many other universes such as DC.  The creators of these movies need to realize that these stereotypes are unfair to women and they need to stop incorporating them into their movies.