Marvel Comics Stereotypes

The comic book scene has changed substantially over the course of this past generation. Whether it be the mass production of superhero themed movies and animated television shows or the various video games and toys—the industry has grown exponentially. As the industry expands, so does its audience. The stereotype that comic books are only for white, nerdy males no longer stands true as the audience opens up to females from various cultures and races. This being said, characters within comic books are not changing as quickly as their audiences are. Marvel Comics have shocked their audience when they announced that there would be major changes to some of their most well-known characters. First would be the announcement that Thor would now become …show more content…
The Invisible Scarlet O’Neil, by Russell Stamm, was one of comics’ earliest crime fighters appeared in newspaper strips (Heintjes). After the successful debut of Superman in 1938, writers decided two years later that a female hero should be put into the spot light (Heintjes). Scarlet O’Neil only has one super power, the power to turn invisible; she can become invisible or visible by pressing a sensitive nerve found on her left wrist (Heintjes). Even though she only possessed the power of invisibility, she pushed women in comic books very far. Fiction House featured many progressive heroines such as the jungle queen Sheena, whose sex appeal is what help launch her comic series (Madrid). Tina Robbins in The Great Women Superheroes wrote:
“Most of [Fiction House's] pulp-style action stories either starred or featured strong, beautiful, competent heroines. They were war nurses, aviatrixes, girl detectives, counterspies, and animal skin-clad jungle queens, and they were in command. Guns blazing, daggers unsheathed, sword in hand, they leaped across the pages, ready to take on any villain. And they did not need rescuing” (Kitchen Sink …show more content…
DC had more classic heroes while Marvel mimicked the emotional unrest from a world where social conflict was coming to a boil (Wikipedia Contributors). In 1961, Marvel introduced many female superheroes were introduced but only as supporting roles. The first female superhot from Marvel was the Invisible Girl, also known as Susan Storm from the Fantastic Four (Wikipedia Contributors). Early treatments of these heroines resemble a struggle to be recognized as equals by their male counterparts (Madrid). Even DC Comics’ female heroes were struggling. Supergirl fought against the title of “Superman’s kid cousin” until she got her new name, Power Girl