Introduction:

When we think of the average “hero/heroine” of an action/adventure film, most would picture a bad-ass character with big muscles and defined features. The casting decisions for these roles are smart artistic choices, as characters with greater-looking bodies make their almost superhuman stunts look a little more believable. For example, if Dwayne Johnson had the ability to power jump hundreds of feet, that would be a bit more believable than if Adam Sandler could. However, while our well-built characters may be very appealing to the audience, is there a line between great looks and oversexualizing our heroes?

Marvel Comics:

Marvel’s comics have always had a reputation for making their superheroes look godly. One common feature of most superheroes is their skin-tight costumes, which further enhance their features.  For the typical male Marvel superheroes, no matter the costume, they somehow always make sure that muscles are protruding from their skin. Even Iron Man’s suit of iron is totally jacked. I would also note that most male superheroes have prominent bulges. Typically, female Marvel superheroes, in comparison, have much softer features, but their curves are very accentuated. While this makes our female hero more attractive, is it a practical part of their character?

The MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe):

The same applies to the more modern adaptation: The Marvel Cinematic Universe. While some superhero appearances are dialed way down compared to the comics, this stereotype still exists. For example, Scarlett Johansson’s character, Black Widow, commonly wears a black jumpsuit as their costume throughout the entire series. This seems understandable because the suit is very tactical; you wouldn’t want a baggy outfit if you specialize in martial arts, but then again, it seems way too tight and revealing to be practical. For Jeremy Renner’s character, Hawkeye, his outfit in The Avengers is also impractical. He wears a normal suit of armor (fit for an archer) but has no sleeves. Yes, it does extenuate his muscles, but it keeps his arms extremely vulnerable, especially in the middle of a war.

Elizabeth Olsen’s Take On The Superhero Image:

Elizabeth Olsen (Marvel’s Wanda Maximoff) had expressed discomfort in the past with her character’s outfit. During an Elle Magazine interview, she claimed, “I like corsets, but I’d like it to be higher.” She was a bit baffled at how long her character had been so revealing, too, as Marvel’s characters evolve throughout their movies. She also adds, “I think of the costumes and what we have to wear—it’s more about iconic images, because that’s what these movies are, I think that’s the goal with the costumes, and it’s not representing the average woman.” (Elle, 2018)

What Olsen says about iconic images is very important. While Marvel (and the action/adventure genre in general) creates these iconic heroic characters, they have to be careful what they suggest about oversexualization. These heroes end up being idols many people look up to. We shouldn’t see our heroes as “he’s very muscular” or “she’s very sexy” because that doesn’t represent the entirety of most characters. Instead, we should be falling in love with our character’s morals and decisions rather than their bodies. I can die happy just as easy without knowing how big Jeremy Renner’s arms are in The Avengers.