Reconstructing Gender in Contemporary Superheroes

  • October 25, 2022
  • 4:00 PM - 5:30 CST
  • Cuneo 206
  • Betsy Jones Hemenway, ehemenway@luc.edu
  • Open to the public.
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  • Details

    Feminist Lecture Series 2022: This presentation will provide an analysis of how gender is performed in contemporary superhero movies, primarily in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The analysis will focus primarily on the static natures of femininity and masculinity as the films present them, but will also note areas in which the franchise has attempted to (or at least appeared to attempt to) be more progressive in its handling of gender. I will conclude with why it matters for these films to provide more nuanced gender performances and call for new heroes to embody the theories I have cited for a canon of more diverse superheroes representative of the audiences receiving them.