Gender Diversity in Comics

After the recent gender flip in Thor, my sister tweeted me this article from NPR. Normally I'd submit that NPR is a bastion of informed and balanced coverage, there's something I find disconcerting there. It seems to indicate that male comic fans are misogynists, who stand united against any change to the status quo especially with regards to allowing females to infiltrate the comics, in the halls of the creators, convention centers, and on its hallowed pages. Yes, there are those who would harass female fans and creators, but I have to believe that they are not the majority of comic fans, just the most vocal.

First of all, it's been recognized by the industry that comics have been male-dominated over the decades, and that it need not be. In 2000's Reinventing Comics, artist and writer Scott McCloud outlines twelve revolutions that the Comics industry must embrace in order to survive. Among goals like embracing digital technology in creation and distribution, cementing public perceptions of comics as "art," genre diversity, and gender balance.  Basically, gender balance is important because a percentage of comic fans will grow up to become the next generation of creators, who will in turn inspire the next generation of fans. If content is exclusively directed toward males it creates a negative feedback loop, leaving females out at every level, but by expanding content to include more positive female characters they can reach more female fans, some of whom will grow up to be artists and writers, which will lead to a greater variety of content. A push in this direction is not only in the best interest of female fans and creators; a balanced industry benefits the art form itself as well as the entire community of fans.

There are entire books on the role of female characters in comics throughout history. Early figures like Lois Lane, even the first Batgirl were hardly paragons of feminist literature. Lois wasn't the dedicated journalist we see today, she was obsessed with Superman eternally trying to uncover his secret identity only to be foiled by the hero. And while Batman and Robin slugged it out with a bunch of thugs, Batgirl would be off to the sides with, "Oh no!" a tear in her leggings. Inevitably this would distract the criminals, allowing the Dynamic Duo to prevail. By the time I was reading comics in the 90's things were not too much better. Women were getting more presence in the pages, but the female role models you might find in Justice League or X-Men were largely overshadowed by the "Bad Girl" trend. This marketing strategy was designed to deprive male teens of their pocket money depicting female anatomies in a way that requires a compass to draw, and costumes that were either a series of straps or seemed to be on the verge of falling off. Extra points if the character had a demonic or vampiric nature. See Vampirella, Lady Death, etc. Sex appeal had always been a part of the female comic character, but the "Bad Girl" comics not only put it front and center, they did so with zero subtlety. Fortunately this trend stayed in the 90's and is regarded as a dark time in comics when character and story took a backseat in favor of flashy images.

Marvel's leading heroine Captain Marvel

I can safely say in the last decade things have been improving. Classic Marvel character, Carol Danvers has historically had been reinvented several times. She started as a government agent who encountered alien technology of Kree origin that rearranged her DNA granting her super-strength, flight and invulnerability.  As Ms. Marvel she established herself as a valued member of the Avengers, when in battle with the then-criminal Rogue, lost her powers and memories and fell into a brief coma. With Professor X's help she regained some memories and later got new star-themed powers calling herself Binary. She later went on a space adventure with the Starjammers, a group of space-pirates led by Corsair, Cyclops' father. After returning to Earth she rejoined the Avengers as Warbird. As if the writers of the time didn't know what to do with a strong female character, her heroic identity and powers constantly changed.  After decades of being a secondary character for the Avengers and X-Men. Returning to her original alias, Ms. Marvel she began to take more of a leadership role among the Avengers. In 2009's "Civil War" she sided with Iron Man and fought as his second in command. In the aftermath she was given leadership of a team in a series titled Mighty Avengers.  In 2012 after the "Avengers vs. X-Men" storyline, inspired by the sacrifice of a clone of Mar-Vel, the original Captain Marvel, she took on the role becoming the third Captain Marvel and the second woman to adopt the alias. Carol who for decades bounced from identity to identity, in and out of comas and was even violated in a controversial story-line in the 70s, finally commands the respect she deserves within the Marvel Universe as well as from the fans. When Marvel Studios announced its plans for phase III, the news that Captain Marvel would be the Carol Danvers version garnered almost as much applause as the title itself.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announces Captain Marvel

X-Men (2013) focuses on the women of the team

Ironically one of Marvel's titles that has always featured rich female characters is X-Men. Though it seems women are excluded from the outset, the word itself is not used divisively. They all self identify as "X-Men."  I would argue that these heroes fight not as man or woman but together as "X-Men."  This is one franchise in which female characters are as important if not more than their male counterparts. Storm, one of the most iconic X-Men is known for her leadership skills and regal personality. Jean Grey who as Phoenix has controlled more power than any other single Marvel character. Often a new character is introduced to a series to allow the writer a reason to explain background elements to the audience especially for newcomers. In X-Men, this role is traditionally filled by a new female student. When the series debuted in the 60's it was Jean Grey.  In the original "Days of Future Past" story and the 80's animated pilot (that didn't get picked up as a series) both feature Kitty Pryde as a new student. In the 90's animated series Jubilee is introduced to the school. And in the 2000 film a young Rogue inherited this role. Newcomers to the franchise can take on the perspective of new students and by proxy are welcomed to the ranks and guided into a new world as they discover they are far more powerful than they thought possible. The repeated use of a female perspective character, is no less than an open invitation to girl readers everywhere.

Why Cyclops Makes Sense as a Villain

I thought I knew Scott Summers. Since the X-Men cartoon of the 90's I saw Cyclops as a kind of  "boy scout" character, the "good son" of the X-Men family. As a character, he was always trustworthy and stoic, but was hardly given much to do besides uphold Xavier's vision and lead the team on missions. Where many would see a one dimensional yes-man, I now see a villain stew on a slow boil.

A few years ago the X-Men split up. In the wake of M-Day the mutant population was reduced to around two-hundred globally. Cyclops took half the team to Asteroid M which had fallen into the ocean and turned Magneto's old base into a mutant haven called Utopia. Among those with him are Emma Frost, Namor, Storm, Magneto, Magik and Colossus who by the way has added the power of the Juggernaut. He sits down with some of the most powerful mutants in the world and tells them they're his "Extinction Team." Explaining that they'll still do super-team stuff like saving the world sometimes but if there's any threat to the mutant race, they are the final answer. He intends them to be a walking nuclear deterrent. If hanging out with Magneto, the White Queen, and Juggernaut on Asteroid M wasn't enough to be a villain how about threatening mass destruction from a rogue island nation?

Correction: After reading X-Men: Schism, I realize I got the order of certain events wrong. After M-Day, nearly all mutants looked to Scott for leadership, including the likes of Wolverine and Magneto. Wolverine left after Cyclops tried to justify using untrained children to defend Utopia against a sentinel attack. This was part of a massive attack on the mutants on multiple fronts, so the X-Men's resources were spread thin.


It makes sense if you look at his history. In the plane crash that made him and his brother, Alex, orphans, their mother pushed them to safety with the only parachute. Her last words to him were "Don't let go" or something to that effect, making Alex the first mutant life he was responsible for. They survived but Scott fell into a coma. He comes out with a little brain damage, and when his eye-beam powers develop he can only stop them by closing his eyes. He's fifteen years old and he has this burden of causing destruction if he opens his eyes just a little. Charles Xavier finds out about him and takes him on as his first student. By his late teens, Cyclops is pretty much leading the X-Men. He falls in love with Jean Grey, the first X-Woman. After the Phoenix Saga, when everyone thought Jean was dead Scott meets Madelyne Pryor who looks eerily like Jean. So he goes ahead and has a child with the exact lookalike of his dead ex-lover (I almost typed X-Lover). Baby Nathan gets kidnapped by Apocalypse who infects the infant with a techno-organic virus. They had to use some crazy Celestial technology to keep him alive. Then Cyclops meets Rachel Summers from two millennia in the future. She tells him that Nathan grows up to be a mutant savior. Since he's too important to die, she has to take him to the future. He finds out Nathan turns out to be Cable, a time traveler he had already met and leader of the future resistance against Apocalypse. Somewhere along the way he finds out that Madelyne was a clone created by Mr. Sinister who'd been interested in the Summers/Grey bloodline since he encountered the time traveling Cyclops and Phoenix in the 1800's. Sinister witnessed the couple battle Apocalypse, who later cursed him with immortality. Sinister has taken advantage of his longevity performing genetic experiments, studying mutants, and manipulating the Summers'/ Grey bloodline. So, all his life he's had responsibility thrust on his shoulders, and a parade of people from past, present and future telling him how important he is. All of these events either fed or confirmed his ego, until he took on the responsibility of ensuring survival of the entire mutant race.

The tipping point occurred in, Avengers vs. X-Men. Both the Avengers and the X-Men had discovered that the Phoenix, a cosmic living embodiment of creation and destruction, was on its way to earth. Conflict arose because the X-Men thought the Phoenix would help the mutant cause, while the Avengers feared its destructive potential. Scott was possessed by the Phoenix, and even though he initially tried to be a savior-figure for the whole planet, Cyclops, corrupted absolutely, became the Dark Phoenix. He stood against the Avengers and eventually the X-Men as well. With the immense power boost from the Phoenix he caused massive destruction and even killed Charles Xavier. He claims he wasn't in control but he has to live with the fact that he killed his main father figure.

Cyclops took his name for how he looks with his visor, which is a great symbol in itself. It allows him precision control of his concussive eye blasts. All he could do to cope with his power was to restrain it. Unlike Iceman or Wolverine he couldn't fully embrace his power. Unlike any of the telepaths or flyers it didn't change his perspective or gain him any freedom. He could only choose between holding back or destruction. He's always been all about control. As the Dark Phoenix he abandoned this self-imposed limitation, leading to the death of his mentor.

What makes Cyclops a good villain is the fact that he feels his actions are completely justified. Like Magneto he is acting only protect the mutant species. Their backgrounds have twisted their perspectives such that even as wanted terrorists, they believe everything they do is in the right. You could have an extended conversation with them, agree with their every point, and then they'd say "That's why we need to revolt against the humans."