When I was 6, I was the tomboy who still loved princess dresses. My older brother loved Legos and Power Rangers, and that trait got passed down to me.  I loved Justice League and Teen Titans, just as much as I loved The Little Mermaid and Snow White.  I loved Supergirl and I idolized Wonder Woman until the day they stopped showing Justice League on TV. I had the lunchbox, the cups, the costume. Wonder Woman was awesome, and it only got better when she got blue highlights. Yet, whenever there was a new superhero movie coming out, it always seemed to be about a male superhero. Superman, Captain America, Thor, Hulk,  Iron Man, and Batman all got a movie of their own, if not more than one. The one superhero movie based off of a girl that I can think about is Catwoman, with Halle Berry, and I don’t think anyone even remotely counts that as a superhero action film. So the child in me constantly would wonder, where is the movie for the most fierce superhero ever? Wonder Woman can stop bullets with a bracelet, wield a golden lasso, is trained in martial arts, is an incredible strategist, and she is just now, in 2017 getting a movie. Batman’s first movie was released in 1949, and his powers are from his money. Wonder Woman’s powers she learned or was given at birth, rather than buying them. Supergirl just got her own show in 2015, while Iron Man got his first film 7 years prior, and his true superpower is his money and his brains.  Yet female superheroes continue to get looked over.

Supergirl and Wonder Woman are easily the most notable female heroes, but they are most definitely not the only ones that have been snubbed. Of the Avengers, Thor has two movies, with a third to be released this year; Iron Man has three; Captain America has 3; Hulk has 2; while Black Widow and Hawkeye have no feature films. Though Hawkeye is in the same boat as Black Widow, it seems that the two are peas in a pod, so I think everyone could settle if they starred together in a feature film. Natasha Romanova, better known by her hero name of Black Widow, a world class athlete, gymnast, ballerina, acrobat, aerialist capable of numerous complex maneuvers and feats, expert martial artist, marksman and weapons specialist, and is the glue that holds all the Avengers together. On one of Netflix’s newest shows, Jessica Jones, features the title character Jessica, her extraordinary strength, and her journey to overcome the mind tricks of her past. Not only is she extra strong, but she also can fly and has the mind-control blocking ability, yet Jessica just got her own show, when the Flash, Arrow, and Luke Cage have had a show for much longer.  

Carli Smith, a junior from Air Academy, says, “It’s so important to see more female superheroes in films and on TV. Little girls need to see a woman saving herself rather than being saved by her love interest. I know that if there were more female heroes when I was a kid, I wouldn’t always be so worried about being athletic, and liking sports, rather than wanting to be perceived as dainty.”

It’s vital for children to see people who reflect traits that they have in films, especially as our society works to eliminate sexism. When it comes to representation, Wonder Woman and Supergirl are just the gateways to seeing the full cast of woman superheroes on Earth today.