Compare And Contrast Marvel And Monstress

Feminism has been a controversial topic over the generations. Historically, women have fought for voting rights, working rights, wages, labor hours, etc. Jobs have a certain “stereotype” as to which gender should be included. Most construction workers are usually men. Most CEOs of businesses consist of men. Whenever you hear a job, your mind would react and decide, man or woman. Many people assume women grow up to become secretaries or maids or nurses and nothing else. Just last year, we had our first female presidential candidate whom was nominated by the Democrats, Hillary Clinton. Not just jobs alone, women have been put down verbally or thought to be incapable of doing things that men can do. Both Ms. Marvel and Monstress demonstrate some form of
feminism in a way that may not be as obvious to the eye. Ms. Marvel’s reading was unique in a way where it was a Pakistan teenage girl who wished to become a superhero. Whenever movies come out, they usually have a teenage boy rather than a girl who wishes to become a superhero. Our society is accustomed to superheroes being of a white race and/or male. On page 17, Kamala states “I want to be beautiful and awesome and butt-kicking and less complicated. I want to be you. Except I would wear the classic, politically incorrect costume and kick butt in giant wedge heels.” She asked to be beautiful when she is already beautiful. Then, it appears to become a superhero, she would have to leave her ethnicity behind. Kamala emerges from a cocoon on pages 19-20 in a superhero costume (without the giant wedge heels.) However, it did not look like Kamala from the beginning. It was a white female with blonde hair. We know it must be Kamala because at the end, she says “is it too late to change my mind?” Kamala fights through the stereotype that race is a matter whether you become a superhero or not. But the ending proved the stereotype correct when Kamala could have been shown in superhero clothing instead of the white blonde. In the reading Monstress Volume One: Awakening by Marjorie Liu, women are portrayed as powerless objects. Women are human beings as well as men. On page 8, Sir Conrad says "And her missing arm? That brand? Even if she is a monster, she's deformed." The seller who was holding Maika with chains around her neck then says "And yet, look at her face. Wild beauty, for your wild tastes." When you read further into the comic, you begin to familiarize the meaning of being a woman and the idea that we never have complete control or ownership to our own body and mind. As a female, I find it powerful to read comics that go against the notion that women are viewed as a sex symbol. Maika endures pain and hell, yet she continues fighting because she doesn't want to be a victim of her circumstances. You tend to see a lot of females who are victimized because it's easy to feel bad for yourself, but in this story, you don't see weakness but rather strength.
Both stories of Ms.
Marvel and Monstress have a share of the characters challenging society. Ms. Marvel’s character, Kamala, challenged the traditional and stereotypical definition of what a superhero is. Aside from her race that was the easiest to pinpoint, Kamala lived an imperfect life, dealt with normal teenage problems on a daily, overprotective parents, etc. What stood out to me the most was that her age was considered rather young because she was only a teenager when superheroes nowadays are thought of to be young adults or older. In Monstress, I believe that it illustrates a battle of ones place in society as well as whom they are internally. Although Maika struggles to determine her own identity, she is constantly battling with her own opinion of herself as not being a monster along with society’s view of her of being a monster. Maika says, “Don’t be scared. Don’t scream. Don’t think about what’s inside you. Pretend it’s not there.” This quote relates back to my topic because Maika is fighting against all of the things that make up for who she is. It’s relatable to society today because whether we see something within ourselves that is either negative or positive, in the end it still makes us for who we
are.
Feminism is not the belief of wanting one gender to be more powerful than another but rather wanting equal rights and beliefs for both. Often women are labeled as more vulnerable than men with society stereotyping females to jobs such as nurses or secretaries rather than jobs that men typically do such as construction. Ms. Marvel’s story shows a society stereotype that is often looked at when thinking of superheroes portraying as white and often played by a male character when their protagonist, Kamala, is a young Pakistani female. Monstress has female power incorporated into their theme from their main character, Maika, because it shows her going through endless pain, yet she refuses to give up and show vulnerability.