Gender Bias in the movie The Avengers

Gender Bias in the movie The Avengers

Critical Discourse Analysis is a multidisciplinary approach that combines linguistics, semiotics and socio-politics to inspect discourse and communication. Since it is multifaceted, its theories or methods cannot be “precisely” delimited. It pays attention to both broad and minute details of discourse to bridge together language and society. Its main objective is to foreground the problems prevailing in a particular society and analyse them with a more flexible and diversified stance. The main topics that interest Critical Discourse analysts include class, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, nationality and myriads of other areas that can prove to be potential precursors to prejudice or inequality in any form.

Its second characteristic is critically examining text and talk. CDA lays stress on the role of language in reproduction or resistance of power relations or inequality, and for Critical Discourse analysts it is essential to study carefully the fine divisions of verbal and semiotic details in a conversation and develop equivalence by setting out the flaws of the dominant community. CDA’s aim is to investigate both social power and patterns of discourse control. Van Dijk mentions that politicians control government discourse, journalists control media discourse, scholars control academic discourse, judges control verdicts, etc. These are all forms of controlling institutional discourses and they are legal as long as one does not misuse the authority that falls in one’s own area of jurisdiction. CDA comes into focus when any of these elites misuses the power bestowed upon them.

Van Dijk gives us a detailed description of how power and dominance are inter-related in relation to text and discourse formation, relating macro level socio-cognitive perception and ideologies to micro level text and talk, in order to find out how power and dominance is manifested, produced and reproduced through discourse. The ideological division of society, based on genders, is quite visible in the movie The Avengers.

The Avengers is very much a male-focused movie. Whedon, despite being the writer and director, was working with a specific set of characters more or less assigned to him, as the movie is an ensemble of already existing comic characters. In that context, Whedon could have done a better job within the confines of the movie that features male superheroes like Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Nick Fury, Hawkeye and Loki.

The Avengers Assemble is fun and exciting that is bound to please the crowds. The movie has everything one might possibly wish for and dream of in an action-adventure blockbuster: from superheroes, Viking Gods and Aliens to Nuclear weapons, car chases, gunfights and invisible flying military bases. However, unfortunately, it seems to be all about the guys, almost all the time, as it appears to be held back by old superhero comic book clichés that prevent the girls from joining in the action.

Sadly, the movie suffers from the Smurfette Principle. Coined by feminist writer Katha Pollitt, the Smurfette Principle is when a male ensemble features one female character. Pollitt asserts that the problem here is that “boys define the group, its story and its code of values. Girls exist only in relation to boys” (Gender & Society, Spring 2013). It is problematic that among half a dozen male heroes, Black Widow is the only female team member. The male Avengers contain multiple personalities, but in women’s representation, there’s just one female Avenger.

The movie does not have the hallmarks of promoting feminism. There are two other important female characters in the film, Agent Maria Hill played by Cobie Smulders and Pepper Potts played by Gweneth Paltrow. But, both of them aren’t given much to do and are simply taken for granted. Pepper Potts role is so limited in this movie that her strength can only be inferred from the Iron Man films.

As the sole female protagonist and the one getting second footing to most of the male heroes, Black Widow presents many problems.  The Avengers team had six members in all, so one wonders as why not have 2 female superheroes in one film. Therefore, there could have been room for more than one woman in that group. So, seeing more diverse personalities set right with another female superhero would have been a delight.

The lone female Avenger is Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson. She is a highly trained spy, assassin and martial arts master. Troubled by a dark past, she’s a daring fighter owning a razor sharp mind and a remarkable skill for interrogation. However, while Black Widow uses “feminine wiles” as a method of manipulation, her opponents foresee weakness in her because of her gender. She cleverly uses and takes advantage of their stereotypical gender biases to her advantage though. Black Widow is a powerful character, no denying it, but the abilities that she does have also play off negative stereotypes of women. She’s sneaky and manipulative. She puts on shows of emotion to trick her enemies into giving her information, or to convince her teammates.

Black Widow is shown to be a strong, independent character, as she is presented as intelligent, cunning, resourceful, physically powerful and well-trained in the various skills of combat.  Nevertheless, none of this is ever emphasized, celebrated or highlighted.  No one questions whether she can or will be brave enough to handle herself during the epic battle or put up a fight with the bad guys. When she does her various heroics, she does it purely because she's the only one who isn't otherwise distracted and it has to be done.

Our only female superhero doesn’t fit in with the other (male) superheroes as she isn’t a real superhero, and is pretty much the weak one in the team. She is a fighter with incredible flexibility and skillfulness, but in the end, she is only a human, as weak compared to her male partners, almost all of whom have superpowers. Black Widow frequently finds herself in the “damsel in distress” position in the movie, despite supposedly being on equal Avengers grounds with the others. We find her fleeing away, terrified and helpless from The Hulk and being saved from falling wreckage by Captain America’s shield.

Black Widow is an integral part of the team. She’s the one who thinks they should all work together and brings them together when trivial disagreements and overstated egos threaten to divide them. It is Natasha who ultimately ends the last battle being the only one to realize that they must close the gateway in order to stop the invasion of the alien army. Although she plays a big role in saving the world, we may suppose that it could have been done so by any other Avenger or a non-Avenger character.

Interestingly, of the six Avengers, Black Widow gets the third most screen time. However, her screen time involves being subject to the authority of men.  She is under the control of Nick Fury (a black man).  By looking at Black Widow, we realize that the reflection of the reality of women and the socially-constructed ideologies regarding them are being presented through her. We must admit that she does not exist in an equal world, very much similar to the organisation she is part of, which reflects this bias in its members.  In other words, she has to use her perceived weaknesses to achieve her goals, which also means being subjected to the patronizing gaze of her "male superiors." Black Widow really should be treated more equally by her fellow heroes, regardless of gender.  She is a proficient scout, strong, physically, emotionally and intellectually, only lacking super powers which give the other members an edge over her.

Another major issue with the movie is that The Avengers does not pass the Bechdel Test. Bechdel Test is mainly a test of gender bias, which checks whether a work of fiction features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. Nowhere in the movie do any of the named female characters talk with one another. The other two supposedly important female characters in the movie, Agent Maria Hill and Pepper Potts are never seen interacting with each other, although Hill is shown to be interacting with some of the male members of the team.

Both Widow and Hill work for SHIELD. It could have been possible for them to have a scene or two in order to exchange a few lines over to each other. The movie only contains three named female characters, and at no point do any of them have a conversation together about anything. It is disappointing to see a piece of work from a reputed feminist writer/director like Whedon to fail the test in the sheer lack of their lack of interaction.

This reflects the deeply embedded social and cultural ideologies about gender, which are present in people of both sexes. Certainly, most viewers do not realise how women are well positioned as sexual diversions and sidekicks rather than important characters to the plot. This humiliating application of female bodies is revealed throughout the movie by the women’s contrasting wardrobes, means of fighting, and significance to their male counterparts. As a result, the women who appear in the film, like Scarlett Johansson, are hyper-sexualized in comparison to the male actors.

The Black Widow’s form fitting, non-protective outfit can be compared to Iron Man’s indestructible iron suit of his own invention, within which he remains hidden and shielded from outside danger. The armour signifies Stark’s genius, as he engineered it himself and uses the suit to protect the world from danger. In some scenes, Stark is dressed in comfortable and casual clothing when not in action as Iron Man. Hence, this juxtaposition between Romanov and Stark illustrates an utterly misogynist contrast leading one to question these choices.

The contradiction in the male and female characters suggests of the anticipated audience for The Avengers. “The man controls the film fantasy and also emerges as the representative of power…” (Gender & Society). In order to make sure that the “male gaze” is pleased without being intimidated by the female lead, The Avengers portrays the familiar notion “‘for distinguishing between male and female in mental life… call everything that is strong and active male, and everything that is weak and passive female’” (Gender & Society). This feature is weakened by her “passive” style of combat, featuring “traditional notions of female power, including manipulation, sexuality, and masquerade…” (Gender & Society).

Romanov is seen as telling a series of lies to trick the Hulk into meeting with her when she is given the mission of recruiting the Hulk for the Avengers team. She asks him to return to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters to help protect the Earth, and when he asks, “What if I say no,” Romanov gently responds, “I’ll persuade you.” In another scene, Romanov takes the chance to initiate a friendly conversation with their recently captured villain, which shortly becomes harsh as the male prisoner threatens the well being of Romanov’s loved one and verbally abuses her with inappropriate words regarding her gender. Romanov retreats from the prisoner’s cell at that point and turns away in distress, apparently sobbing, but implements deceit and manipulation to overcome her enemy and obstacles.

Romanov’s “action” scenes are more passive than the male protagonists, and are thus defined as “feminine” whereas theirs are “masculine.” Furthermore, Romanov’s missions usually require her to regroup the male members of the Avengers and her services are used in ensuring that the men are equipped with the tools necessary to succeed. While she may fight alongside her male counterparts, she does not participate in the final epic action.

Finally, looking at Iron Man’s ability to travel throughout different universes contrasts with Black Widow’s permanence on Earth, which “seems to exemplify the divisions between female and male spheres: the home as a bounded and rigidly ordered interior space as opposed to the boundless and undifferentiated space of an infinitely expanding frontier” (Gender & Society).

Such contrasting constructions create different impressions of their importance to the audience. In the last scene of The Avengers, in the aftermath of the destruction of Manhattan, citizens come out of hiding and survey the damage done to their world. A number of distressed women are seen crying, praying, and embracing others. Artists paint murals and drawings on walls of the male heroes, while people are shown to be admiring and worshiping them. However, no one seems to give credit to Black Widow for her contribution as she is not a hero.

Hegemonic thoughts are created by dominating agencies and are promoted by the society or media. From the perspective of Critical Discourse Analyst, we see how in this movie, the binary of us and them has been created purely based on gender difference. The identity given to women is that of weak and insignificant, no matter how valuable their services are. Also, the collective identity of men being the real heroes is created, and it is by and large accepted without question, thus proving that ideology is never objective.

Work Cited:

1)      Duke, Shaun. 'The World In The Satin Bag: Black Widow (The Avengers): Late Thoughts On Feminism'. Wisb.blogspot.com. N. p., 2012. Web. 14 May. 2014.

2)      Gender & Society, Spring 2013,. 'Avenging Equality: Discrimination In The Avengers'. N. p., 2013. Web. 14 May. 2014.

3)      Kearns, Megan. '‘The Avengers,’ Strong Female Characters And Failing The Bechdel Test | Bitch Flicks'. Btchflcks.com. N. p., 2014. Web. 14 May. 2014.

4)      Kleefeldoncomics.com,. 'Kleefeld On Comics: Avengers Isn't Feminist'. N. p., 2012. Web. 14 May. 2014.

5)      Mendelson, Scott. 'Why The Avengers May Be This Summer's Most Pro-Woman Blockbuster'. The Huffington Post. N. p., 2014. Web. 14 May. 2014.

6)      Review, The. 'The Avengers Review | Feminist Fiction'. Feministfiction.com. N. p., 2014. Web. 14 May. 2014.