‘You Have a Knack for Saving My Life!’: Wives, Girlfriends and Women in Refrigerators in Marvel Films

Women in Marvel Films begins by setting aside the theme of superheroic women. Instead, the discussion starts with an interrogation of a crucial but theoretically neglected component of Marvel films—the superhero girlfriend. Drawing from existing accounts of the role of women in mainstream Hollywood film (beginning with the foundational work of Laura Mulvey and moving on to more contemporary texts), the chapter discusses Marvel women who are positioned as love interests to the central male heroes of these films. Tracing the contextual comic book history of these characters, the chapter puts forward the argument that superhero girlfriends are highly complex figures who represent a response to ongoing developments to do women’s equality and postfeminist culture. Films analysed include The Punisher (1989 and its 2004 remake), Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).