10 Ways Comic Book Movies Keep F*cking Up Female Characters
9. No Female Directors
Christopher Nolan, James Gunn, Sam Raimi, Joss Whedon, and Zack Snyder. All have had their ups and downs in creating comic book movies, but where are all the female directors? So far the only woman to direct a comic book movie is Lexi Alexander with 2008's Punisher: War Zone, and that hasn't exactly faired well. Alexander herself points out the gender divide in Hollywood directing:
"The only reason I was offered Punisher was because I had made an indie film that was rated R for violence and was filled with fight scenes. I think in industries riddled with bias, you tend to hire women only if their previous work is very masculine, which is hilarious given that this is not how male directors are chosen."
No one looked at Kenneth Branagh's Shakespearean history before hiring him for Thor, or Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake before he took on all of DC, so why should you check the violence of a female director's CV?
Thankfully that could all be about to change with Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman next year. Apart from containing strong female performances, Wonder Woman and Jenkins' masterpiece Monster couldn't be much further apart.