Marvel: 11 Ways The MCU Is Definitely Laughing At You

5. Jane Foster/Black Widow

The issue of female characters in the MCU has only been slightly dealt with the introduction of Captain Marvel - the first real female lead in the universe - and yet the addition of diversity to the roster has been greeted like some grand political victory for the company. In reality, the lack of a lead wasn't the only issue: Marvel need to address how they've portrayed two of their most prominent female characters so far. Black Widow's lack of substance is one thing (it's sold as part of her mystery and will be dealt with sooner or later), but Jane Foster is far more of a problem. She's a genius-level intellect, on a level with both Tony Stark and Reed Richards, has made huge strides in the field of astrophysics under her own steam and with her own invented technology. But she's in no way given her dues, because she's a love interest and her intrigue revolves around her emotional value, while Dr Erik Selvig is considered the real brains. Yeah, score one for feminism.