Book Review - Fandom, Feminism, and the Female Superhero on Film by Lauryn Angel

Angel, Lauryn (2026). Fandom, Feminism, and the Female Superhero on Film. Bloomsbury.

Book review by Delenn Ganyo-Roalsvig, University of North Dakota

With a new action-packed Marvel or DC film seeming to hit theatres every few months, superheroes continue to be a popular attraction for mass audiences—drawing in broader and broader demographics. Like science-fiction, fantasy, and tabletop role play, no longer are the high-stakes storylines of Batman or Captain America limited to nerds and geeks. The presence of female crusaders in these films, however, frequently pushes audiences to conversations regarding far deeper topics than punches, kicks, and espionage. Lauryn Angel’s Fandom, Feminism, and the Female Superhero on Film outlines the history and impact of various female superheroes, diving into a new heroine in each of its six chapters; the book tackles the comic roots of these characters while also analyzing their cinematic presence through a feminist lens and evaluating the implications of their viewer receptions.

Chapter One opens with a discussion of the woman who might be comics’ most famous red-head, the Avenger’s Black Widow (also known by her legal name Natasha Romanoff). Angel dissects Romanoff’s evolving image as “femme fatale” and “honey trap,” highlighting her accentuated and weaponized sexuality in pursuit of kick-ass violence. As a quintessential “strong female character,” the Black Widow takes all the masculine qualities of strength—lightning-fast reflexes, powerful kicks, and a heavy dose of snark—and packages them in a curvaceous and spandex-clad body. Joss Whedon’s depiction of the Russian spy draws from many of the characteristics written into Whedon’s premier badass protagonist Buffy the Vampire Slayer: weaponized vulnerability, skintight outfits, and witty one liners; this juxtaposes in some ways the Russo brother’s later characterization of her as more emotional, though stopping short of the quintessential feminine hysteria. Among many other facets of Romanoff’s portrayals, Angel dives into the Black Widow’s reproductive status as commented on in Marvel films, the imaginative “shipping” of her character with other Avengers, and the impact of her own stand-alone movie that ends her character’s arc, which Angel dubs “too little, too late.”

Chapters Two and Three focus on the flip side of the superhero coin with analysis of female supervillains who develop into their morals as their narratives progress: Harley Quinn and the Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff). Harley’s initial cinematic journey is characterized by manipulation and abuse by the Joker, mood swings and violently psychotic behaviors, and gratuitous camerawork highlighting her bodily attractiveness. Angel emphasizes the differences in Harley’s most autonomous portrayal, which the scholar credits to Birds of Prey’s female production team: the film shows Harley’s emancipation via top marks on the Bechdel test and less-sexualized and more avant-garde costuming following her breakup with the Joker. The Scarlet Witch also pops up as a psychologically unstable female powerhouse, with her ability to manipulate emotions casting her as the most dangerous character in Age of Ultron even as she is infantilized by both the other heroes and by the film’s costuming department. Angel further comments on the “girl power” of Wanda’s eventual success in battle being a means of turning female viewers into capitalistic consumers. Her narratives center around familial dedication—first to her brother then her children—and she splinters into madness and villainy before reclamation of her mortality.

In Chapter Five, Angel focuses on the story of Jane Foster as Mighty Thor, whose origin story lies in Thor Odinson whispering a request to his hammer Mjolnir that it protect her. Her mighty form keeps her stage four cancer at bay, but it eliminates the chemotherapy treatment which intensifies the illness when she recedes into her mortal body. Angel emphasizes that not only is Foster’s origin centered in her relationship with a man, she also must be guided in her superhero education by said love interest—and beyond this, her ultimate worthiness as a hero is in her death and centers on her ability to foster caring in others. Angel explores the implications for the perceived value of women as caregivers and selfless beings, as well as highlighting the abrasive and misogynistic reception of this female Thor by male fans who name-called the character as “Thorina,” “Whor,” and other derogatory insults before trailers ever dropped.

Chapters Four and Six center around female heroes who were, like Harley in Birds of Prey, granted the chance at being written and produced by female authors and production teams. While Wonder Woman (the heroine also known as Diana of Themyscira) was the hallmark of this new wave and drew the most attention and celebratory reception, Angel critiques subtleties of the film for normalizing envy between women and centering romance in Diana’s arc; Angel’s ire for Wonder Woman 1984 is even more pronounced, flattening Diana’s motives to her heterosexual desires and continuing to pit women against one another, as well as navigating #metoo era politics with poor taste.

Meanwhile, The Marvels (encompassing Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel) serves as Angel’s pinnacle examples of a quality and feminist superhero film, challenging stereotypes about both women in general but also Black women and other women of color. Cooperation between women and empowerment of girls are central to the plot, and Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) is an example of a superhero fan being elevated to the role she admires. With animosity from male fanbases towards female fans and characters being so common in comic adaptations, featuring an excitable fangirl on the silver screen allows young women watching to truly see themselves among the heroes—not simply an idealized version of hypothetical femininity. In spite of feminist exceptionalism, however, Angel notes that the reception and boxoffice numbers of the film reflected extensive review bombing and angry rhetoric from displeased men online.

Across the course of these six chapters, Lauryn Angel provides a deep dive into what it means for a superheroine to be feminist in addition to simply being female. She tackles the good, the bad, and the ugly that arise in translating from comics with sometimes questionable storylines of ladies in spandex into cinematic portrayals of women kicking ass and taking names. Looking forward, this book pushes production companies to empower female screenwriters, directors, and creative teams in the process of translating female superheroes to film—and encourages the rest of us to think critically about how some men react to the presence of powerful women.

Byline:

Delenn Ganyo-Roalsvig is an English doctoral student at the University of North Dakota. Their research focuses on the study of speculative fiction as a reflection of 21st century excitement and tension regarding evolving technologies.