This past weekend amid the Kentucky Derby, Game 7 of the NBA Quarterfinals and the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight, The Avengers: Age of Ultron opened in the theaters. This it the second installment in this series and one of many more Marvel films coming out in the next few years.
The characters of these stories have left the comic books and on to the big screen and are now used in marketing and advertisements. From soda cans and t-shirts, smart phone apps and toothbrushes, the Avengers are everywhere and more than likely they will not be going away anytime soon.
In this world of super heroes and world dominating seeking super villains an interesting trend has emerged. As noted by Rev. David Hansen, a Lutheran minister in the Houston area, girls are being left out. Below is what can only we described as an epic father looking out for his daughter and girls everywhere Twitter rant. This is not the type of rant we normally see on Twitter; Rev. David is not complaining about his Starbucks order or how much he will miss Zanye from One Direction, rather it is a heart-felt complaint about the lack of girls in the Avengers marketing.
In the first Avengers film there was only one character that was female, Black Widow. In the sequel they add Scarlet Witch but as you see these characters are being marketed the same way as the “big boys” Thor and Iron Man. Even Ultron the super villain gets more press than these two female characters.
I’ll let Rev. David take it from here.
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/591742525532024832 https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/591743251247300608 https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/591743602138615808 https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/591744648789364737 https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/591745033721643008 https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/591746138337751040 https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/591746489212252160 https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/591747033989447681 https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/591747133574778880
Rev. David wants his daughter and I want my daughter and every girl to have someone to be their ‘super hero’ or even have something in common with their family members. This weekend my daughter and I watched the Star Wars Clone Wars animated series and she loved it. Had I told her “that’s a boy show” we would have never had a good time just sitting with each other watching something in common. You haven’t lived until you have to explain to a five-year old what the force is.
The delineation of “boy” toys and “girl” toys needs to stop. We have to stop categorizing toys, career options and colors to a dichotomy of this or that. If my daughter wants to watch Star Wars then she will, if she wants to watch My Little Ponies then she will.
We can not tell children especially girls that they can do whatever they want when they grow up but then do not give them options that promote strong female leads in society and even in fantasy. We can not lose a another generation to gender stereotyping.
Marvel has several more movies coming out in the next few years and they need to remember that girls are fans of Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch and the Hulk as well.
We need to remember not only today but everyday that girls need heroes too.
In Christ,
Rev. Evan
Rev. Dr. Evan M. Dolive 
I know that this is a message close to Scarlett Johansson’s (Black Widow) heart. Her male costars have championed it as well, though some better than others. Comics were some of the first places powerful women were featured in pop culture, especially Marvel. Hopefully whoever is making these marketing decisions listens to the stars, the fans, and Marvel’s own heritage and starts honoring its female heroes!
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Whedon himself has some great quotes about why he writes “such strong female characters.” Paraphrasing but it boils down to “because people still even ask that question.”
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