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The Marvels
Movie

The Marvels

2023 • Unknown

Woke Score
6
out of 10

Plot

When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, Carol's powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol's estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe.

Overall Series Review

The Marvels unites three female superheroes from different racial and ethnic backgrounds to defeat a female antagonist. The narrative structure places a diverse, all-female team at the center of the universe-saving action, with men serving in supportive or comic relief roles. The villain's motivation is driven by the environmental damage and social collapse caused by the white protagonist's past actions, framing the hero as responsible for a civilizational crisis elsewhere in the galaxy. The movie focuses on themes of teamwork and found family dynamics among the women. Ms. Marvel's positive Pakistani-American Muslim family is a notable side element. The overall approach heavily emphasizes a modern interpretation of female-led heroism and diversity.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics8/10

The movie’s entire premise centers on an intersectional trio: a white woman, a Black woman, and a Pakistani-American Muslim girl. Casting relies entirely on immutable characteristics and a conscious effort toward maximizing diversity in the lead roles. The narrative avoids explicit lecturing on Earth's systemic oppression but the team's composition prioritizes non-white, non-male representation.

Oikophobia6/10

The main hero, Captain Marvel, is shown to be directly responsible for the desperate situation of the villain's home planet, Hala, causing its destruction and the Kree's subsequent civilizational collapse. This frames the hero's past intervention as a destructive force that creates a tragic enemy, which is a form of criticism towards previous 'savior' narratives.

Feminism8/10

The core team and the primary antagonist are all women. The film is directed and co-written by women, placing men, such as Nick Fury and Kamala Khan's father, strictly in supportive or passive roles. This constitutes an extreme example of the 'Girl Boss' trope, where men are largely side-lined in favor of female competence and leadership. However, the film does portray the nuclear family unit of Ms. Marvel positively, slightly countering the anti-natal element.

LGBTQ+4/10

One minor character, King Valkyrie, is openly queer and appears in a brief cameo. Subtext between two of the lead female characters is present in their on-screen interactions. The movie does not center a queer theory narrative or explicitly feature a transitioning storyline, keeping the score moderate rather than maximal.

Anti-Theism2/10

The movie does not feature Christianity or any organized Earth-based religion as a point of conflict or subject of criticism. Ms. Marvel's Muslim family is depicted positively, which runs counter to anti-theism. The conflict is purely secular and scientific in its cosmic scale and stakes, making the category largely irrelevant to the film's content.