characters exist to support and facilitate, so here they exist to occupy the sidelines – watching as the menfolk rub their testosterone all over everything within reach. The problem is that, when viewed from this feminist perspective, all that violence seems pretty pointless in the end.

This is the problem with the Captain America trilogy, and indeed, the Marvel Cinematic Universe as whole. Unlike the Star Wars universe, it is not filled with people constantly remarking on how rare it is to see such capable women. Instead, it features a growing number of capable, complex women who exist solely to support the men that lead each tale. It is the simple fact that white men sit at the centre of the MCU that is galling – particularly when a woman like Black Widow is available to Marvel w...

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