Thirty thousand documents were leaked during the Sony hack, and one in particular showed why there aren't many woman superhero-centric Marvel movies. Turns out, the incredibly huge gender disparity among superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn't accidental at all; the CEO of the conglomerate doesn't think women superheroes can help make big bucks at the box office.
According to Women and Hollywood, the following mail was sent by Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter to Sony CEO Michael Lynton, wherein he explains why giving the green light Super heroine- centric movies is a waste of resources.
From: "IP"
To: "Lynton, Michael"
Subject: Female Movies
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2014 05:32:50 -0400
Michael,
As we discussed on the phone, below are just a few examples. There are more.
Thanks,
Ike
1. Electra (Marvel) – Very bad idea and the end result was very, very bad. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=elektra.htm
2. Catwoman (WB/DC) - Catwoman was one of the most important female character within the Batmanfranchise. This film was a disaster. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=catwoman.htm
3. Supergirl – (DC) Supergirl was one of the most important female super hero in Superman franchise. This Movie came out in 1984 and did $14 million total domestic with opening weekend of $5.5 million. Again, another disaster.
Best,
Ike
The mail which is now being circulated by media houses around the world has infuriated many. Although superhero movies like "Superman IV: The Quest For Peace", "Batman & Robin" and "The Green Hornet" failed to make a mark in the viewers' minds or at the box office, Marvel still keeps making movies and TV shows centring around them.
Failure of a couple of movies should not be reason to stop making movies about the bad-ass women of comic book world. Here is a list of female characters from the Superhero Universe that would make specular central heroes in movies.
- Wasp: With the ability to shrink to a height of several centimetres, grow to giant size, fly by means of insectoid wings and fire bioelectric energy blasts, Wasp or The Winsome Wasp is regarded as the founding member of the Avengers. She was even ranked the fifth greatest Avenger of all time by Marvel itself in 2013.
- Jessica Jones: Although possessing superhuman strength and an enhanced level of resistance to physical injury, Jessica Jones is generally shown as a former super-heroine who became the owner of Alias Private Investigations. She is getting her own series on Netflix titled "AKA Jessica Jones" in the later half of 2015, wherein Krysten Ritter will bring the bad-ass comic book character to life.
- Ms Marvel: Although the title has been passed around the block, it was first alluded to Carol Danvers, a former security officer at the United States Air Force. With superhuman strength, endurance, stamina, flight, physical durability and photonic blasts, she became Ms Marvel.
- Spider Woman: Unlike Spider-Man, Jessica Drew is born with her powers after her pregnant mother's womb was hit by a laser beam containing the DNA traits of several different species of spiders. She was trained by HYDRA to be a formidable assassin. She is immune to all poisons, drugs and radiation, while her metabolism generates pheromones which attract human males while repulsing females.
- She-Hulk: Jennifer Walters became the She-Hulk when the gamma-irradiated blood from her cousin Bruce Banner (Hulk) was infused into her body. When her emotional state is sufficiently high, She Hulk is considered to be the physically strongest known woman in the Marvel Universe. Unlike Hulk, Jennifer's personality and intelligence are less affected when she transforms into She-Hulk, although she becomes more self-confident and assertive.
