Less spoiler-rific AVENGERS comment, about Joss Whedon's Problem

[xiphias]

Yeah. The movie doesn't pass the Bechdel Test. At all.

See, this is the disappointing thing about Joss Whedon. He so totally wants to be a feminist. But he just . . . misses. And I feel so bad for him. I'm always rooting for him to get it right, because he WANTS to get it right, and WE want him to get it right and he just doesn't.

He's got multiple female characters with agency. It would be so easy to actually put some of them in the same room at the same time and talk about things, other than men, that move the plot forward. But he doesn't. Even though he writes female characters with agency, they're usually interacting with men, reacting to men. His worlds are patriarchal, even though it's not his intention, or his desire, and he WANTS to do better.

Please, Joss. Get it right. You want to. We want you to. It just hurts that you don't. We're pulling for you, Joss! Please.

Comments

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Yeah. :-/ I think this just points up how ingrained the patriarchal/male-oriented culture is.

Also, starting from Marvel comics doesn't really make it any easier. (This from a die-hard Marvel fan.)

[alandd.livejournal.com]

Or maybe the story he was telling didn't call for it & he didn't want to write it in "just to pass the test" - which is worse than failing the test.

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

You know, I noticed that when I watched Avengers today -- there were several female characters, but I couldn't recall any of them speaking to each other.

But Firefly and Buffy pass the Bechdel with flying colors.

[maggiebloome.livejournal.com]

There was totally a great opportunity to work Ms Marvel in, too. Pilots flying around, aliens flying around... you don't even need Mar Vell, you can just have Carol Danvers.

[(Anonymous)]

I haven't seen it, but out of curiosity, would it have succeeded if they had used the female Loki from not too long ago?