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

[(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?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Hell, yes. One of the best scenes is an interrogation between Loki and Black Widow about Loki's plans. Or maybe about why Black Widow can never be forgiven for her past sins. They DO discuss other characters, such as Hawkeye, during it, but it's not about Hawkeye.

Of course, in that case, you'd lose Hiddleston as Loki, which I'd not be willing to do, since Hiddleston is the reason I saw the movie.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Although, come to think of it, the dynamic of that scene would be completely different with two female characters, since Black Widow is manipulating Loki using his patriarchal expectation of her feminine emotional weakness.