Many fans were not pleased a few weeks ago when a press release about Marvel’s upcoming live show, Marvel Universe Live!, mentioned zero female characters. However, Marvel has finally announced that the show will feature a number of female superheroes and villains, including Black Widow, Madame Hydra, Maria Hill, Black Cat, and Captain Marvel. I’m still annoyed that whoever wrote that initial press release didn’t see fit to include Natasha with the rest of the Avengers, but at least she’ll be there to kick ass.
Plus, the show is being directed by a woman, Shanda Sawyer, who talked about the role of female characters in the production:
“One of the aspects that makes Marvel Universe Live! so compelling is the Marvel women. Because of Marvel’s tradition of powerful female characters, both heroic and villainous, the women in this show will play major roles in all the action, performing breathtaking stunts and fight sequences right alongside their male counterparts. I love the fact that our audiences, especially women and young girls, will have the chance to be inspired by seeing these real-life super women in action.”
This point is especially important because a show like this is probably going to be seen predominantly by families with young children (it seems a bit like Disney on Ice for the comics world). Kids of all genders benefit from seeing that the business of world-saving doesn’t have to be dominated by men.
Casting is still in-progress, and Sawyer emphasized the complexity of that process:
“We’ve been on an extensive casting search for just the right people who can bring these amazing characters to life in the arena. Our performers need to have both the physical presence and charisma and verging-on superhuman athletic skills.”
Am I going to go see a live Marvel acrobatics show? Eeeeeh, probably not, unless I get news that it’s extraordinary, which I doubt it will be. However, with this news about the presence of female performers and characters, especially the possibility (since it is not a film production) for the appearance of characters associated with Spider-Man or the X-Men, I think it might shape up to be halfway decent. How much these female characters will actually do and what their roles will be remains to be seen, but at this point we can hope for the best.
(via: Popsugar)
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