This Awesome Group Photo Teases Us With the Female-Led MCU That We Deserve

I took this shot for my daughter and it’s the coolest picture I’ve ever taken! #BadassLadiesOfMarvel 💪@MarvelStudios @Avengers @Guardians @Antman @theblackpanther @captainmarvel @thorofficial #AvengersInfinityWar pic.twitter.com/u36x1SB0zN

— Craig Kyle (@MrCraigKyle) November 27, 2017

Yesterday, Kaila wrote up the gloriously sprawling Vanity Fair coverage for the Marvel cinematic universe (MCU), which included a bunch of new covers, some interviews, and plenty of hints about the end-game of Avengers 4. However, writer and producer Craig Kyle may have taken the best shot of the day with this chill, badasses-who-brunch shot of the ladies of the MCU.

The women in the photo are, from left to right, Zoe Saldana (Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel in Captain Marvel), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow in The Avengers, Civil War, etc.), Danai Gurira (Okoye in Black Panther), Karen Gillan (Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy), Evangeline Lilly (The Wasp/Hope in Ant-Man), and Pom Klementieff (Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2).

I love pretty much everything about this shot, but I most especially love Tessa Thompson’s whole bespoke-and-bubbly vibe, as it is everything I aspire to be.

Of course, this photo doesn’t even include all the badass women of the MCU. I mean, we’re still missing (to name a few):

• Jaimie Alexander (Sif in Thor)
• Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter in Captain America)
• Angela Bassett (Ramonda in Black Panther)
• Kat Dennings (Darcy in Thor)
• Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia in Black Panther)
• Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch in Age of Ultron)
• Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts in Iron Man)
• Natalie Portman (Jane Foster in Thor)
• Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill in The Avengers)
• Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter in The Winter Soldier)
• Letitia Wright (Shuri in Black Panther)

(Yes, some of these women have since left the MCU.)

But we also have the heroines of the TV shows, like Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple in every Netflix/Marvel show), Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing in Iron Fist), Simone Missick (Misty Knight in Luke Cage), or Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones of Jessica Jones).

As with everything MCU-related, this photo just feeds my hunger for more female-led stories in this universe. The actresses in these roles have done a ton of great work in secondary roles, with many of their characters becoming fan favorites in films they’re not even the stars of. Kevin Feige has said that he wishes Marvel beat DC to the first-female-superhero punch, but as Teresa pointed out yesterday, he has the chance to instead do one better: put out more, and more diverse, female superhero films.

As this photo demonstrates, their cinematic universe isn’t exactly lacking for female talent and characters; instead, it’s overflowing with it.

Now all Marvel has to do is give them the movies.

(Via io9; featured image via Marvel Comics)

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