Without Remorse or Permission
What a Marvel hero can tell us about female anger
Written by Reese Diethrich, Contributing Writer
“Stop being so dramatic, so emotional. You are acting insane.”
We’ve all heard it. These phrases are used to dramatize female anger; to turn rage into something not suited for women so the emotion is not a matter of expression, but of madness. There is a general, unfavorable consensus that anger is against women’s very nature. “Women are so conditioned not to get angry or not to show it when we are. We are supposed to be nice and sweet and kind” (Urieta, 2019). Another common notion is that anger is a statement of masculinity and manhood. Men can utilize anger to assert pride in their manliness without consequences or approval.
While men can unabashedly reveal rage and reap the benefits of such expression, women do not have the same freedom. Women are “encouraged to put anger and other ‘negative’ emotions aside, as unfeminine” (Chemaly, 2019). In contrast to men, women are prompted to suppress feelings of anger, exasperation or outrage. This suppression of anger can fester, causing mental strain and psychological harm. Holding that much frustration without an outlet can be more damaging than the anger itself.
Superheroes are influenced by a stereotypical discourse on how women present their feelings of rage. The superhero Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch, is one of the few female Marvel characters given proper attention. Scarlet Witch is beloved within classic comics, and recent Avengers movies depict her as a model of resilience and strength for women. Wanda’s role in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” turns this strength into something vicious. Wanda is a perfect look into how women in the media can be angry as long as they are villainized.
Women cannot express their anger without it being labeled a “sign of mental or hormonal imbalance,” but the media has the chance to depict anger in a healthy, realistic way (Chemaly, 2019). Marvel’s representation of Maximoff had the perfect chance to improve media representations of female anger, but again, women are left disappointed.
Before “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” Marvel had done a brilliant job in developing a complex, layered character in Wanda. From foe to hero, Wanda’s story starts with her character marked as a self-destructive liability, unable to control her magic. As Maximoff’s screen time increased, so did the depth of her character. Viewers watch in awe as Wanda develops her magic, battles her internal guilt at the loss of her brother and learns to trust those around her, specifically her love Vision.
“Avengers: Infinity War” signaled a shift for Maximoff when she was forced to kill Vision to halt Thanos’ plan to eliminate half of the world’s population. The TV series “WandaVision” depicts Wanda creating a utopian world to live in peace with Vision and her two fabricated sons. The idyllic suburbia Wanda forged serves as a coping mechanism. Wanda lives out this desperate desire for a life with a happy family until she wakes up, realizing the damage her falsified life created.
As a character, Wanda encompasses an array of emotions from guilt to grief, providing a relatable representation of women. Given the holistic nature of Wanda’s character, incorporating female anger as a response to her suffering would add another layer to an already incredibly human character. The filmmakers decided that this suffering was instead grounds for Wanda’s character shift in the newest Dr. Strange film.
Wanda is depicted as a villain in the second Dr. Strange movie. Instead of Maximoff finding a healthy way to cope with the loss of her family, the filmmaker decided she would use dark magic to bring them back. The film pictures Wanda murdering thousands to acquire a spellbook capable of reviving her lost loved ones. In pursuit of the spellbook, Maximoff manipulates past allies, wages war on a sacred training ground and threatens to destroy the multiverse. Wanda’s actions, fueled by her anger, are objectively immoral and lack rationality. The filmmakers are furthering the stereotype that female anger leads to dramatic explosions of rage, or in Wanda’s case, something worse (Planchenault, 2022).
Director Sam Raimi’s choice to make this film an ode to classic horror movies furthers the confusing message about female rage. Raimi includes references to “Carrie” and “The Ring,” including scenes of Wanda covered in blood and a scene of her disjointed body clawing free from a small space (Raimi, 2022). These references take Marvel in a new, darker direction, which may be the refresher the company needs. Despite the surprising directional change, depicting Wanda’s rage as frightening once again presents angry women as something to fear.
Raimi’s decision to make Wanda and the Scarlet Witch two distinct characters also hinders a complete representation of women’s range of emotions. By depicting Wanda as the grieving mother and the Scarlet Witch as the scathing, evil sorceress, Wanda’s scope of emotions is limited. This portrayal takes the complexity of female anger and slices it to pieces. Wanda is not allowed to be distraught while also being furious. To place female anger as a separate entity from the rest of Wanda’s emotions leaves viewers with the idea that women’s anger is something entirely inhumane.
Marvel does a much better job representing anger in men. The Hulk’s only trait is that he is “always angry.” His anger enhances the story without demonizing the feeling of rage. In the Hulk’s case, his anger is even heroic.
So, where does that leave women and their anger?
It gives us a choice. Women should have the right to express their full range of emotions, free from negative perceptions and stereotypes. While women can hope female anger will be represented in a more realistic light, no drastic change will come tomorrow. Women can, however, be prideful owners of their anger by wearing their emotions as a badge of honor and not limiting their emotions to please others. We can––without remorse or permission––be angry.
Sources:
Chemaly, S. 2019. How women and minorities are claiming their right to rage. The Guardian.
Planchenault, G. 2022. The witch treatment: What Dr. Strange’s Wanda tells us about representations of female anger. The Conversation.
Raimi, S. (Director). (2022). Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness [Film]. Marvel Studios
Urieta, L. 2019. Giving Women Permission to Own Their Own Anger. Electric Lit.