It might have taken Marvel over a decade to release a standalone female superhero film, but the cinematic universe takes strong female representation firmly in its stride these days. 

Fans were given a taste of the collective power of the women in the superhero franchise in Avengers: Endgame, but The Marvels will be the first team of solely superpowered women to unite from Marvel’s cinematic and thriving TV universes. 

The highly anticipated Captain Marvel sequel will see Brie Larson reprise her role as Carol Danvers, whose formidable powers become entangled with two other heroes: her old friend Monica Rambeau and her biggest fan, Kamala Khan. The strong female ensemble also introduces Zawe Ashton to the MCU as the trio’s new nemesis, Kree warrior Dar-Benn. 

With The Marvels landing in cinemas this weekend, Echo set to be released on Disney+ in January and a confirmed Agatha Harkness spin-off on the way, it’s a time to celebrate the strong women within the Marvel universe. 

In January of 2021, Marvel debuted its first miniseries on Disney+, WandaVision, a spin-off focused on Wanda Maximoff and her relationship with Vision. The internet was set ablaze by the Elizabeth Olsen-led meta series, which was a stunning examination of grief as “love preserving”.

At the helm of the series was Olsen as the heartbroken Wanda, who constructed her own fictional town in Westview to live out the future she was robbed of with Vision.

The six-part series has a female-heavy cast with Kat Dennings reprising her beloved role of Darcy from Thor: The Dark World, and Teyonah Parris is introduced as a grown-up Monica Rambeau (who will return in The Marvels).

Alongside Olsen in this epic two-hander was Kathryn Hahn as Wanda’s new nemesis, Agatha Harkness, who came with her own theme song. Hahn’s bewitching performance was so well received by fans that it led to a spin-off series, due to be released in 2024.

Watch WandaVision on Disney+ 

It was long overdue for Scarlett Johansson to lead her own Marvel movie when Black Widow was finally released mid-pandemic in 2021.

Though it didn’t get the box office success it deserved, partly due to a same-day release on Disney+, her standalone movie is a triumph. It revisits some of Natasha Romanoff’s checkered past before S.H.I.E.L.D, even revealing slightly more about that much-mentioned trip to Budapest. It also introduces her successor, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh).

While it is Johansson’s movie, Pugh shines in her role as Natasha’s younger sister figure, which she reprises in Hawkeye. Even though Johansson will no longer return to the MCU, the Black Widow legacy lives on in Yelena who will return in a killer ensemble for The Thunderbolts.  

Watch Black Widow on Disney+

The sequel to 2018’s groundbreaking Black Panther is a heart-rending examination of the grief for King T’Challa and a poignant tribute to Chadwick Boseman.

On her brother’s death, Shuri (Letitia Wright) is left the throne of Wakanda. Deep in her grief, rage and denial, Shuri is reluctant to become Queen – a title that she should never have been given and has never prepared for.

The brilliant scientist is forced to rise to the challenge, develop her own legacy and step into this painful, new future she finds herself in. 

Watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Disney+

Brie Larson’s first outing as Carol Danvers propelled her into the billion-dollar box office stratosphere with this high fantasy.

Without giving too much of the intricate plot away, Carol discovers that the foundations of her life with the Kree aren’t exactly as it seems. In dreams, she has glimpses of old memories of a life on Earth, and sets out on a journey of self-discovery.

The biggest controversy surrounding this film was the misogynistic fans who said Larson should “smile more” and should have been smiling on the poster. Naturally, this has been turned into a long-standing joke now, as Larson and Captain Marvel don’t give into this misguided pressure that women should smile more to be more palatable. Just another reason to love her, right?

Arguably, the strongest Avenger – who had to be off-world for most of Avengers Endgame to avoid singlehandedly defeating Thanos in a single swing – Captain Marvel is a force to be reckoned with in the MCU.  

Watch Captain Marvel on Disney+

Ms. Marvel is a true love letter to Marvel’s adoring fans. Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) is everyone’s favourite fan girl (in real life as she is on screen) who is obsessed with Captain Marvel.

With walls lined with comics, posters and drawings of her hero, Kamala finds herself becoming the centre of her own origin story. The six-part series sees Kamala develop the kind of powers that she’s daydreamed of having her whole life. But with great power comes great responsibility… and Kamala learns just how heavy that burden can be.

It’s a joyful, energetic series that sets the scene and provides Kamala’s backstory for the ultimate girl-power team-up in The Marvels.  

Watch Ms. Marvel on Disney+

Jessica Jones was one of the gems of Marvel’s gritty Netflix endeavours from the mid 2010s. It was one of the first solo narratives outside of the cinematic universe that follows Jessica Jones, a private investigator who uses her superhuman abilities to solve crime after a brief failed stint as a superhero.

Alongside Krysten Ritter in the titular role, Doctor Who’s very own David Tennant garnered major recognition for his role as Jessica’s nemesis, Kilgrave.

It’s one of the darker, blood-thirsty outings for the typically family-oriented franchise, and the only female-led project that led to the team-up series, The Defenders.  

Watch Jessica Jones on Disney+

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D might have been a spin-off framed around Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) after his death in The Avengers, but Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennet) became the true heart of this series.

Though it was an ensemble show, the debut season followed Daisy as she turned from a rebellious hacker into a major asset at S.H.I.E.L.D on Coulson’s unconventional new team.

It ran for seven seasons, finishing in 2020, and has several storylines crossover with the wider cinematic franchise, even though it’s suspected that these events take place in a different universe.

The fan-favourite show is a worthy inclusion in our list for its strong female characters across the board, namely legendary superspy Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) and the brilliant biochemist Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). 

Watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D on Disney+

While She-Hulk wasn’t the best-received Disney+ series, mainly for its truly wild finale, it introduced a strong new comic book character to the canon with Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany). 

Jennifer is Bruce Banner’s (Mark Ruffalo) cousin in the series and develops his ability to turn into a big green rage monster after she receives some of his blood. The attorney now has to battle dating in her mid-30s, upholding her reputation as an attorney to high-powered clients, and navigating her new role as a superhero. 

It’s an incredibly playful and relatable series for every woman trying to balance their career, responsibilities and personal happiness. If that wasn’t enough of a sell, it’s the only Marvel show to feature twerking from Megan Thee Stallion and her song Body. 

As die-hard Marvel fans will know, none of the X-Men franchise is part of the MCU, and to date, there has been no crossover between these franchises.

However, X-Men: Dark Phoenix is a must-watch for all superhero fans. Led by Sophie Turner as the powerful telepath Jean Grey, the film follows the mutant as she battles to control the darkness raging inside of her.

Even under the guidance of her mentor, Charles Xavier, Jean is a growing threat to her fellow X-Men and herself as she struggles to contain the unchecked power she possesses.

Jean Grey is another incredibly powerful female character like Carol Danvers or Wanda Maximoff and is one of the most impressive characters in the X-Men universe. Though her standalone prequel had a mixed reception, it’s a worthwhile watch.

Watch X-Men: Dark Phoenix on Prime Video.

Images: Marvel Studios; Disney