Marvel’s Finest Women Tourney Wrap-Up, Part 1
Sixty-four competitors battled each other until Ororo rightfully took the first place. These were characters from different series, but by the time we reached the quarter-finals, 5 out of 8 competitors were X-Women. Is it a surprise? I don’t think so. The X-Men is one of the most popular teams out there and it has always received a lot of attention and promotion. While some X-Women have been tossed into Limbo in the past or haven’t been the subject of many storylines that concentrate on them alone, they’ve always been around; and some, like Ororo and Rogue, have always been an important part of the team. As such, they are characters that even those who don’t read comics can instantly recognize. The different animated series and movies also helped to increase the popularity among the public. So while I would have liked to see more characters from other series in the final stages of the tournament, it wasn’t a surprise to see so many X-Women.
As a child, I didn’t have access to comics. There were very few comic stores (mostly not kiddy-friendly) and even if there were, I couldn’t have afforded them. I sort of got my “comic fix” from the animated series. Therefore, as a child I never heard of the Avengers. I didn’t even know who the Wasp or the Black Widow were. There were many characters in the Tourney’s first round that most certainly deserve more recognition and I think that including them in animated series and movies is of utmost importance. When Janet Van Dyne lost, I was sorry to see her go since she’s one of the oldest female characters from Marvel, but have we seen Janet much outside from comics? Hopefully, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will change that. Hopefully, Iron Man 2 and the upcoming Avengers movie will change that for Black Widow too.
Still, we will never stop demanding more time in the comic spotlight for female characters. Not only do they deserve their own series, mini-series and one-shots, something that Marvel has more or less rectified with their Year of Women (though they still have plenty of work to do, especially after changing She-Hulks to a mini and possibly cancelling the Black Widow series), but they also deserve to have their own stories and moments in those comics were usually the male characters are the stars. I’m still dying to read a story about Felicia Hardy that is not completely tied to Spider-Man. I’m still dying to read a story about Sif that is not completely tied to Thor.
I believe that by celebrating our love for the Marvel women here, we are somewhat contributing to the cause. Superheroines, villains, civilians. We love them all and we always want to see more of them. And not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality.
I want to thank all of you for taking part in this tournament. For voting in each match, for campaigning for your favorite characters, for reblogging, for spreading the word. I’ve said it before: without you, none of this would have been possible. So I’m extremely grateful. Special thanks go to @spandexandsportbras for helping me with the organization of the brackets! A part 2 for this Wrap-Up will come soon.
