#women of luke cage

[vyeoh]

I'm rewatching all the Marvel Defenders shows on Netflix and as much as I mock the MCU now, I need non-Marvel fans to understand that I was and still am a fan of "Daredevil fighting the gentrifying assshole who bought out the police force because ACAB both as a lawyer and vigilante of the community" and "Jessica Jones fighting the man who mind controlled her into doing unspeakable things and forming a community of fellow survivors and allies while dealing with PTSD in a range of both healthy and unhealthy ways" Marvel. God I love these idiots they carried so hard

[mariajbee]

Just made a new blog !! Can't get on my old one 😭 gimme some good art/fanart accounts to follow

[negrowhat]

Impressions Tag

Also tagged by @yakdee

Rules : choose 5 of your favorite characters from 5 pieces of media as options and let your tumblr pals decide which one most suits your vibes best.

[casualcomicfan]

Things non-comic fans get wrong about Peter Parker.

Several people who don't read the comics seem to get ideas about characters and how they act. It's fine when you're doing to characters you know about, but for characters you don't know about, not so much.

Please note: This post is not meant to gate keep anyone from comics, MCU or any other Marvel related products.

#1: He is ugly. This one is false for the most part. Look at the women he has dated, Liz Allan, Gwen, MJ, Black Cat, Carol Danvers and others.

#2: He is naive. This one is also false. Peter is optimistic. There is a difference. Peter himself recognizes that the world is a terrible place. However he thinks it can get better. That is the whole point of him not killing his enemies.

#3: He has to suffer to be relatable. No, just no. This one is false. He doesn't have to suffer to be relatable. He is relatable because he deals with relatable problems. He is nerdy, has to make ends meet, etc. That is how he was relatable. Not suffering. And certainly not whatever the f#ck is going on in the current run.

#4: He is hated by other heroes. This one mainly stems from the Superior Spider-Man comic arc, but is still blatantly wrong. He has several friends in the comics, such as: Daredevil, Deadpool (to an extent) Wolverine, Luke Cage, Johnny Storm, Cloak and Dagger, and several others.

#5: He is not respected by the other heroes. This was also caused by Superior Spider-Man. However several people respect him. Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man respect him for his intelligence. Captain America calls him on of the greatest men he's ever known. Thor says (in a complimentary way) that he was the most mortal man he knew. T'Challa let him eat a Heart-Shaped Herb. Hulk was one of the few people who knew Peter's identity after OMD.

#6: He was a teenager for most of his publication history. The first ever Spider-Man comic was published in August 1962 in Amazing Fantasy #15. He he graduated and became an adult on June 8, 1965 in The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1 #28.

[mikeymagee]

Black Panther PSA

To whomever it may concern...you guys know it’s possible to mourn and be upset about Chadwick/T’challa WITHOUT disparaging Black women...right? 

Because I can’t go onto ANY T’challa thread without someone throwing shade at Black women or saying that little Black boys don’t have any heroes to look up to any longer and it’s making me avoid all the places I used to go to for nice T’challa discussions. 

And for anyone who thinks little boys don’t have any positive Black superheroes to look up, here’s a list of future MCU films/shows that are starring Black men:

1. War Machine film

2. Nick Fury’s Secret Invasion

3. Sam Wilson’s Captain America: New World Order

4. Blade starring Mahershala Ali (and yes, this film is still happening)

5. Into The Spiderverse Sequel with Miles Morales

Not to mention plenty of the previous movies/Shows that star Black men such as Luke Cage, Cloak and Dagger, Black Lightning, Static Shock, Wesley Snipes’s Blade, Spawn and the films where Black men are still important parts of the narrative like Batwoman, Supergirl, Eternals etc...

AND we still have the various books/comics/graphic novels that star Black men. Anyone who wants more T’challa should consider reading Ronald L. Smith’s YA series Black Panther: The Young Prince. There are 3 books in total. And even outside of Marvel and DC there’s tons of YA books such as Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky or the Imaro series.  There are PLENTY of outlets for young Black boys to see empowering images of themselves

I’m just kind of sick of this whole misogynoir that has reared its ugly head in the Black Panther/MCU fandom. Yes, I am heartbroken about Chadwick but that does not give ya’ll permission to shit on Shuri, Romanda, Nakia, Okoye and the entire Dora Milaje. 

If your pro-Blackness does not include Black women, Black Queers, Black Neurodivergent people, Black people with disabilities, etc, then it’s not pro-Blackness. 

ALSO: WTF IS WRONG WITH LITTLE BLACK BOYS LOOKING UP TO BLACK WOMEN AND BLACK GIRLS? 

[invisibleraven]

Sorry for sending the same line twice but:

Was it all fake?

Peterpatterlina

The wind blew through Julie's curls, but she didn't care, not with the smell of the sea in her nose and the sight of naught but the ocean waves in front of her.

Perhaps running away to live on a pirate ship was not what anyone would have expected of her, but she was happier here than she knew she would have been had she stayed.

Back home she would have been chained by rules and expectations. Tied to a vast estate with a gaggle of children in a loveless marriage. Forced into uncomfortable corsets and pinchy shoes, unable to be anything more.

Here, she was free. Free to climb and laugh, be loud and improper. To be the wild girl her governess had always chided her for being.

At first, Captain Patterson hadn't wanted to take her on his vessel-not due to any superstition about women on boats being bad luck. Half his crew were women after all. But she was a lady, and they had no place on a ship.

That had made Julie determined to prove him wrong, so she traded her fine dress in for breeches and a blouse. Worked her fingers to the bone scrubbing and swabbing. Learned to scale the mast, coil rope, every knot and term. How to navigate by star and sextant.

Plus the first mate Reggie taught her how to fight-with cutlass and pistol, as well as her fists. How to swing from the rigging and to keep the crew fed as supplies grew thin.

What truly endured her to the crew was music night-they taught her every shanty and bawdy tune they knew, much to her delight. But then Julie sang the songs she knew-love ballads and hymns, as well as songs she had written herself.

Blushing when she realized how much the captain and fist mate were failing to keep their eyes off her. The flush deepening as their voices joined hers in a harmony that rang out over the waves in a sweet sort of perfection.

"Now much of a lady any more are you?" Luke asked, making her turn from her view of the sea.

"I'm not sure I ever was much of one really," Julie admitted, holding herself as a cool breeze blew by.

"Was it all fake?" Reggie teased. "The fine manners and fancy dress?"

"I don't think they have much place here," Julie offered. "But that life doesn't seem real now, like a dream of a cage that finally unlocked, leaving me nothing but blue sky."

"Well you're a fine part of the flock," Luke granted her. "Though don't feel you can't fly off at any port."

"Why would I ever want to leave?" Julie asked.

"We are pirates," Reggie offered. "We mean to hit any ship we come across for plunder. Some may be from your homeland, and we may have to kill in order to take it."

Julie shivered once more, though this time not from the cool wind. "I don't relish the thought of murder, even though I know the rules of the high seas are different from high society. But I also know the crown cares little for their poorest citizens, and happily supports the sale of lives and flesh. So why should I care if you take their profits?"

"The life of a pirate is starting to sound like a welcome alternative," Luke quipped.

"Plus at least we share our treasure," Reggie hollered, with a cheer from some nearby crew.

Julie laughed at that. Sure, it was not the future she ever envisioned for herself, but she felt so at home on this ship. Here where she was free to be who she wanted, to love who she wanted.

To dance and laugh and sing. To drink and steal, and be wild without reproachful looks or disdain. Here she was encouraged to be herself, and adored for it.

Yes, the thought of the things she may have to do to survive unsettled her some, but in the end wasn't it worth it to be free? Not to be yoked to a life that would suffocate her?

She breathed deep of the salt sea air, hummed as accordion and fiddle struck up as the moon began to rise. Drank deep of the rum and ale passed around. Let her pirates spin her around the deck, laughing and singing all the while.

Yes, it was not the life she ever expected, but Julie was sure as she felt freer than she ever had, that this was the life for her.

[alien-hybreed]

For the character ask game: tell me allllll about Betty Ross aka The Harpy aka Red She-Hulk 👀

i love that character and i know you do too, so i’d love to hear your perspective on her 😌

- Di @wineanddineloseyourmind

My first impression

Admittedly I was pretty indifferent to Betty at first, when she was just Betty. Not to say she was a bad character or anything, she just seemed burdened with being the Hulk's love interest and someone to be kidnapped or exploited by the villain of the week.

My impression now

Favorite thing about that character

I love how both the She-Hulks explore anger, rage and how to manage what your feeling. I love how as Red She-Hulk, Betty has a whole other approach to Jen. She likes being Red She-Hulk and wears it like armour. She likes being angry, getting to channel that rage on her terms. She can be impulsive, do things on a whim, she can be true to herself in ways she never was as a human. She's unapologetic about what she is and that carries over into her more monstrous form as Harpy. Also both her Red She-Hulk and Harpy designs are gorgeous, stunning, all the heart eyesss.

Least favorite thing

Just how little content we have with her?

Also every time they try to de-power and reset her.

Favorite line/scene

So much of Immortal Hulk is a monster lover's delight, but I especially enjoy the dialogue between Betty and Bruce/Hulk/Joe in the hotel. So much of that series is Betty finding her boundaries and sticking up for herself. Also canonical monster fucking.

Favorite interaction that character has with another

I'm very easily amused and this always makes me smile.

A character that I wish that character would interact with more

I'd genuinely like to see her beat the ever-loving fuck out of The Leader a few times? She's earned it.

She's a bit of a solo act, but I like seeing her in a team with Dr Strange. It'd be fun to see her have buddy cop dynamic with someone... an Iron Fist to her Luke Cage, as it were.

What's Clint Barton up to these days? Take that for a ride, everyone else has.

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character

Thats kinda hard to say, I feel like we seldom get to see female-coded characters that get to enjoy being angry whilst having control over their anger, so it's kinda slim pickings.

A headcanon about that character

I think for all her wild, reckless behaviour, Hulk Betty probably finds parties every bit as obnoxious as she did as a human. She's all about having fun, that's just not fun to her. Big red grump isn't asking you to turn the music down, you're being told .

A song that reminds of that character

Mars Needs Women - Rob Zombie

Not particularly deep or meaningful, it just keeps thumping about angry red women.

An unpopular opinion about that character

I think she should be in more stories as she is. Especially ones where she's written well, preferably by someone who isn't a man.

Apparently 'comic fans' really hate that.

Favorite picture

It was how she made her entrance in her solo series and I was absolutely sold on her immediately. Betty Ross hefting a tank like its nothing.

Also the smorgasbord of body horror and creature design that is Immortal Hulk.

[muchemovies]

DEFENDERS' SAGA: the DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON series we deserved but never got... Claire Temple, NIGHT NURSE, is the awesome thread that links all the individual Defenders' series, beginning with DareDevil, then Jessica Jones, Luke Cage & eventually Iron Fist & The Defenders. she's mortal, moral, courageous, trained & medical, & committed to helping New York's injured & needy. Claire's such a wonderful character, casting & performance. Mercedes "Misty" Knight, is a tenatious & dedicated Detective, who's not afraid of Harlem & it's underbelly, & who throws herself into Cottonmouth & Luke Cage's fued, only to immerse herself in bigger & bigger corrupt practices. she's fearless, fiesty, fun & unstopable. she's mortal. Colleen Wing is young, poor, moral, & also mortal. her training & skills & wits are her three points for survival. her dedication to her craft & students & her community is indefatigable. she supports & bands with Daniel Rand & The Defenders because her ethics pitch her in oppposition to The Hand & their lethal practices. These three mortal women find themselves entwined with several enhanced individuals, & after their educated skepticism & ethical distancing from them, Claire, Misty & Colleen dedicate their skills, energy & abilities to enhancing the cause. they join the fight against their better judgement. their ethics & morals fuel the best of their intentions & actions. they are us audience in amongst the mele. they are our eyes & ears & dilemas. and they are TREMENDOUS. the characters, actresses & we audience all deserved a spin-off from the Defenders that developed Night Nurse, Misty & the Daughter of The Dragon: instead of just cancelling products that "don't work" (aren't viewed "enough") developing a 6-8part Daughters of The Dragon or similar, centering around Claire, Misty & Colleen could've KICKED-ASS! so many perspectives & experiences & skills & connections, with Claire expereiencing new symptoms & side-effects from a new pathogen, Misty investigating it officially, & Colleen tracing the clandestine activities, could've been an immense series covering Hell's Kitchen, Manhatten & Harlem. Imagine a multi-female-lead series!!! 3 women. 3 slam-dunk individuals who took no shit from anyone. can you IMAGINE! i really wish production houses & studios would listen & learn instead of just abandoning. hey-ho. maybe D+/Marvel will realise what they had & resurect Claire, Misty & Colleen after DD:Born Again is a HUGE SMASH HIT?

[thosemintcookies]

Okay so basically I think something to discuss about Daredevil in general is the underlying reason Matt is daredevil. I think a lot of post-DDTV fandom emphasizes Matt's character as one primarily concerned with righteousness and justice, where I am personally of the belief that successful and versions of Matt are primarily about the masked identity as escapism.

The problem with framing Matt's character to be one of justice is that it runs into two major roadblocks:

1. The Ableism.

When Matt's character is about righteousness and justice it frames his disability in a metaphorical way ("justice is blind"). This lets the narrative avoid really contending with actual ableism, as his disability becomes a thematic accessory to the real issue of justice. Coupled with a huge emphasis on matt's piety and upward mobility, it also plays into inspiration porn, as it becomes a rags-to-riches story where Matt is an overseer as Lady Justice is, venerated for being detached and pure, a figure of judgement apart from the rest of abled society, as opposed to a regular human who is a part of regular society.

2. The Morality Aspect.

When we have Matt as a symbol for justice, his views are reified as unquestionable; as a symbol and conduit for justice, he can't be wrong about things. That just sort of makes his character weaker overall in my opinion. We can't trust that he's an unreliable narrator and flawed human as is literally every single other person is in the cast.

(In the comics, this is explored way more. He is called out on multiple occasions for his shortsighted views on crime, which don't effectively get at the root of social ills associated with systemic and structural injustice associated with higher criminality. Luke Cage notably says he's not getting rid of crime, merely displacing it. The narrative also goes to great pains introducing other characters with other ideas of "doing what's right" (Milla, who works in housing, Ben, who serves justice through journalistic exposure, Foggy, who is loyal on a personal level while being pretty ambivalent about his methods, etc etc.) Introducing new perspectives is sort of the point. If the thesis of Daredevil is "justice exists outside the law" the answer isn't just to punch people.)

In addition, it sort of ignores the other ways Matt is privileged. Again, as Justice, he can't be wrong, which means we're encouraged to ignore the ways his status as a lawyer and as a white man play into his biases. He's not neutral. Volume 2 as a whole also emphasizes the way his being myopic and, honestly, sexist, ruins his marriage as he fails to consider his partner's needs and frames tragedy that falls onto the women in his life as primarily his own issues, rather than traumas his wife/friends are dealing with. In Soule's and Zdarsky's runs we have characters like Sam Chung and Cole North who challenge Matt's experiences with citizenship, and sense of neutral raciality. Again, this isn't an accident of the writing. We as the audience are being asked to consider other perspectives.

(Also having him be more prominently Catholic while having him be a symbol of justice is also implicitly a colonial message.)

The intent of DD as an escape from his regular identity, as it was originally conceived, serves a larger narrative purpose. He gets an escape from ableism and other systemic barriers to being able to serve his sense of justice (which, as previously stated, can be very flawed). It's fundamentally self-justified identity, not a selfless one. It's liberating for him personally, and something he pursues because he enjoys it (despite it being pointed out on multiple occasions that it is sometimes detrimental to his health and relationships.) (Also I think it makes him have a more fun personality, because it lets him be cocky rather than burdened.)

The duality of being a truer version of himself as a masked man allows him to be a complex messy character. Explorations of his character tensions (straddling poverty vs. status, marginalization vs. privilege, violence vs procedural justice, etc etc) are more interesting. His dynamic tensions with other characters (both on his side and antagonists) are made more rewarding as we see competing interests play out and we are encouraged and challenged to take a stance rather than assuming Matt's simply correct.

In addition, this also is why I'm overall not a fan of this idea that just anyone can take on the helm of Daredevil. Daredevil is, unlike some other marvel characters, not really a title so much as an escapist identity taken on by a very specific mentally and physically disabled man to contend with his specific feelings of impotence and marginalization, which doesn't really work unless we explore these themes in other characters, or they were established to similarly be preoccupied with this identity tension.

[beelmons]

i really hope garcia eventually ends up with Luke because it would have such a positive impact on media.

The writers had the opportunity to do something amazing with Morgan and decided against it. Having someone as Morgan, the to-the-tee beauty standard of a man, fall in love with Penelope, the very antithesis of what such man should have as a partner, would have been a great break on the big girl cliché. Ultimately, their platonic relationship had other impacts on how love presents in media, and while that's great, I presume the other topic would have been a lot more disruptive.

Both potential love interests, besides Kevin, that Penelope had ended up rejecting her one way or another, with the police guy even straight up shooting her, and Derek not ever deciding to explore the romantic aspect of their relationship.

Who do they pair her up with? The equally off-the-standard nerd guy that perfectly mirrors her personality. Nothing against Kevin, I love the guy, I think he was a great partner to Penelope, but seriously? The whole concept of "I'm only lovable by people who are similar to me" isn't only outdated, but cages characters, specially female ones, in boxes that inherently limit their growth.

Women in media with traditional "male" interests are often portrayed as unlovable, or their relationships written as if loving them was some sort of sacrifice or conquest, and more often than not it's the disapperance of those qualities and the transition into more "feminine" ones for the sake of "love" that is considered character development for them.

We have Penelope, who is a magnificent balance between the two. Kristen does a great job into not caging penelope in the nerdy girl cliché. She can be feminine and hack the shit out of federal databases, and she can be fashionable in her own special way, and she can handle the horrors by being a little silly everyday. And what do the writers do? Her realtionship is the one they cage into a 'standard', even when there's nothing standard about her.

Then there's Luke, who, from day one, has a shiton amount of chemistry with her, and whom subtly demonstrates attraction towards her, to the point of asking her out in the final ep. Luke, a military man, could be a model, could have 'anyone he wanted', a calm collected guy. Wouldn't they make the perfect contrast?

Having an off-the-standard and the-exact-standard couple would be such a win for those who don't fit, or feel they don't fit, the standard, specially considering that Penelope exists in a bigger body, and all without the need of her 'changing' for him.

The writers should have done this ages ago, and the impact won't be as widely spread if they do it in future evolution seasons, but it would still be so, so good for those young women out there wondering if they can get something like that with the bodies that they have.

Garvez would be a great statement to the way we view heterosexual relationships in media.

[princessasmosprincess]

OH MY GOD A SATAN REGENCY AU?!! IM GONNA GO INSANE YOURE TOO GOOD 😭😭😭

You're always so sweet (˵^ヮ^˵)♡

Ah the Satan Regency AU, my beloved. It's actually a concept I've had since before Mermaid Splash but I keep getting sidetracked by other projects.

The basic premise is that MC's parents are gone and their inheritance is tied up until they marry (as always, MC is meant to be gender neutral, though I do realize this was more of an issue for women in the Regency Era. Since this is an AU we can have fun with the "rules"). With a household to run, and their younger brother, Luke, at the age he should be attending boarding school, MC needs to find a solution to their money problems. They enlist the help of their childhood friend, Satan, who has just the idea to help them. Maybe it will be a way to catch two birds with one stone, by ruining his social and academic rival and ensuring his dear friend's future. MC is happy to follow through with the plan, but will Satan be content with the result when all is said and done? It's a little fun, a little angst.

This snippet is a long one but I just had to share:

“I suppose I’ll just have to get married,” You’d said.

“That does seem like your only option,” Satan had said.

You sighed, it was all you could do.

“Now we’ll just have to find you a suitable match.” He began to run down the list of gentlemen in your circle, “Lord Mammon is automatically disqualified,”

“Why is that?”

“Mammon frequents gambling halls more than his own home,”

“Noted,” You’d said.

“Admiral Leviathan is trustworthy, if a bit shy,”

You twirled a wildflower between your fingers, “But he’d be out to sea for months out of the year,”

“As his spouse, you’d be permitted to go with him.”

You shook your head. As much as you loved the sea, you couldn't see yourself taking up residence on a ship. Besides, you had a younger brother to watch over and a household to run. “And he’s shy too?”

Satan nodded.

You began plucking the petals from the flower one by one. “Who else is there?”

“There’s Lord Asmodeus,” Satan offered. “You know he adores you.”

“He adores everyone,”

“That he does,” Satan laughed. “With him you’d live comfortably. The dandy that he is, he’ll keep you in only the highest of fashion.”

“That’s true,”

“He needs to be tied down to someone before he does something foolish,”

“Oh and is that what I am to be?” You gave a sarcastic laugh. “A cage to trap his philandering spirit?”

WIP Ask Game

[popculturebuffet]

Valentine's Superhero Wedding Review Poll III

Hello all you happy people. For the past two years to celebrate the lovelist day of the year with my love of men, women and that beautifulu techiclor rainbow inbetween in costume who punch what good by letting my fine patrons pick out 3 superhero weddings, myself pick one, and you fine folks pick one of these for me to review. What says love more than some asshole in a costume crashing your wedding no?

So for your voting pleasure, here are this years nominees and the poll to pick your faviorite is below. Voting will close in a week. If it's a tie it's sudden death baby and if that ties.. well i'll just hav eto do both won't I. So vote whenever, vote soon, and vote with your heart, here are your nominees!

Lex Luthor and Adora of Planet Lexor (Action Comics 318-319)

Lex's pre crisis marriage has him doing the usual lex luthor things: escape prison, go to a planet he once fooled into thinking he's a great hero and Superman a villian.. then invite superman after the wedding to fake his own death and blame Supes for it.

Emma Frost and Tony Stark (Invincible Iron Man #10) Ones a life long playboy whose lasting relationships end in tears, betryal or the next set of writers wanting him to screw around again. The other's a life long career woman whose fine to flirt but mostly spends her time saving humanity and whose longest relationship was with a man she stole from his wife via very sketchy therapy practices. Naturally marriage is less out of love and more as a smokescreen to screw over a massive anti mutant biggot who used tony's tech to create a waking nightmare for mutant kind, but damn if it won't be fun anyway.

Luke Cage and Jessica Jones (New Avengers Annual #1) A relationship began in casual hookups and deep seated trauma, became one of marvel's most lasting and wholesome marriage and Hero for Hire Luke Cage and PI for hire Jessica Jones became the couple with the least time for your nonsense but the cutest baby. Naturally for their courtship their wedding involves a proposal luke announces to hold her to saying yes, a fight with an old foe turned into a scary monster/ super creep, and takes place just before the super hero community cracked in half.

Wally West and Linda Park (The Flash 132 and 159)

He was a fuck boy, she was a girl who didn't take his shit. Could they make it any more obvious. As wally west grew from irresponsible young ass to true hero worthy of the mantle flash he found his rock in reporter Linda Park, someone on his level willing to both call him out when he stupid, and support him when he's beating himself up too hard. Naturally given their marriage would be in trouble for the 2010's thanks to Dan DiDio's personal mission to make Wally West Fans suffer, their wedding ends in a magician making Linda disappear from everyone's memories, with the two finallyg etting married after antics with angsty future selves, Linda being Impulse's imaginary friend, and a picnic wedding to give us a happy end to Mark Waid's long and storied run and a happy start to one of the best marriages in comics

[cogentranting]

I made a claim that there is a trend that won't allow female leads of superhero movies and tv shows to have and end up with a male love interest. So I decided to back that up with some stats. I looked at 60 different lead characters of live-action superhero tv shows and movies from Marvel and DC, sorted them into different categories by gender and type of ending (see the details below the cut).

My findings:

While 95% of male lead superheroes have opposite sex love interests, only 61% of female lead heroes have opposite sex love interests. 62% of male leads end up together with their (female) love interests. Only 22% of female leads end up with their (male) love interest (in fact I can only find 4 examples, as opposed to the 26 male examples. All four are tv shows. I do not know of a female lead superhero movie/movie franchise that ends with the female lead happy together with her male love interest.) In contrast only 5% of male leads have no love interest whatsoever, as opposed to 22% of female leads. Women are also more likely to have their love interest die, with 17% compared to the male 10%.

The categories I used:

A. ends up with their love interest (the lead themselves MAY die. For example Tony Stark does get to marry Pepper and have a child, and then dies. Oliver Queen has a similar situation and then also gets an epilogue together with Felicity in some sort of afterlife) B. Has a love interest but doesn't end up with them (they split up; the love interest ends up with someone else; they are permanently separated) C. The love interest dies D. No canonical love interest E. The series is still ongoing/was cancelled mid-story-- there IS a love interest but it's not clear if they end up together eventually or not (EA-- will probably be together/implied they will; EB-- doesn't seem like they'll be together; E-- I have no clue. I recognize these are open to interpretation, that's why they're classified separately) F. Same Sex love interest

"What do you mean by a "lead"?" They have to be THE main character of their series/movie/franchise. Generally this is the title character. Ensembles were included only if there was a clearly discernible main character (e.g. Peter Quill in GOTG). The only times I counted co-leads was in the cases of Agents of Shield (both Daisy and Coulson), TFATWS (Sam and Bucky), BVS (Clark and Bruce), and Hawkeye (Clint and Kate).

Marvel male leads Tony Stark A Steve Rogers A Scott Lang A Clint Barton A T'challa A Nick Fury A Phil Coulson A Peter Parker (Maguire) A Marc Spector/Steven Grant A/EA Danny Rand EA Michael Morbius EA Matt Murdock (Cox- Netflix) EA Peter Parker (Holland) EA Bruce Banner B Doctor Strange B Loki B Luke Cage B Matt Murdock (Affleck) B Peter Quill C/B (I'm counting it as a C, his version of Gamora died) Frank Castle (Bernthal) C/B Peter Parker (Garfield) C Thor C Shang-Chi D (but if I had to guess, will end up with Katy) Sam Wilson D Bucky Barnes E (I'm counting Sarah Wilson as a canon love interest. If not, he's in the D category) Eddie Brock E

Marvel Female Leads Peggy Carter A Daisy Johnson A Kamala Khan EA Jessica Jones EB Natasha Romanoff B Jennifer Walters B (I'm counting Matt as a love interest for her show, but I don't think there's any chance of them being together past what we saw. Categorize this as an EB if you prefer) Sersi C Wanda Maximoff C Shuri D Kate Bishop D Carol Danvers D 26 M 11F

Marvel Male Stats A- 8/26 31% A+ EA- 13/26 50% B- 5/26 19% B + EB- 7/26 27% C- 4/26 15% D- 2/26 8% E- 2/26 8% A/B/C/E (has some sort of love interest regardless of ending)-- 24/26 92% (alt if you don't count Bucky as having a love interest, 23/26 88%)

Marvel Female stats A- 2/11 18% A+ EA- 3/11 27% B- 2/11 18% B + EB- 3/11 27% C- 2/11 18% D- 3/11 27% E- X A/B/C/E-- 8/11 72%

DC Male Leads Hal Jordan A Arthur Curry A Jaime Reyes A Clark Kent (Cavil) A Clark Kent (Hoechlin) A Clark Kent (Welling) A Oliver Queen (Amell) A Barry Allen (Gustin) A Jefferson Pierce A Dick Grayson (Thwaites) A Barry Allen (Miller) EA (or maybe A) Bruce Wayne (Pattinson) EA Bruce Wayne (Bale) A/C Bruce Wayne (Affleck) D Billy Batson D Black Adam D DC Female Leads Courtney Whitmore A Kara Danvers (Benoist) B Diana Prince C Harley Quinn (Robbie) D Sarah Lance F Kate Kane F Ryan Wilder F 16 M 7F DC Male Stats A- 11/16 69% A+ EA- 13/16 81% D- 3/16 19% DC Female Stats A- 1/7 14% B- 1/7 14% C- 1/7 14% D- 1/7 14% F- 3/7 42% A/B/C/E--4/7 57%

Total men: 42 Total women: 18

DC + Marvel Men A- 19/42 45% A+ EA- 26/42 62% B- 5/42 12% B + EB- 7/42 17% C- 4/42 10% D- 2/42 5% E- 2/42 5% A/B/C/E--40/42 95%

DC +Marvel Women A- 3/18 17% A+ EA- 4/18 22% B- 3/18 17% B + EB- 4/18 22% C- 3/18 17% D- 4/18 22% F-3/18 17% A/B/C/E--11/18 61%

Additional Explanations:

I only included movies/shows from after 2000.

If a character has multiple love interests I categorized them by their most important or final love interest. Being together with someone at the end of the series automatically puts them in the A category. If they don't end up with anyone, I made a judgment about which love interest was most significant and grouped them according to that. For instance--- Daisy Johnson has 3 major love interests (Ward, Lincoln, Sousa) but she is grouped as an A because she ends the series in a relationship with Sousa. Frank Castle I counted as a C because while Karen is maybe a love interest, his wife and her death are the more significant story factor.

I excluded movies/series that are an ensemble without a clear lead such as Marvel's Runaways (or where I didn't know enough about the movie to determine if there was a clear lead, like Suicide Squad). I also left out movies that I just don't know much about (like Deadpool, Elektra, or Watchmen). I left out Cloak and Dagger because I'm incredibly unclear whether they are meant to be future love interests or not. All X-men properties were excluded because determining A) who counts as a lead, B) are the different versions different characters and C) what endings count as canon was just a mess so I decided to skip it.

Why is Fury on this list as an A? He's the lead of Secret Invasion and is married. We might not see his wife again but last we heard they're happily married.

Why did you specify Matt Murdock as (Cox-Netflix)? Right now it's unclear if the main MCU Matt and the Netflix Matt are the same continuity, though it seems like they are not. The Netflix show ends with the suggestion that Matt and Karen will get back together at some point. She-Hulk and what's been seen so far of future Daredevil appearances don't acknowledge Karen.

Why is Peggy a lead/does Peggy really end up with her love interest? She's the lead of Agent Carter though not the lead of a movie. If we're counting Agent Carter separately, she ends that show in a relationship with Daniel. They are different ways to interpret timelines and which shows exist in which timelines etc. but regardless, Peggy is the lead of a show, and ends up married to either Steve or Daniel.

Why are same-sex relationships counted separately? Because I'm specifically looking at a trend regarding putting female characters in relationships with male characters. I contend that it stems from a sexist view that doing so portrays the woman as subordinate or lesser than her male partner, even if she is the main character. This "issue" is side-stepped by putting the lead in a relationship with another woman.

Why isn't Hope Van Dyne (Wasp) a lead even though she's a title character? Because functionally she's still secondary to Scott in the story. When I allowed co-leads they were never each other's love interests. Often the second lead is the love interest of the male lead, which skews the data. Gamora is a similar situation.

Further takeaways: 2 male heroes (Oliver Queen and Bale Batman) have a significant love interest turn out to be evil and betray them, plus an additional 3 (Iron Fist, Daredevil, and sorta Loki) that have some sort of minor betrayal that ends with the love interest on the same side as them. That's 5 or 12% depending on which number you take (I'm more inclined toward the 5%). 2 women have a major love interest turn out to be evil (Daisy Johnson and Sersi) and an additional three have a more minor betrayal with a turn around (Peggy, Courtney, and Kara). Which is 12 or 29%. Plus an additional 2 that were victims of an abusive relationship of some sort with an all out supervillain (41%).

In the above stats, characters were only put in the C (dead love interest) category if that is their main love interest. If they later end up with someone, they are in a different category. If we look at characters who had a love interest die at some point (whether permanently or not) stats are affected thusly: Male characters who have a love interest die: 12 Female characters who have a love interest die: 6 29% of male heroes have a love interest die 33% of female heroes have a love interest die

[cherienymphe]

What are your favorite works of media that are comprised of mature fandoms? Every time I think I find something I like that’s made for a mature audience I realize there are way more minors in it than to my liking. Obviously I’m not going to discriminate based on age but I usually just assume that the stupid people in the fandom are underage. I also know there will be minors in every fandom regardless of the target audience because they’re sneaky like that but I’m getting tired of the “wait can you explain?” comments. Although there’s always the possibility that these people are actually adults but they’re just stupid

Hannibal is the first that comes to mind and I definitely think the content has a lot to do with it. The creator is also a pro shipper if I remember correctly so it just makes sense that adults who don't give a fuck about stupid stuff like romanticizing homicidal cannibal boyfriends or whatever would find that fandom more enjoyable

I partly want to say Supernatural but I feel like that could be hit or miss

Definitely The Boys

Possibly the more mature Marvel shows like daredevil and Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. They're more serious and usually don't have that brand of humor the marvel movies do that teens gravitate towards so much

The Buffy fandom by far. Mostly because it's so old and people who grew up with it are grown now. The same goes for The X Files

Suits and White Collar I feel like

I also want to say Good Girls because the shows focuses on mature women (like 40 ish)

Definitely Outlander. To tell you the truth I don't think I even know of any teenagers who watch Outlander and any young young children who do (like 12) are probably sneaking it and too worried about outing themselves to even speak up in the fandom

Black Sails

I really want to say Peaky Blinders but that could also be another hit or miss like Supernatural considering both the popularity and casts of both shows. Teenage girls love Cillian

Queen Sugar I would say has a more mature fandom too

[avonne-writes]

S, w, y, z for both Lucemond and Jacegon! Please and thank you!

Thank you for the ask 🥰 This is the last one in this round. Lots of questions to unpack here!

S : SWEETHEART. did your muse have a childhood sweetheart?

Luke: Yes, it was Rhaena! They liked holding each other's hands and even shared a few sweet kisses. They’re still each other's comfort person.

Aemond: No. He had crushes on both knights and ladies of the court, but never really courted anyone. He liked the son of a Dornish lord once, but the boy recoiled when Aemond took off his eyepatch.

Jace: He had a long "secret" relationship with a peasant-born girl. Everyone knew about it but no one said anything. But once he started getting closer to Baela and his mum started suggesting the plan of their betrothal, he broke it off to be honourable.

Aegon: Not really, but he kept falling in and out of puppy love, kissing and touching lots of girls and boys until they eventually broke each other's hearts.

W : WEDDING. would your muse get married? why / why not?

Luke: He wants to have a nice, loving family of his own, so he's looking forward to marriage. He wants a wedding like his mum's and Daemon's instead of a big, public event.

Aemond: In general, he’s neutral. He thinks marriage is a must, a duty, a part of the natural course of life. Then he gets together with Luke and realizes that marrying him would make Luke his forever, and he becomes obsessed with the idea.

Jace: It's one of his life goals to marry someone deserving, someone who has the right status and can be his equal partner. He can’t forget that his betrothed will be the future consort. Then he meets Aegon and realizes he'll gladly marry a disaster if they love each other enough to make it work.

Aegon: Marriage scares him. It sounds like shackles, expectations and enduring commitment. He doesn't want to get married, he needs support and not another gilded cage. It would take a lot of gentle convincing from Jace to make him say yes, and then, on his wedding day, Aemond would have to hunt him down before he runs away.

Y : YOURS. does your muse get protective easily?

Luke: He’s very protective and will not hesitate to... well, carve someone's eye out if they threaten his loved ones.

Aemond: Protective and possessive. And if he isn't able to protect his family? His revenge will set the world on fire.

Jace: Maybe less protective and more defensive. He sees his loved ones as extensions of himself - if you humiliate them, he will snap. He’s easy to rile up with mere words and can do reckless things to protect someone.

Aegon: Generally, he’s not too protective. He won’t step into danger proactively, but he's supportive and stands his ground by his love's side if needed.

Z : ZZZ. how many people has your muse slept with?

Luke: Around five before he got together with Aemond. He had some decently long dalliances with both men and women.

Aemond: Only one before Luke, and that was a certain whore Aegon introduced him to. He went back a few times until he realized he didn't really like that. He hasn't let anyone close enough after that until Luke.

Jace: Between five and ten before Aegon. A few nice, kind women from a brothel in the beginning, then the peasant girl and Baela.

Aegon: A lot. He tries not to count. He always started his affairs with high hopes that dwindled faster than the afterglow. He’s very jaded and thinks no one can or would keep him around, but Jace proves that he, too, can be loved.

[locke-esque-monster]

Maybe it's just me, but I've finished season 1 of Jessica Jones and I'm really frustrated with the writing of Luke Cage. His only personality trait seems to be "has a dead wife". There's a whole other conversation to be had about the idea of fridging a woman for a male character's growth. But the worst part is that isn't for his growth, it's the entire foundation. Like after him being on the show all season here's what I feel I know about Luke:

He drives a motorcycle.

He works at/owns a bar (his wife didn't put in his name for some reason, and it maybe was their dream).

He has tons of casual sex. But he doesn't like complications or connections, including what seems to be any sort of family or friends.

He has superpowers, doesn't know how he got them, and doesn't intend to use them as a hero.

His wife dies tragically, he's mourning her, but until a lead popped up, he's not actively pursuing her killer.

That's it. 7 episodes and that's all the info I've gleaned about his character. He seems to be an okay guy, and I've seen dashes of a sense of humor. But there's nothing fleshing him out. Nothing I can say, "That's a Luke line" or "Yes that is/no that isn't how Luke would handle a situation". He exists in many ways as a plot device. And that makes me think poorly of Jessica. How can she picture a future with him when I have no grasp of his personality? The fact he's attractive and well-matched with powers and trauma can't be all of it. Let's compare him to Malcolm. Malcolm has been getting clean offscreen. He talks about his parents, how they brought him up, and his thoughts about going back into social work. He meets with the support group. He feels guilty about Ruben and helps his sister Robyn put up missing posters. He's got a whole plot and life outside of Jessica. Luke, he literally had to fill in what he did between him finding out what happened to Reva and him meeting up with Jessica in episode 12. Because he truly seems to have nothing going on outside of Jessica. Like, okay say his whole life was his wife. (Who I still have questions how she was able to get her hands on that flash drive? - How was she able to even find out about it and get it? Part of her job? Didn't she also work at the bar if it was their "dream"?) Anyway, when she dies, what the heck is he doing all day? A job and casual sex only takes up so much time. He's not avenging her or using his superpowers. So what else is he doing? He has to have something else going on. Friends. A hobby he picked up. Literally anything. In all fairness, it's not like Simpson for Trish is well-fleshed out either. But at least I have an idea how he might think or feel about a situation. I mean, credit to the show for flipping the script to write the women as heroes and to their characterization , while leaving the men as thinly written to mostly be used for furthering the plot and sex. Can't say I've seen that often. But if it's sacrificing the writing of some characters in the face of others, then that seems sloppy. Or that they're saving all his characterization for his own show, which seems a mistake. You should be teasing what is great about this character so people want more of a glimpse. Unless they were worried about contradicting or revealing something too early, in which case that's just bad communication between shows. If this weren't an 8 year old show, I'd be praying the writers learned improved upon his writing in future projects. I'm already optimistic from The Defenders trailer that Luke seems better written already. But frankly, at this point, there's nowhere to go but up.