Luna Moth was not always a superhero; she was accidentally created by a scientist whose experiment on a moth went (very!) wrong. The moth transformed into a human woman with the ability to fly and control energy from light sources. She became an outcast, but decided to use her freedom and independence to sharpen her powers and decide her own fate - becoming a superhero!
Now, Luna Moth is one of the strongest heroes in the world. As an older hero she has had lots of time to practice using her powers and has gained wisdom, intellect, and intuition from her many experiences. As she has been in so many battles, she looks grubby and untidy – this has led to many of her enemies underestimating her power, which did not work out well for them! Luna Moth wears comfy, practical clothing which helps her in battle.
Luna Moth
Black Widow
Black Widow appears in phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One appearance is in the Avengers in 2012, directed by Joss Whedon.
The first appearance of Black Widow is in Iron Man 2 in 2010. When she first appears on screen, the audience is meant to be surprised that she can fight and then it is supposed to be funny that she can beat a man. This is a damaging portrayal of women, as women are perfectly capable of being stronger than men.
Black Widow’s own movie came in the 4th Phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021. This film was directed by Cate Shortland. This film was released 11 years after we were first introduced to Black Widow.
The name Black Widow comes from female black widow spiders who kill their mates. This brings in the old trope of women who captivate and murder men. This is a harmful stereotype of women as it makes them unattractive and emotionless.
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Hulk calls himself a monster. To console him, Black Widow explains that she was sterilised during her training, therefore she cannot have children. Then she asks if the Hulk thinks he’s the only monster. This suggests that women who cannot have children are monsters/ abnormal. When in actuality, women who cannot or chose not to have children are perfectly normal.
Luna Moth stands out from many superheroes, who can unfortunately contribute to inequality. For example, scroll down to read more about Black Widow...
Bechdel Test
Practicality of Costume
Screen Time
Interviews
Actor's Pay
Representation