We discussed the aftermath that came with Marvel announcing that the next Thor would be a female in an article on Geekasms earlier this year. However, even now, the development is still a hot topic. In the last few months, information on the character Mjölnir has been covered from the likes of every major news source to small blogs and everywhere in between.
I can understand excitement behind the possibility of new developments in the comics being portrayed in the third Thor film, Thor: Ragnarok, due out in 2017. But I have to ask, is a female character really all that shocking?
The franchise wasn’t the first to do so within the last year or so, as other well-known heroes received a female counterpart for a major project. One of the first bigger exchanges to a female, as opposed to a male, star in a hero flick came from the ever-forward thinking minds in the adult industry. Specifically, they released She-Hulk XXX: An Axel Braun Parody in 2013. According to Adameve.com She-Hulk is played by former professional wrestler Chyna, while her “human side” (Jennifer Waters) is played by adult actress Gracie Glam. At the end of the film (spoiler alert!), she meets up with the rest of the Avengers, including her cousin Bruce Banner/Hulk, and even joins their crew. The female role seemed to worked well for the film, as reviewers gave it 4/5 stars.
Then there’s the project that’s not introducing a female counterpart, but actually changing a storyline to make a previously male character a female one. This, admittedly, is a much riskier move than putting money on a leading heroine for an adult film.
Though certainly an unconventional decision, another Batman project actually did something similar in 1986. In author Frank Miller’s four-issue mini-series The Dark Knight Returns, the role of Robin is played by a 13-year-old girl named Carrie Kelley. Given the typical age-range that Malone plays, it’s possible her role as Robin was at the very least inspired by Kelley’s, and that fans could look forward to a similar backstory.
Malone has already proved herself able to play a gutsy, yet vulnerable, ass-kicking hero thanks to her role as Johanna Mason in The Hunger Games. Her talent aside, and given how much attention she garnered when her nude photo shoot was made available on SMagazine.com, something tells me fans will not object as much to seeing her don the skin-tight suit.
Perhaps the surprise of the decision is just what the picture needs to get the attention off fans’ disappointment with Ben Affleck playing Batman. Let’s just hope that Malone is up to the challenge of dealing with the critics as well.
Share on Tumblr
