The first thing I've really learned while working on my research paper is this- the comic book universe is a weird, weird place.
Don't believe me? Take a look at this: Favorite Ms.Take
In short it's a video about the iconic Avengers 200 where Ms. Marvel is kidnapped, transported to another dimension, seduced via mind-control by an old enemy of the Avengers who proceeds to impregnate her with himself and send her back to earth so she can give birth to him and he can be in this dimension again.
Yeah, weird.
The thing that really irks me most, is when this is all explained to the Earth's Mightiest Heroes, they aren't really that bothered by it even though she was obviously raped. Cute baby, romantic story, everything's cool. And the readership didn't have anything to say about it either.
Watching this video infuriated me, and what was even more frustrating was that this wasn't something I had found out about while conducting my research- this was something I had been directed to by a friend. None of my searches had turned up any of this information about Ms. Marvel.
I feel like this reflects the culture of silence that surrounds rape in this day and age. We don't talk about it because it will encourage the act, instead of teaching people about it and discourage it. There's also this weird connotation with Ms. Marvel's story that seems as though there is also this under-toned idea that Marcus (her kidnapper among other things) was entitled to do what he did because no one really got angry at him for it.'
As weird as comic books are, and as horrible as they are to women, they are changing and getting better and I'm going to keep doing all I can to support both my favorite heroes and heroines and speak up when there are things that happen that are not okay.
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