How the self is created as a reaction to, and a reflection of the hypermasculine story-world of superhero film and television: a postfeminist reading

This thesis explores a psychoanalysis of the female protagonist in contemporary superhero film and television as the female superhero is depicted as creating her self as a reaction to, and a reflection of, the hypermasculine story-world. The genre features environments that hero hypermasculine traits of violence and aggression thus suggesting there is no place for feminine-coded traits of collaboration, domesticity or compassion in the story-world but postfeminist discourse suggests a shift toward female power as achieved through individualism, choice to return to traditional stereotypes and the value of difference between masculinity and femininity.

Hegel’s theory of Self recognition, as depicted in Phenomology of Spirit (1807), reveals that the Self is created through adopting another’s traits. This is exemplified in Melissa Rosenberg’s 2015 Jessica Jones where the female recognises femininity makes her weak and adopts the dominant male’s traits to gain power. Chapter one will interrogate the characterisation of Jessica Jones creating her self through Hegelian work and aligning with Christina Scharff’s suggestion of postfeminist “self-interest” and “individuality” granting power to women (Prepare Her for Sexism 7).

Using Lacan’s “mirror stage” from Escrits (1966) to analyse Harley Quinn in two opposing productions highlights a similar reflection of masculine traits to gain power. David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad depicts Harley Quinn as creating her self as a reflection of the men around her despite desiring the traditional female experience. Whereas Cathy Yan’s 2020 Birds of Prey appropriates the character, enabling Harley to “choose” to engage with traditional femininity in accordance with Angela McRobbie’s definition of postfeminism (22).

Rosalind Gill’s assertion that both masculine and feminine-coded traits are equally valuable (Mediated Intimacy 346) is exemplified in Jeremy Carver’s characterisation of Crazy Jane in Doom Patrol (2019). In accordance with Jung’s The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (1959), Carver strikes a balance within the female superhero, favouring neither femininity nor masculinity, creating a story-world that allows both to be valued and a character that has power and agency and femininity.

This thesis will use psychoanalytical theories to investigate how these four superheroes are characterised as autonomous, powerful and feminine in the hypermasculine story-world.