Ezekiel Kemboi
Professor Dietrich
Avengers Assemble
10 Oct 2022
Inclusion & Identity
Everyone loves a good movie. Only a few things beat relaxing and knocking back some
snacks while watching a film of your favorite genre. There are factors, however, that can add to a
viewer's experience when partaking in such an amusement. Whether it be the popcorn seasoning
or the actors starring in the movie, many people have preferences in the details that add to their
overall experience. However, movies can be much more than just plain entertainment. In regards
to in-movie subjects, there are a lot of possible topics that can be addressed through the content
and the plot. In the case of this assessment, the subject of inclusion and under-representation will
be the topic of discussion as I look into each and how they have been confronted through films.
In order to have the discussion of inclusion and representation, we must first understand
why they are important. These two factors help creators and organizations connect with a larger
audience in a meaningful and personal way. Balisi describes the film industry as “arguably one
of the most impactful creative mediums, seeing as it both reflects and shapes our society and
culture.” This sense of reflection Balisi speaks of calls for one that is true and representative of
all of the different kinds of people in society. Balisi goes on to say, “as people live their
childhoods, they often look up to and aspire to be like the role models they see on TV, in movies,
and in the media. These role models teach and encourage their supporters to love and respect
themselves for who they are.” Being able to have such a powerful influence on the world can and
should be a use for positive reconstruction. Though, the fact of the matter is that there are still
groups of people and communities that are under-represented. On the topic of equality and
diversity in society, Guida recognizes the amount of progress made in the past couple decades,
but in turn says, “it is important to recognize that we still have a long way to go and that we must
acknowledge the faults within our current system, especially in the film industry.” (Guida).
It can be easy to say these things without backing it up, so let’s take a look at the
statistics. According to research from Balisi, films made in 2019 in regards to gender contained
the following:
In 2019, only 34% of all speaking characters across 1,300 films were girls and women.
Nearly every film in 2019 failed to include even one girl or woman who was American
Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or Middle Eastern/North
African. Upwards of 70 movies did not feature a single Latina, and over half were
missing Asian women or girls. One-third did not include any Black female-identified
characters, and 45 were missing Multiracial/Multiethnic girls and women. Only 14 of the
100 top movies in 2019 featured a gender-balanced cast (Balisi).
On the subject of Race/Ethnicity, Balisi says that, “people from minority racial/ethnic groups are
still being pushed to the sidelines, with only 15.7% Black characters, 7.2% Asian characters, and
4.9% Hispanic/Latino characters.” A more recent study done by Sun from 2021 shows: “of the
100 highest-grossing films: 41 percent of leads or co-leads were women, and 32 percent were
from a historically excluded race or ethnicity. (Nearly 40 percent — 39.9 percent — of the U.S.
population is not white.)”
It’s no secret there are countless films that have generally been dominated by male lead
roles who were particularly not people of color. It wouldn't be hard at all to name a handful of
movies that fit that criterion, but if we were asked to similarly name movies that star a female
character or a person of color as the main role, personally, it would be a little harder to name an
equivalent amount to the former, that is, without mentioning Tyler Perry’s ‘Madea’ series. These
minority and social groups are missing out on this sense of connection that movies have the
ability to provide. Here, Crew informs about such groups and their lack of representation:
The representation of marginalised groups is very scarce, especially in the western media.
This includes women, people of colour, body shapes, and types. LBGTQA+ community,
and differently-abled persons. There has been a steady increase in diversity in media, but
progress has been long and slow. Most of the time, it is inaccurate, leaving the
community with fewer role models. We need a social culture that’s inclusive of people
from different races, gender, sexuality, class, ability, and culture, allowing everyone to be
recognised as entirely human (Crew).
Crew states above that the representation of these groups can be inaccurate, calling upon the
topic of misrepresentation, or the casting of these groups in a rather generic and/or stereotypical
way. Having an accurate depiciton of these characters is just as important as having the
characters altogether.
Marvel Studios has done a pretty good job in portraying this particularly through the
release of their 2019 film Captain Marvel. Curley describes the Marvel Cinematic Universe as
“the most reliable blockbuster brand of the 2010s.” due to their consistent pieces of mass
entertainment. In the case of Captain Marvel, it was their first solo superhero movie with a
female superhero and a female lead (Abad-Santos). The lead role is played by Brie Larson and
her character is wonderfully portrayed. Curley classifies the piece as such: “this superhero
blockbuster is a metaphor for female empowerment in the face of misogynistic suppression and
gaslighting in the culture. Captain Marvel features many elements familiar to fans of the MCU,
but it uses them in service of a unique and definitively female character study.” The film brought
a lot of success socioculturally and financially. According to research done by Yamato, the
figures of the movie's opening weekend hit $455 million worldwide, putting it in sixth as one of
largest launches of all time. In the second weekend the film surpassed $700 million globally
seemingly on track to set it amongst the MCU’s top 10 global hits; at the time, it was
successfully projected to reach $1 billion in theaters, garnering the seventh MCU title to hit 10
figures (Yamato). The film clearly proved to be a huge success for the people involved and the
people it represented.
It may be hard to believe that with all the aforementioned ground-breaking representative
success Captain Marvel produced, there is still more. As Brie Larson was making history for
Marvel on screen, there were others making similar history off screen. For instance, Anna Boden
was selected as the one of the directors and screen-writers for the film making her the first
female director of an MCU film, and second female director of a Marvel film (Curley). Captain
Marvel was also the first MCU film to be composed by a woman, Pinar Torprak. In regards to
off-camera inclusion, Basili states: “Now, while on-screen diversity is paramount, what occurs
behind the camera is just as, if not more, important as well. By ensuring that underrepresented
groups receive a seat in writers’ rooms and within directors’ chairs, we prevent the limiting and
exclusion of their stories.” Marvel clearly thought this one through and executed the creation.
As iconic as Captain Marvel may have been, the film wasn’t the first to be recognized for
their rare female achievements. Another great example of on and off-screen representation is
DC’s 2017 film Wonder Woman. The following quote from Balisi defines the movie’s success
and material quite well:
Wonder Woman, for example, is the highest-grossing live-action movie entirely directed
by a woman. Wonder Woman not only features a superheroine, which is contrary to the
typical superhero, but it showcases plenty of strong female supporting characters. This
movie highlights the value of gender diversity on-screen and off-screen and has inspired
countless women and girls across the globe, reminding them that there are no limits to
their aspirations. (Balisi)
Wonder Woman has served as the foundation for all-woman movie creations, and will continue
to be a reference for female filmmakers and directors in the future.
Superhero films aren’t the only genre of movies making changes towards representation.
There was a fairly big social media trend going around recently that involved parents filming
their children’s reactions to the trailer of The Little Mermaid which teases the upcoming live
action musical that is set to release this following year. The thing is, the actress playing the main
character, Ariel, is a woman of African-American descent which is not the main character's
original ethnicity. So we have these children of color reacting positively and emotionally to the
fact that the star of this upcoming piece resembles them. I recall a particular video of a little girl
excitedly saying, “She looks like me!” as she viewed the trailer in awe. This is but an example of
the effect that inclusion and representation can have on the audience and how it can positively
alter the viewers. I think it pairs well with what Balisi mentions in their article about (__):
Ultimately, when we go to the theatres, we hope to relate, see, and recognize ourselves
and parts of our lives in the films we watch. We want to feel represented. We want our
experiences to feel seen, heard, and valued. Therefore, growing up and being able to see
someone who represents you on-screen is crucial. When Hollywood intentionally
prevents people belonging to minority groups from obtaining leading movie roles or,
instead, casts them in a derogatory/stereotypical manner, this results in harmful outcomes
that further hinder authentic on-screen representation and contribute to the inaccurate
generalizations of marginalized communities (Balisi).
These victories, however, have not come without confrontation. Both Captain Marvel and
The Little Mermaid have similarly been a bit of a target for backlash and hatred due to their
contents. Abad-Santos discusses this saying: “A brief look at the movies that have been targeted
by trolls in the last few years makes it easy to see that this kind of backlash consistently erupts
when women and non-white characters are at the center of Marvel Studios superhero flicks or
other cinematic franchises with long, less-diverse histories.” Nevertheless, as Captain Marvel
proved to be influential and a huge hit of a success, I am sure we can count on The Little
Mermaid doing likewise.
In closing, understanding the need and importance of representation for minority social
groups and persons is more important than ever. Having an inclusive cast in positions that are
relevant and meaningful helps connect them with the audience, which in turn attracts a wider set
of viewers. Given the amount of influence movies and current day television programs can have,
illustrating a valid representation of the people can provide them with a role model or at least
someone to relate to. There will likely be trials and tribulations, but the ends very often tend to
justify the means. Ultimately, movies have the power to depict society and it is up to the
industries to tackle and present it accordingly.
Works Cited
Abad-Santos, Alex. “Captain Marvel: How Brie Larson and Marvel Beat a Sexist, Badfaith Boycott.” Vox, 11 Mar. 2019, www.vox.com/culture/2019/3/8/18254584/captainmarvel-boycott-controversy.
Balisi, Kristen. “The Importance of Diversity and Representation in the Film Industry.”
KeepEarth, 15 Nov. 2020, www.keepxearth.com/post/the-importance-of-diversity-andrepresentation-in-the-film-industry.
Crew, Mttn. “Representation—The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in Film and
Media.” Manipal the Talk Network, 26 Apr. 2021,
www.manipalthetalk.org/informative/representation-the-importance-of-diversity-andinclusion-in-film-and-media.
Curley, Michael, et al. “‘Captain Marvel’ Sends a Powerful Message to Audiences and
Filmmakers,.” PopMatters, www.popmatters.com/boden-fleck-captain-marvel2646382690.html.
Guida, Matthew. “The Importance of Inclusion in the Film Industry.” The Concordian,
20 Mar. 2018, theconcordian.com/2018/03/importance-inclusion-film-industry.
Sun, Rebecca. “Diversity in Movies: Women, People of Color Still Underrepresented.”
The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2022, www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movienews/diversity-movies-study-annenberg-inclusion-initiative-1235109900.
Yamato, Jen. “‘Black Panther’ and ‘Captain Marvel’ Are Paving the Way for a More
Inclusive MCU. Is It Evolving Fast Enough?” Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2019,
www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-captain-marvel-kevin-feige-inclusivemcu-stan-lee-20190318-story.html.
Notes:
As Crew mentions, those who belong to the groups that lack representation tend to have less role
models, at least from the
Backlash: misogyny and racism