Here’s a look back at the wonderful and diverse women who comprise the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Infinity Saga has come to an end with Avengers: Endgame. Endgame truly was a culmination of the previous twenty-one movies before the Avengers finale, highlighting nearly every character that has placed a stamp on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the powerful women.

Today I will celebrate these extraordinary heroines by looking at their thrilling involvement in Endgame and where their stories are heading for the future. Enjoy!

The Ancient One

The Ancient One’s role in Endgame was slight but impactful as we got to see her protecting the New York Sanctum during the Battle of New York and schooling Bruce Banner in the seriousness of tampering with the past. It was delighting to see her again after her being gone for so many years and even though she is a permanently dead character her wisdom will always be felt in the MCU.

Nakia

While Nakia may not have played a role in either Infinity War or Endgame her role in Black Panther has earned her a definite spot on this list. Like Black Widow, she is a spy but her woes are different than Natasha’s. She had to choose between her love for her role as a spy or her love for her king and ex-boyfriend, T’Challa. Turns out, through strength and determination she wouldn’t have to compromise for both loves. I can’t wait to see her again in Black Panther 2.

Mantis

Mantis is unlike any other heroine in the MCU. Her childlike personality is infectious, her role in this story has been irreplaceable, and her heroism is undeniable.

Wanda Maximoff

Wanda Maximoff is one of the most powerful Avengers and in Infinity War and Endgame highlight that abundantly. But there’s more to her than her immense power. She has had to choose between fighting on the side of the villain, Ultron, or The Avengers. She chose the latter, stating her heroism from the beginning. She had to endure losing her beloved brother, Petro but she gained love in her relationship with Vision. Together she and Vision were having a good time together, that is until Thanos arrived and messed things up. She was forced to endure the death of a loved one yet again, but this time by her hand.

When she returned to fight Thanos in Endgame revenge was her main priority. We got to see her at her most dangerous and she nearly killed Thanos singlehandedly. She would go on to still be one of The Avengers but now she would be, once again, alone. Where her story is headed next only time will tell.

Shuri

Shuri is more than a princess or a scientist whiz. She is a warrior whose main duty is to protect Wakanda. And we got to see her do that to the best of her ability in both Infinity War and Endgame against the mighty forces of Thanos. Her story has not, thankfully, come to an end and I’m sure, after the great battle versus Thanos, she will be even more prepared for whatever threats may arise in the future.

Gamora

Gamora has had a rather interesting storyline. In Guardians of the Galaxy, she betrayed Ronan and in doing so, betrayed her father, Thanos, to save the Xandarians from her father’s evil plan. She would go on to join the Guardians of the Galaxy and for a while she was free of her past life as an assassin for Thanos, instead, roaming the galaxy with her knucklehead friends and saving people on a most likely weekly basis. And then Thanos returned to her life like a Star Destroyer barreling out of hyperspace. Just like that she was thrust back into the horrors of the past, forced to cooperate with Thanos to prevent her sister from being tortured to death by telling him where the Soul Stone lied. Unfortunately, much to her great surprise, she learned that her father did indeed love her and she was sacrificed for the Soul Stone.

Jump ahead, she was brought back to life in Endgame but not in the way that we might’ve expected. Due to the whole jump-back-in-time situation, Gamora from the past ended up fighting alongside The Avengers and her sister, Nebula, against Thanos’s mighty army and she survived Tony Stark’s version of The Snap. Now she’s deemed missing and Star-Lord is set on finding her, which is a very thrilling plot line for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. I’m so glad Gamora is back. 🙂

Peggy Carter

Since The First Avenger, Peggy Carter has never been deemed a bona fide damsel in distress. She was always presented as a tough and rather stern leader, she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind or fight for her ideals, and she was rather handy with a gun as well. Peggy is one of the first women in the MCU to be shown as more than just a love interest and her presence would be felt throughout the Infinity Saga, all the way to the very end.

General Okoye

General Okoye is, and will always be, a powerful leader. She is an inspiring heroine for girls to see and she’s easily one of my favorite characters in the MCU. I love Okoye and I’m so relieved that she didn’t perish in Endgame.

Nebula

In one of the earlier drafts for Guardians of the Galaxy Nebula was supposed to die but thankfully James Gunn had a change of heart for the character and let her live. Because of this decision, Nebula has become one of the most prominent and important heroines in the MCU, which is so awesome. And her role in Endgame was, in fact, the lengthiest of all of her roles in the franchise so far. Nebula has always been a conflicted character as she has had to figure where she stands emotionally; with her father Thanos or her sister Gamora. We got a chance to see her at her most heroic in Endgame and honestly, I can’t wait to see her journey continue onward into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Valkyrie

I’ve always said it, I love Valkyrie. She was such an awesome character in Thor: Ragnarok and she returned with a delightful bang in Endgame. Not only did we get to see her fight alongside The Avengers in such an epic way but she was garnered King of Asgard by Thor himself at the end of the movie. Uh, jaw drop. That we means next time we see her she will officially be the ruler of the Asgardian people, on Earth. Wow! I freaking love it! Women rule!

Wasp

Evangeline Lilly has always been one of my favorite actresses. The fact that she plays Hope van Dyne/Wasp is phenomenal in itself but with her returning to life in Endgame it’s very probable that we will get to see her in action yet again very soon. I can’t wait to see what new adventures she and Scott may embark upon in future movies.

Captain Marvel

How do I describe Captain Marvel? She’s a super-powerful wrecking machine with a heroic disposition. Basically, she’s the embodiment of a superhero. What I loved the most about her in Endgame was the change of hairstyles. Her short haircut, which is to make her look more like her comic book appearance, seemed so much more practical for her character and really made her stand out amongst the other heroines.

Black Widow

Black Widow’s storyline is both tragic and inspiring at the same time. Growing up in the Red Room was hard and she left the Red Room with irreparable scars. She went through life pretending to be something that she wasn’t. She never really fit in and only found solace with her dear friend, Hawkeye, who she owed an incredible debt to for saving her life. Her mission became personal as she strove to save as many people as possible and when the moment came to potentially save the world she was willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good. While some are upset with her treatment in Endgame I’m perfectly satisfied with her conclusion and I will share more on why her conclusion was the most sensible approach to her storyline in a future post.

Pepper Potts

Pepper Potts has been in the MCU since the beginning. She went from being the simple eye-candy-secretary-love-interest to becoming the CEO of Stark Industries and finally a superhero fighting alongside The Avengers in the climactic battle against Thanos. I absolutely love Pepper’s evolution in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and while it was announced that Endgame would be Gwyneth Paltrow’s final film can we really be certain that she won’t return to save the day again? Only time will tell, right?

The women of Marvel are diverse, heroic, powerful, and incredibly awesome. For young girls who get to grow up during this generation, they can see a little bit of themselves in each of these characters and that is such a beautiful, important, and powerful message for girls around the world. And with most of these heroines living on to return for future films in the MCU’s Phase 4, they can continue to inspire and show how awesome women can be.

I thank you for reading and I hope you have a lovely day.