Marvel and D.C. have been seen as rivals in the comic world for decades. Fans judge each other based on which franchise they prefer and one can’t count the number of debates on internet forums that deteriorate into full-grown adults (mostly men) resorting to pathetic name calling.

As a feminist, I can’t help but compare the two franchises in the way that they depict and represent women in their films and how those women are treated outside of the silver screen. This is something that most movie franchises do terribly, and it’s not only women; people of color are either missing, misrepresented, made a stereotype or killed off pretty early on. But for now, I plan to speak on the issue of female representation.

And, in my own personal opinion, D.C. is KILLING the game, leaving Marvel in the dust.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Marvel’s Black Widow, played by the bada** Scarlett Johansson, is amazing in the first Avengers movie, as well as the Captain America films (let’s ignore that trainwreck of a romance plot in AoU). However, the studio’s refusal to make a Black Widow film and their choice to remove Black Widow from practically all merchandise makes a clear statement that they don’t care to give female characters their deserved time in the spotlight, nor do they feel that their female characters are popular enough to sell merch, despite the countless calls from fans to the contrary (check out the twitter account Where’s Widow for an archive of this ridiculousness).

In addition, the only female superhero movie in the works, Captain Marvel, was bumped back from its July 2018 release to March 2019, in order to make room for the Ant-Man sequel and Spiderman.

D.C., on the other hand, just introduced Wonder Woman, played by Israeli actress Gal Gadot, in the latest blockbuster, Batman V Superman and almost immediately confirmed that a solo movie is in the works. In addition, the D.C. franchise has offered dozens of merchandise items from the movie featuring Wonder Woman, including action figures. D.C. clearly believes in Wonder Woman and understands the demand for a superhero movie featuring a female headliner. And they’re giving the audience what they want. Gal Gadot has already signed on to do the solo movie and we already have a plot synopsis, initial cast and a release date. Let the countdown till June 2, 2017 begin!

These two characters are their respective franchises’ headlining female superheroes, but the way the studio treats them says much more than what the movies show. Both are incredibly complex and interesting characters and while I look forward to seeing the future of Wonder Woman, I sincerely hope that the Marvel bigwigs gets their heads out of their a**es and gives Black Widow the respect she deserves, both onscreen and off.