There has been a wave of female-led superhero project announcements. All I can say is, finally. Women are finally getting their chance to show that they are just as capable of saving the world. This past weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Brie Larson will be stepping into the Captain Marvel suit. "Captain Marvel," premiering in 2018, will be Marvel Studio's first female-led superhero movie. I was ecstatic about the news. Brie Larson is an amazing human being and she will be perfect for the role. Larson regularly advocates and uses her voice of power to speak up for women's rights. I am so glad that she will be the face that girls all over the world will look up to. The only thing that would make this news even better was if the announcement that there will be a solo Black Widow movie coming along with it. There is good news for Black Widow fans, however. The President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, has said, "I would say certainly the one creatively and emotionally that we are most committing to doing is Black Widow.” It sounds like we will have to patiently wait for the badass spy to take over our screens, even though it seems like we've done enough waiting for women in superhero suits.

Also at Comic-Con, the trailer for "Wonder Woman" premiered. While I myself am on Team Marvel, I will certainly be one of the first in line to see this movie. Gal Gadot is smart, strong and confident as the leading role. She stole the show in "Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice." In my opinion, she was the best part of the movie and I was left wanting to see more of her on the screen. The depiction of Wonder Woman in "Batman V. Superman" was refreshing and empowering to watch. As said by Eliza Berman in her Time article, "Neither love interest nor sex object, she survives the entire story without once relying on her looks to seduce an unwitting villain. Do she and Bruce exchange a flirtatious glance or two upon meeting? Sure, it’s a movie, and neither one is particularly painful to look at. But her fierce fighting in the film’s climactic battle scene makes it obvious that she’s more soldier than siren."

Female superheroes have also seen success on the smaller screen. CBS' "Supergirl" premiered with strong ratings this past October and was considered one of the top new shows of the fall. Marvel's Jessica Jones streamed on Netflix and earned a 93 percent rating from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. These projects have shown that women characters can have depth and complexity. Women can be crude, rude, badass, proper, ladylike and everything in between. These projects can set a standard in how women are portrayed onscreen. Women are not one-dimensional.

Films and television shows with women leads in general are so important. Females take up half the population, so why is it a rarity to see them in starring roles? The female-led "Ghostbusters" film was announced with much distaste. Many fans of the classic were wary if four women could do the movie justice. Despite the doubt of many, the film opened to a respectable $46 million. I saw the movie with one of my best friends and we both loved it. It was funny and yes, cheesy, but seeing four awesome women dominate the screen was worth the price of admission. As seen in this heartwarming tweet, representation is important. Little girls seeing this film know that they themselves can, in fact, bust ghosts. There are even more examples of why representation matters. Little girls dressed up as Rey, the leading lady from "Star Wars", at Comic-Con. "Mad Max: Fury Road," the proclaimed feminist movie of 2015, teaches girls that they are not objects for men's desire. This is why representation matters. It is shaping the way young girls view themselves, the way they think the world views them, and shows what they are capable of. Seeing a strong female superhero character onscreen would have impacted me so much as a young girl. As I tagged along to see superhero movies with my dad and brother, the only role I saw women play in superhero movies was the over-sexualized damsel in distress. I would have loved for my dad to have taken me to see a female superhero movie, instead of just seeing my brother look up to all the dozens of male superheroes presented to him. Seeing well-rounded female characters on-screen also impacts young boys, too. It teaches them that females are just as capable as them to kick butt and save the day, that they are to be respected and that they are not objects. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

I have faith that these upcoming movies will be just as successful as male-led superhero movies. I am not satisfied with women only being portrayed as the side-kick, love interest or seductress in fantasy films. Women should no longer settle for Hollywood roles. Many modern superhero even fail to pass the Bechdel test. For those who do know not, the Bechdel test consists of three requirements for films. 1. Have at least two women in roles with named characters. 2. Have those women engage in a conversation. 3. The conversation is centered around anything other than a man. Seems easy, right? Many superhero films fail this test. "Deadpool," "Ant-Man," "Fantastic Four," "Amazing Spiderman 2" and "X-Men: Days of Future Past" are just a few of the more recent films to fail the test. Not only am I hopeful that the upcoming female led superhero movies will pass the test, I am hopeful that these films will use the character's femininity as a strength instead of a weakness. These films can show and prove that women are strong, independent, leaders and intelligent. These characters can make a point that they are not there solely for men's desire and to be over-sexualized just for the benefit of male viewing. These films will pack a punch.

We must also challenge the major Hollywood studios to have diversity in areas other than gender, as well. How great would it be to see Lunella Lafayette, the nine-year-old black girl who is the smartest person in the Marvel universe, brought to life on screen? Or a gay superhero? Let's not forget that #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend trended awhile ago on Twitter. The superhero universe is for everyone now. Not just white, straight men.

The landscape for female superheroes in Hollywood is excitingly expanding. I am all for seeing more women and more diversity in capes. These films will teach young girls and boys lessons that I wished I would have been presented with at their age. Let me start popping some popcorn, because I am more than ready to see these projects.

Strong female characters are here to stay.