Who is Marvel's flagship female?

[Rumble]

Yeah if only Marvel had an iconic lady brawler... Preferably southern with big hair that has a white streak and a mean right hook...

Funny enough, if Disney owned the X-Men rights, I figure Jean/Storm/Rogue would be the holy trinity and standard pushed in the MCU for the female demographic, with Rogue definitely being portrayed as the game lady brawler to contrast with the other two's personalities. Only thing would be whether they would start her off at that power level or start her like Fox did and, in somewhat ironic fashion, set the stage with Captain Marvel.

In fact, it just dawned to me after all these years why Fox started off Rogue the way they did... they didn't own the rights to Carol and perhaps didn't want to find a round about method of getting Rogue those powers? lol All this time I'd just rationalized it was just a creative preference not to (which maybe it still would've been.. i dunno).

[JaggedFel]

Widow by default at this point I suppose. Sadly the X-men dominated Iconic Women and since thee MCU doesnt own that....

[Project Initiative Cascada]

Storm, Carol Danvers, Jean Grey and Rogue!

[Arfguy]

I would have preferred if it was Angela, just because I think she adds something to the Marvel Universe that the likes of Carol Danver's Captain Marvel or Scarlet Witch does: a character with edge. Both CM and SW seem kind of bland, to me. Then again, I always preferred the X-ladies, so it might explain why I never really gravitated towards any of the Avengers women.

[idisestablish]

Invisible Woman. Storm then a huge distance to the 3rd place woman and then maybe North Star thrown in...
To me, Captain Marvel will not be huge but more of a disappointment. I would have She Hulk before Captain Marvel.

Excuse me?

[Username taken]

A few years ago, it would have been Storm.

However, since the turn of the century, the X-office have done an excellent job of messing up their black characters so for a very long time, Storm took a backseat to Emma Frost and co. Marvel really don't have any equivalent to Wonder Woman.

Right now, Marvel is trying to push Carol Danvers into the role of their leading female character. How successful that will be remains to be seen.

[HUTHAIFA]

I would say that its She Hulk. More titles than any Marvel woman I can think of. Strong membership in the FF and the Avengers. Hell, She Hulk is so versatile I could see her joining the X-men. I know that their is a push for Carol, but honestly Kamala sells more than Carol does. I dont dislike Carol, I just never look forward to seeing her in a book.

[TheFallen]

I don't think a new character's sales should determine if they are Marvel's flagship female. Both Silk and Spider-Gwen sell a crapload of comics but I wouldn't put them at the top of the heap, just like I wouldn't put the new Ms. Marvel there either.

I could never get into She-Hulk but from a marketability standpoint she wouldn't work. A derivative of a male character is not something to build your brand around because it is not organic. Batgirl/woman, Spider-Woman, Supergirl, etc. are just derivatives of their male counterparts and they will never have a bigger brand for themselves compared to the males.

Carol is now in a better position than being Ms. Marvel as she has the mantle and she will be accepted as Captain Marvel. There is less chance of the original coming back to take the mantle away so it makes it hers. And that makes her maketable.

[Nyssane]

Carol is now in a better position than being Ms. Marvel as she has the mantle and she will be accepted as Captain Marvel. There is less chance of the original coming back to take the mantle away so it makes it hers. And that makes her maketable.

Captain Marvel is a name originally associated with a male hero. That makes Carol just as derivative as She-Hulk, Batgirl, Supergirl, etc.

For all purposes, Storm should be the flagship female. But since she's part of the X-Men, that clearly won't happen anytime soon. As such, I have no idea why they didn't propel Wasp's abilities forward and maybe give her a solo. She's the first female Avenger and one that stood alongside Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and Hulk.

[ian0delond]

Captain Marvel is a name originally associated with a male hero. That makes Carol just as derivative as She-Hulk, Batgirl, Supergirl, etc.

For all purposes, Storm should be the flagship female. But since she's part of the X-Men, that clearly won't happen anytime soon. As such, I have no idea why they didn't propel Wasp's abilities forward and maybe give her a solo. She's the first female Avenger and one that stood alongside Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and Hulk.

There has been two female Captain Marvel before Carol.
There i s no real cohesion under the Captain Marvel mantle when the bearer is not among the Vells.
Monica Raibeau and Nor Varr are not derivative of the original Captain Marvel.

[KOSLOX]

Black Widow, Captain Marvel, or Ms. Marvel.

Storm isn't even in the running and hasn't been since the 90s.

[mathew101281]

I'd argue Marvel has a less hierarchical system then DC does. Think about it, who is the most powerful Marvel superhero? The Hulk? The Silver Surfer, Thor? who's the smartest? Those questions don't have clear answers, and thus are open to debate. This is also true when it comes to female characters. At DC its a lot more clear cut. Superman is the most powerful, Batman's the most cunning, Flash is the fastest, Wonder Woman is the flagship female character. Personally I like the marvel method better because I feel ambiguity makes for better stories.

[DrNewGod]

I'd argue Marvel has a less hierarchical system then DC does. Think about it, who is the most powerful Marvel superhero? The Hulk? The Silver Surfer, Thor? who's the smartest? Those questions don't have clear answers, and thus are open to debate. This is also true when it comes to female characters. At DC its a lot more clear cut. Superman is the most powerful, Batman's the most cunning, Flash is the fastest, Wonder Woman is the flagship female character. Personally I like the marvel method better because I feel ambiguity makes for better stories.

That's an interesting point. I don't prefer one over the other, but it's a clear distinction.

Wolverine (the real one I mean), however, may be the exception to the rule.

[TheFallen]

Captain Marvel is a name originally associated with a male hero. That makes Carol just as derivative as She-Hulk, Batgirl, Supergirl, etc.

For all purposes, Storm should be the flagship female. But since she's part of the X-Men, that clearly won't happen anytime soon. As such, I have no idea why they didn't propel Wasp's abilities forward and maybe give her a solo. She's the first female Avenger and one that stood alongside Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and Hulk.

My point being, there is no male version running around at the same time as Captain Marvel. She now owns that mantle. She-Hulk isn't the Hulk, Batgirl isn't the main Bat, Captain Marvel is the Captain.

[The_Greatest_Username]

Most of Marvel's female super heroes lack something to really make them standout as a flagship character. They are either derived from male characters, usually team characters, or have no rogue's gallery/supporting cast of their own.
They'd honestly need a time machine in order to properly develop and promote a female character that can stand out like Wonder Woman.