Just like in 1868 when Elizabeth Cady Stanton how she urged men to work with women and fully acknowledge their power, “Captain Marvel” is reminding us just how amazing women can be.
“Captain Marvel” came out on International Woman’s Day this month and is coming up to $500 million worldwide. Helping push Marvel’s Cinematic Universe to $18.02 billion to date, “Captain Marvel” is a worldwide phenomenon for seven reasons.

1. Carol Danvers is military.
In most movies about women, they are rarely ever military, and especially combat military. Even in films that inspired “Captain Marvel” like “Top Gun,” the woman is intelligence, and her role is to be the love interest to Tom Cruise. Carol Danvers is Air Force, and she’s a mighty good pilot as well. She’s like all the other guys in her field, but infinitely better for her need to help people, not just to be the best.

2. She doesn’t wear revealing clothing.

While “Wonder Woman,” which came out in 2017, was our first step to having female-led superhero movies, one noticeable thing was that she still wore the traditional wonder woman outfit. It includes a short skirt, thigh high boots, and a bustier. Compared to Carol, who wears body armor that covers everything, Wonder Woman is slightly more revealing, giving more into the idea that women are a sexual object.

3. She doesn’t have a love interest.
One of the most impactful things about Captain Marvel was she had no love interest. Many left the theater not even realizing it until it was pointed out for them. It gives the idea that Carol doesn’t need someone in her life to be a hero; she is one. It also promotes the idea that her male friends can be her friends and teammates, and they don’t always have to be a romance plot line.

4. Her being a woman doesn’t change anything.

Another thing with Wonder Woman is she is from an island of warrior women. While Wonder Woman is inspiring in its way, and many (including myself) love Wonder Woman, one of the things about her is she’s a woman. She comes from a race of women. With Captain Marvel, it doesn’t matter. No one cares that she’s a woman; she’s just a hero. Not a female hero, a hero, and that makes her infinitely stronger.

5. The movie evokes a sense of nostalgia.

One of the best factors about Captain Marvel is its 1990s setting. It plays into much of its humor and gives the audience a sense of nostalgia of the past. It’s important to show that even decades earlier, a woman was working behind the scenes to help save the world which helps set up the creation of the Avengers.

6. Her opponent doesn’t get the last word.

You always see the hero needing to prove themselves to the villain, and playing by their rules. In “Captain Marvel” though, she doesn’t let her opponent Yon-Rogg get the last word. Instead, she shoots him down mid-speech and tells him she doesn’t need to prove anything to him. It makes her that much more amazing of a hero.

7. She always gets back up.

Throughout her past scenes, you see her falling or getting told she’s weak. In a stand against the Kree, you see her always getting back up. Captain Marvel isn’t perfect, she gets pushed down a lot, but that doesn’t stop her. She still gets back up, she still fights back, and it shows just how amazing she can be.

“Captain Marvel” is not a female superhero film, it’s just a superhero film. You feel powerful leaving the theater, and that’s what a good film is supposed to do. It’s not just a film that inspires women across the world that they have value, but it’s a film that inspires everyone that they can fight back, and that’s what makes it amazing.