Also, she punched Mando in the head so hard during their first fight, he kicked himself in the ass. I like a lady who can ring the bell of someone wearing a helmet. I like her a lot. And I would like to see more of her. Comic book flicks are begging for tall, strong, hard-hitting, women with enough dimension to have vulnerable moments, moments of terror, of hope, and of love. Some examples? Would I come here empty-handed?
Barda
I am certainly not the first person to suggest Carano would make an excellent Barda in the upcoming New Gods movie (in Ava we trust). Trained from an early age by Granny Goodness, Barda was a member of the Female Furies (I’m not sure why the female has to be specified since all furies are, in fact, female) as an enforcer for Darkseid. During a raid, she met Scott Free (later known as Mister Miracle) and fell in love. Realizing life can be more than battle, Barda, at great risk to herself, begins to work with a rebel cell seeking to oust Darkseid and eventually follows Scott to Earth where they attempt, and fail, to retire from superheroing. Barda has been a member of both The Justice League and The Birds of Prey. Barda is tall and muscular and gorgeous. I’ve always sort of hated the “big” sobriquet that goes with her name because it implies her physique plays a larger part in her identity than it should. That said, Carano, a former MMA fighter, is tall, can take a hit, and can dole out the punishment. We also know, like Barda, that she can do multidimensional. And, while we’re at it, how about Pedro Pascal for Scott? We know they’re a fantastic pair, so let’s let them stretch.
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall
Thor
I know, I know. They already cast Natalie Portman as Thor. It’s my post and I’ll cast who I want to. If you insist on Natalie, she can stay Jane Foster but I want Gina Carano as Thor. I wasn’t sure what to expect all those years ago when Marvel announced boy Thor was going go by “Odinson,” at least for a while after losing his worthiness, and that the Mighty Thor was going to be Jane Foster’s alter ego. I was pleasantly surprised when they crafted her as a compassionate, wise, strong goddess who didn’t particularly enjoy busting heads but had no qualms about doing so when necessary. Carano’s Cara Dune ran the gamut of emotions from fearless commando to frightened, cornered prisoner. We were all so (rightfully) busy being impressed by Mando’s ability to emote sans facial expression, we missed Carano’s equally impressive range. She can modulate her voice and her body language to become someone completely different, even when her facial expression remains static; an important skill for an actress who’s going to be wearing a mask. And come on; Carano would swing the helheim out of Mjolnir. Men have ruled the comic book movie scene for so long, we’ve all become used to a specific body type and, except for a few notable exceptions (Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel), one of a couple of character tropes (mostly unattainable asskicker or manic pixie dream girl). We’re more than that. So let’s see more than that. Not all women look the same and not all super heroines look the same. But we, and they, are all beautiful.
