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Man of Steel gets a lot of things right when it comes to its female characters, but there's another aspect of the movie that makes it surprisingly feminist-friendly and a definite contender for most feminist superhero movie pre-Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—its portrayal of Clark and his attitudes towards women.
Clark respects women on a profound level, which is clear based on his interactions with female characters throughout the movie:
- Faora: Clark is never once surprised to see that Faora is Zod's second-in-command, he never questions her credentials or her skill, he fights her as an equal, and he has no sexist resentment about getting "beaten by a woman."
- Martha: Let's talk about Clark's relationship with Martha. Let's talk about how he has a close and healthy relationship with her: she is his anchor, his heart, and when he's finally figured out where he's from, he comes home to her, and promises no one can take him away from her.
- Lois: Clark always respects Lois's agency. From the first time he saves her on the scout ship, he waits until she consents before taking a look at her wound. He never once tries to tell her not to board the Kryptonian ship or stay out of the battle for Metropolis for her own safety—because he respects her choices as a grown, intelligent woman and wouldn't demean them by presuming he knows better or can act in her own best interests.
It's something that's so easy not to notice because it's an absence rather than a presence of doing something, but it's incredibly important. How often do we watch a superhero movie and we see male superheroes making decisions for their female love interests in order to "keep them safe" and act in their best interests? It's patronizing and it strips them of any agency. And sometimes, to make things even worse, the narrative punishes women for ignoring the man's attempts to keep her safe (*cough*Amazing Spider-Man 2*cough*). So it's frankly amazing that Clark not only avoids overriding Lois's interests to "keep her safe," but she also isn't punished by the narrative for exercising agency, either—both times when she willingly heads into a dangerous situation, she ends up playing a crucially helpful role with her knowledge and ingenuity.
Heck, Clark doesn't even tell Lois what to do even when his secret is at stake. When Lois finally meets him at the cemetary and tries to interview him, he doesn't tell her, "You can't run my story." Instead, he poses questions to her, to get her to think about his perspective. "What if I don't want my story told?" "What do you think?" In the end, he trusts her—he trusts that she will take the information he's given her and make the right choice on her own.
- Chrissy, the waitress: The obvious is that Clark was willing to stand up for her when she was being sexually harassed, and no one else did. The not as obvious is that he respected her wish for him not to get into a fight and ended up walking away.
He respected her wishes not to get into a fight. This is why Clark isn't a chauvinistic, knight-chivalrous faux-protector of women: because listening to the woman who is affected by his actions is more important to him than beating up a guy for disrespecting her.
Basically, Clark is an amazing role model when it comes to respecting women.
Also, let's talk about Clark himself. In certain ways, he doesn't really fit the "ideal" of masculinity—he's quiet, introverted, soft-spoken, and kind. He's openly affectionate with his mother. He doesn't like violence. He expresses grief, and anguish, and he seeks comfort in Lois after he kills Zod. He presents an alternative to traditional masculinity; indeed, he embodies a healthy kind of masculinity.
To me, it's incredibly thrilling that the current cinematic Superman is one who embodies healthy masculinity and respect for women, and it's amazing that Man of Steel is one of the most feminist-friendly movies to date.
Clark respects women on a profound level, which is clear based on his interactions with female characters throughout the movie:
- Faora: Clark is never once surprised to see that Faora is Zod's second-in-command, he never questions her credentials or her skill, he fights her as an equal, and he has no sexist resentment about getting "beaten by a woman."
- Martha: Let's talk about Clark's relationship with Martha. Let's talk about how he has a close and healthy relationship with her: she is his anchor, his heart, and when he's finally figured out where he's from, he comes home to her, and promises no one can take him away from her.
- Lois: Clark always respects Lois's agency. From the first time he saves her on the scout ship, he waits until she consents before taking a look at her wound. He never once tries to tell her not to board the Kryptonian ship or stay out of the battle for Metropolis for her own safety—because he respects her choices as a grown, intelligent woman and wouldn't demean them by presuming he knows better or can act in her own best interests.
It's something that's so easy not to notice because it's an absence rather than a presence of doing something, but it's incredibly important. How often do we watch a superhero movie and we see male superheroes making decisions for their female love interests in order to "keep them safe" and act in their best interests? It's patronizing and it strips them of any agency. And sometimes, to make things even worse, the narrative punishes women for ignoring the man's attempts to keep her safe (*cough*Amazing Spider-Man 2*cough*). So it's frankly amazing that Clark not only avoids overriding Lois's interests to "keep her safe," but she also isn't punished by the narrative for exercising agency, either—both times when she willingly heads into a dangerous situation, she ends up playing a crucially helpful role with her knowledge and ingenuity.
Heck, Clark doesn't even tell Lois what to do even when his secret is at stake. When Lois finally meets him at the cemetary and tries to interview him, he doesn't tell her, "You can't run my story." Instead, he poses questions to her, to get her to think about his perspective. "What if I don't want my story told?" "What do you think?" In the end, he trusts her—he trusts that she will take the information he's given her and make the right choice on her own.
- Chrissy, the waitress: The obvious is that Clark was willing to stand up for her when she was being sexually harassed, and no one else did. The not as obvious is that he respected her wish for him not to get into a fight and ended up walking away.
He respected her wishes not to get into a fight. This is why Clark isn't a chauvinistic, knight-chivalrous faux-protector of women: because listening to the woman who is affected by his actions is more important to him than beating up a guy for disrespecting her.
Basically, Clark is an amazing role model when it comes to respecting women.
Also, let's talk about Clark himself. In certain ways, he doesn't really fit the "ideal" of masculinity—he's quiet, introverted, soft-spoken, and kind. He's openly affectionate with his mother. He doesn't like violence. He expresses grief, and anguish, and he seeks comfort in Lois after he kills Zod. He presents an alternative to traditional masculinity; indeed, he embodies a healthy kind of masculinity.
To me, it's incredibly thrilling that the current cinematic Superman is one who embodies healthy masculinity and respect for women, and it's amazing that Man of Steel is one of the most feminist-friendly movies to date.
