Thesis advisor: Celeste Wells / This paper analyzes the rights and privileges Black Widow and Captain Marvel are afforded in their respective films coupled with audience perception to understand how that might inform the future of the action heroine genre. There is a stark contrast between the reception of Black Widow and Captain Marvel that is best understood through the release timing of the films along with the character’s plotline within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Regardless, the rights and privileges each character is afforded in both films demonstrate a dimension of the female experience that had not been fully realized in the MCU prior to their release. Captain Marvel and Black Widow indicate a progression of female representation within the action heroine genre– both in frequency and quality. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Communication.

Ce mémoire se concentre sur la figure de l’héroïne d’action dans les jeux vidéo. La culture vidéoludique, qui glorifie la masculinité militarisée, tend à sexualiser les personnages féminins et à négliger les préférences des joueuses afin de cibler les hommes et les garçons. La figure de l’héroïne d’action naît du désir d’inclusion des femmes dans la culture du jeu vidéo. Ces protagonistes féminins, bien que souvent objectifiés comme le témoigne le célèbre personnage de Lara Croft, présentent tout de même un potentiel subversif en envahissant l’espace traditionnellement masculin. Ce mémoire analyse quelques protagonistes qui correspondent à la figure de l’héroïne et la remodèlent. / This master thesis focuses on the action heroine trope in video games. The video game culture, which glorifies militarized masculinity, tends to sexualize female characters and to neglect the preferences of female players by targeting men and boys. The action heroine trope is born from the desire to include women in the video game culture. These female protagonists are often sexualized, such as the famous Lara Croft, but they also have a subversive potential by invading a traditional masculine space. This master thesis analyzes a few characters that are modeled and reshaped on the action heroine trope.