Flipping Bad Troupes on Their Little Heads Pt. 1 –Power Girl

Well, it's been a minute since I last posted! It seems the author was not satisfied with completing the MI Project and having two books for her brother's for Christmas. Now she has decided that she must write one for her Dad too! Which just got printed this morning and should be shipping soon...... 🫢. My hope is that y'all will see it in the store after Christmas! It is a special kind of book.... one that the author is very excited about! And of course, WHP has been on-top of it with all my crazy ideas! It's amazing how fast they've gotten things done.

Anyhow. Such is my life. But hey, I love a good adventure, and I love an even better challenge!

A Word on Troupes

Troupes. Ah, those interesting creatures. Some people say they don't like any of them. Some people love them. And some people are picky. I'm in the latter category. If someone tells me "I just am so sick of the troupe where the guy always has to save the girl." Well, my response is, "But that's OUR story! That's what happened to us, and that's truth, goodness, and beauty right there."

However, if someone told me, "I really dislike the revenge troupe," or, "I really dislike the power woman troupe." I'd be all in and heartily agree.

So, what makes a troupe a bad one?

Without having done a whole lot of serious research, I think I have the simple answer. A bad troupe is one that glorifies something evil or untrue.

That's it, plain and simple. And I believe that a lot of stats out there just over complicate things. Let's break this down a little and take a look at a few of my favorite, and least favorite, troupes.

POWER GIRL

So yes, you can most likely guess that I don't like this one. It's not that I don't like a strong girl. I do. But I like a strong FEMALE, not a long haired guy in heels! I'm not against a girl knowing how to fight. I do. In fact, I'm the type of woman who owns a sword and knows how to fight with it. I shoot guns, I know martial arts, and I'm not scared to use any of that. BUT, I do know that me against a guy is not going to go well. If I have a gun or blade against his unarmed self, that will give me an upper hand. (blades are risky if he knows how to take it from you though). But if it's just us hand to hand, he's gonna win, and it's because he's stronger than me! The only thing I can hope for is defeating him with skill, and even then, it's a slim chance. If I did more martial arts than I do, I may have a better chance, but even then it was superior training that won the day.

No woman, absolutely no woman, will take down five thugs with ease while talking on the phone and wearing 9-inch heels. It just doesn't work.

Now, a lot of people will say, "Oh, like flying super heroes works so much better." Well, there's a big argument there, but let's say I give on that point and we say suspend disbelief and say that maybe she COULD actually do the impossible. Well, it's not just what she's doing, it's how she's doing it. They all have that attitude... and here's how you know. Look at the girl in the bottom left corner. How did you know she fits right in with the others? It's that expression on her face. (and the red hair. Does anyone else notice how many of those power girl characters have read hair?) Anyways, back on topic. They are all tough as nails, harsh, couldn't care less, often emotionless except for fits of "righteous" anger. They just aren't women. They have more of a masculine personality than anything, and it really becomes distasteful in a girl.

Another thing; I said I know how to fight. Does that mean I think I should join the army, become a spy, or lead the charge? No, I don't. (more on leading in a bit)

I think that a woman who knows how to fight is not a bad thing, and praise to the one who can defend herself and those around her. But a woman doing a man's job is not how to use those skills. And yes, there are such things as man's jobs, just as there are woman's jobs. We need to stop trying to say that everyone can do everything. They can't, and they weren't meant to.

Black Widow was a "power girl" that annoyed me, but at least in the Captain America Trilogy the reason she's able to win the fights she's in was because she came from a background where she was given training in order to help her beat opponents of superior size and strength. Black Widow, the movie ruined that of course. But even so, she was just harsh and had that attitude that all those characters seem to have. She didn't feel like a real woman in the way she acted, reacted, and had emotions. Even in her scenes that were supposed to make her feel more famine she just didn't. In Avengers End Game –– SPOILER–– when she died, I felt very little. In fact, I am known as a crier when it comes to book and movie deaths, and I didn't even feel like crying. The music to that scene was the only thing that got me close, and I actually did tear up listening to the soundtrack, but that was before I even knew what the scene was that the song belonged to. End OF SPOILER

Cat Woman.... ugh. Can't stand that character. She's again got that same feel that I described in Black Widow, but she also has this nasty habit of going around in a very seductive way. I dislike that character thoroughly and can't see much redemption from her.

I do believe that women should be strong, and we should write strong female characters. But here's the problem. The world has gone and twisted that definition into something I do not agree with in the least. For the Feminists, a “strong female” is a woman who knows martial arts, and can beat up all the men with kicks and punches. She wears a sly, confident grin, and never needs any help, especially not from men. She's independent and deadly. She is equal, if not superior to, men in physical strength, and she curses just as crudely. This is a “strong” woman. In other words, an arrogant self-centered man… in female form with heels.

This is not strength, but brokenness and weakness.

So now, a few women who-- even if if I don't agree with everything-- I can actually enjoy.

Pepper Potts

Now, I haven't watched all the Marvel movies, so someone may say something that would change my mind. But, I've seen the Captain America trilogy, and while she's only in the first one, Captain America : The First Avenger I liked what I saw. But not initially.

First off, she's in the army. I don't agree with that, loss of points from the off-set. Second, she was pretty tough, again, didn't really like that, so another loss of points.

However, as the movie went on, she started to grow on me. She does have some problems, she is pretty harsh to begin with, but there was one big thing that set her apart from the other "power girls" I'd seen. She was a woman. Perhaps not a very likeable woman to begin with, but she was still female. And as the movie progressed, she seemed to lose her harsher edges, until by the end she was one of my favorite characters. Of course, I still didn't like that she was in the army, but I really, really loved the fact that while she was there, they retained the fact that she was a girl and she felt like one. She's the sort of character that makes me actually want to know more of her backstory. Why is she harsh like she is? My first impression is she's under plate armor after something that really, really hurt her. Perhaps lost family? Death of a close friend? (it's been a minute since I saw that movie so maybe the backstory is in there and I just missed it. 😄) But, I cannot stress enough how different she was from the female characters in movies that I just can't stand. She didn't have that "attitude", she had female reactions and emotions, she had a gentle side and it wasn't just all rocks and nails. She was the sort of person that it might take me a bit to warm up to, but I think I would have liked her in person. She was actually female.

Peggy Carter

Disclaimer: I have only seen her in Iron Man 1 and Avengers End Game I have not seen any of the others she is in, so my thoughts could very likely change if I did. However, Pepper was a favorite right off the bat when I saw Iron Man 1. She had spunk, but she was very clearly feminine. In fact, there were a couple instances when she had to toughen up a little. She was kind, cared about those around her, but she still was able to hold her own when it came down to it. Her emotions and reactions fit with those of a woman. She was brave to go down with the Agents in hunt of the villain near the end of the movie, but she was there for a needed reason, and you could tell she would rather be elsewhere, yet she got it together and went because she needed to. Her reactions in those scenes were top notch as well. And–– SPOILER: When Tony stark told her to blow up the building he was on, she was able to get past her fear and do what needed to be done, but when she realized that Tony wasn't going to escape, she locked up. This is someone she really cares about, and she's about to do something that will save everyone, yes, but will kill him. I think that would cause any girl to lock up, and for good reason. Yet, sobbing, she still does it, and it was a really effective scene. It works because her reactions and emotions are true to life. End OF SPOILER

In Avengers End Game–– SPOILERS AGAIN–– seeing her married and with a kid was one of the most exciting things for me. I loved her with Tony, they balanced well, and I loved seeing her with a child! Pepper as a mom and wife was one of my favorite Marvel moment. And the scene when Tony dies was so wrenching. He's leaving behind a family, and her emotions and reactions as he's dying were some of the best I've seen in those movies. (same with Peggy in Captain America's death scene), but probably even more so with Pepper. End OF SPOILER

So, like I said, I haven't seen the others she's in, and they may ruin my opinion of her, but from those two movies, I really liked Pepper as a strong, yet feminine woman.

And now, a truly strong female character that we all know well.

We learn from Genesis that God created the woman to be a helper to the man. Not an underling, but counterpart. (Genesis 2:18, 22-24)

We are told that, “A kindhearted woman gains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth,” (Provebs 11:16). This is an interesting verse, as gaining wealth is portrayed as being worthless in comparison to honor. A kindhearted woman is greater than a “strong,” ruthless man. Yet, our culture credits ruthlessness as being strength.

Proverbs 31:25 tells us that for the woman to be praised, “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” She is fearless! Not because she knows how to fight or is packing, but because she knows God.

We need more strong women, both in stories and real life, but this strength doesn’t come from acting like a man. One of the sad ironies of Feminism is that it is always comparing women to men. Feminism has made men the standard for women. I think it’s rather insulting to women to insist they must act like men in order to be "strong".

Certainly, there is nothing wrong with a woman knowing how to defend herself, it's great if she can, but muscles don’t make one truly strong. Additionally, it’s just a reality that women are the, weaker vessel. Weaker, not Inferior. (1 Peter 3:7).

Many of the “strong” female characters we see in stories today, in addition to not actually being strong, aren't really women either.

It looks like I wrote a lot more than I thought I would. 😄
This will apparently be a many part thought stream. Well, my following few weeks look incredibly busy, but my hope is that I'll be able to continue this as well as write a special Christmas blog post where we take a deeper look at some well known characters and an even more well known story!

God bless!

Esther

Now we're getting to some of the really good ones. Stop for one moment and think of this very familiar story. I would guess most of you have it memorized. Esther wins the beauty contest, becomes queen, throws a feast and saves the Jews! Yay! The end.

Now, lets get down to the story and look at it in a new light. Ready, here's the truth of it.

Esther
A girl captive in a land not her own is is forced to undergo months of beauty treatments so that she might attract the favor of a king she doesn’t love, and is the man who holds her people captive, and then subsequently is forced to join his harem. After becoming a favorite of the head of the king's harem and receiving special attention from him, she is able to capture the king's eye. She is made queen and now lives in the palace of her people's oppressor.

If rewritten today, no doubt this female protagonist would have rebelled at such circumstances. To do otherwise would be painting Esther as a weak character and insulting women.

Esther: a Novel Retold– 2025,
A girl captive in a land not her own is is forced to undergo months of beauty treatments so that she might attract the favor of a king she doesn’t love, and is the man who holds her people captive, and then subsequently is forced to join his harem. But Esther doesn't plan to go down so easily. Taking up the sword her family was able to keep hidden in their house, she allowed herself to be taken, the heavy, sharp, metal sword easily concealed under her dress. In the harem, she gathered a rebel army comprised of the other women forced to participate in the beauty contest. After discovering a childhood friend was forced into service as a guard, Esther begins to forge a romance with him, and he soon becomes her sidekick. Several times as the climax draws near, she rescues "Bro" from peril, and Bro makes witty comments in return. (They are so "cute" that all the readers "ship them.") But, this is no easy romance. Oh no, these are STAR CROSSED LOVERS (because they can only meet under the stars when they are crossed.) At the end of this swashbuckling tale, Esther, using guerrilla tactics and defeating the king himself in a vicious sword fight, over powers the king’s army and takes his throne. You go girl! (Tell me that isn't how it would go.)

Now, back to the true story of Esther.

Despite her difficult circumstances, Esther trusted God. Five years later (FIVE YEARS!) she would learn why— to save her people. With guns blazing? No. Esther went defenseless before the king, uninvited, risking her life.

Now pause a sec. It was made known to her several times that to go before the king uninvited was a death sentence. So, Esther fasted and prayed with her servants and asked the Jews to do the same for her. Then, dressing in her royal robes, she went to the king's throne room, unarmed, and stepped in, forfeiting her life. She was willing to die to do what was right and to save her people. That is strength. In fact, one might say this takes more courage than engaging in hand-to-hand combat. She could not rely on her own strength or skills. She had no defense but God.

As we know, the king was pleased with her, and after a series of very well played events on her part, Esther was able to expose the villain and her people were saved.

Side Note: I would highly recommend all of you to sit down with your Bible and read the book of Esther through as a story. It is an amazing tale and reads like one of the classics. The plot, the depth of it, the characters... it's adventure, political drama, danger, and intrigue!

There are many other stories and characters I could think of, but I'll stop here.

Black Widow

Cat Woman