How to Write a Strong Female Character...who isn't toxic and annoying

Do you want to know how to write a strong female character? That's the big question we're tackling today. Black Widow and Captain Marvel are two of the most iconic “strong female characters” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe... but what if I told you that one of them is stronger than the other? And it’s NOT the one with superpowers? In this video, we're going to explore the differences between these two characters and solve the mystery of why so many people love Black Widow, and why so many people hate Captain Marvel. Is there a science behind the strong female character? Let's figure it out.

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✨ T I M E S T A M P S ✨
00:00 Introduction
02:21 SOS: Help Operation Underground Railroad free kids from slavery
03:30 Why does everyone hate Captain Marvel?
05:00 What makes a character strong?
09:38 Captain Marvel vs Black Widow
10:30 Character Analysis: Carol Danvers
13:45 What about the amnesia trope?
15:30 Do emotions = weakness?
19:02 Character Analysis: Natasha Romanoff
25:14 Final thoughts
27:30 Subscribe for more writing videos :)

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Subscribe for more episodes of #ScienceOfStory! Make Your Story Matter™ and make your author dreams come true… new videos every Wednesday.

✨ V A L U A B L E R E S O U R C E S✨

MORE VIDEOS YOU WOULD LIKE:

→ LOKI CHARACTER ANALYSIS (NEGATIVE ARC)

→ HOW CAPTAIN AMERICA SHOULD HAVE STARTED

→ HOW DISNEY MOVIES MAKE YOU CARE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS

→ SPIDER-MAN VS READY PLAYER ONE

✨F O L L O W ✨

✨ A B O U T ✨
My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true.

Story isn’t about “what happens” — it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel – and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!

✨ C R E D I T S ✨
All movie clips and soundtracks used for educational purposes under the Fair Use law. Captain Marvel (2019) Marvel Studios. The Avengers (2012) Paramount Pictures, Marvel Studios. Black Widow (2021) Marvel Studios.

[notdemomantf]

I heard a really good quote for this a while back:
"A good strong female character is a good character who happens to be a woman, not a character who is strong because they are a woman"

[gustavakerman]

Step one: Write a character with goals, flaws, ideals and so on.
Step two: Flip a coin for the gender, heads for male, tails for female.

[attackmanatee]

For some reason, women with a caring heart and motherly instincts seem to be looked at as weak, because I hardly ever see "strong female characters" with those traits. One of the reasons Galadriel (the original galadriel) left such an impact in such short screen time is because she is so comforting and motherly while also being one of the most powerful people in middle earth

[thomasineblue]

i think Carol's flaw is actually being emotionless. if they had set that up as her fatal flaw from the beginning (instead of trying to say shes "too emotional" when she actually doesn't show any emotion) and then had her develop into a character who embraces her emotions and uses them to become stronger, it would have made her a much more likeable character and fit with the overall theme of the movie that they were trying to achieve

[whyology.]

something i’ve always noticed is that “strong female characters” entire personality are just stereotypical toxic male traits. a strong female character should be a strong character first, female second.

[elizabethwheeler]

In an interview with Game of Thrones writer George R R Martin, the interviewer asked “I noticed you write women really well and really different, where does that come from?” His answer was “You know, I’ve always considered women to be people.”

Writer’s should try to start with that.

[Carolyne_games]

"You need to be flawless to be strong. You can't ask for help. You can't show emotions." I believe this is exactly what our society has been doing to men which has made a lot of them suffer. Bringing the exact same toxicity to women is not "empowering" anyone 😮‍💨

[annasstorybox]

I guess a good example would be old Mulan VS the new one.
In the old one she struggles, builds new skills, overcomes things she can't do by pure physical strength with new strategies etc
In the new movie she can do stuff because she is special and a magicly skilled chosen one...
The first one teaches that things are approachable by having the courage to try it, by practice and smart thinking. The new one has a hero that is the way she is naturally. No motivation for people to fight for their goals or to put effort in becoming better at something or in finding a way to overcome a hurdle. New Mulan is just gifzet her goal because she is special... Quite discouraging as in reality no one just gifts you a life skill. While you might be able to learn something quick, it's not that you are an expert by default and therefore can become anything just by wanting it without any practice, efford, tests and hurdle whatsoever.

[twistedpear]

Honestly, if we just rephrased “Strong Female Characters” as “Compelling Female Characters” I think we would eliminate a lot of the confusion right off the bat.

[sitcomchristian]

I actually sincerely think Cinderella is a strong female character. She's growing up in a horrible situation, bereaved of both parents who loved her, abused by those she lives with....and she remains positive, tries her best to do what's asked of her, and when she gets out of there (depending on what version you read) she doesn't even exact revenge. Honestly, that's an incredible human being. I hate when people cite Cinderella as a "weak woman" example. She's not. She's tougher than most.

[reesaspieces]

There’s one line in Little Women that stands out to me when I think of the erasure of femininity within the trope of strong female characters. Meg to Jo about wanting a family instead of an acting career: “Just because my dreams are different than yours doesn't mean they're unimportant.” They’re each strong characters in the true sense of the meaning.

[flurng]

"I think many viewers make the mistake of blaming actors for failing to capture their heart, when really that was the screenwriter's job."
THANK you SO much for pointing this out! Another point people miss is that, if a performance seems cold or unengaging, that's the director's call - actors can generally deliver many diferent takes on a given scene, but ultimately, it's the director who decides what emotion they want the scene to portray!

[catbay]

"Being strong isn't about overpowering others." Well said.

[cosmicnhilist]

I like to think Natasha's flaw of not being able to forgive herself and her desire for redemption is the reason why she decided to sacrifice herself in endgame. It makes sense that she would gladly die to help save half of the universe as she still probably thinks her ledger is red and she choose to wipe off all that blood, using her own.

[chavamara]

I think another of Natasha's flaws that we see in Avengers is that she is a solo agent who has a need to be in control of situations. She was calm and efficient during her "interrogation" with the Russians because she knew everything was going the way she wanted and that she could take them all down if things went wrong, but she got nervous when she was told that she was bringing in "the Big Guy" because she wasn't sure she could handle the situation if Banner turned into the Hulk. It's never stated, but I think she grows to become more comfortable with chaotic situations because she grew to trust her team, and their collective ability to solve problems.

[triggertits]

I've been trying to say this for the last 4 years. But I have always been told to shut up, and that I was nothing but a misogynist straight white male, and my opinion means nothing. Thank you for finally giving a critical voice that the industry can't shut down. We need the pendulum to swing back a little, so that we can make movies great again.

[taesang]

another female character i love in marvel is nebula. she went from being the most absolute loyal daughter of thanos, to eventually recognizing her bond with gamora, then finally rebelling against thanos and joining the forces of the avengers.

[GammaHunter]

One thing I hate about strong female characters is how some people will say “finally, a strong female character” no matter how badly written their character actually is. When she finished watching Captain Marvel, my mother was immediately talking about how strong she is, because that really is the only thing that Captain Marvel has, Strength. People who think that, to make a real strong female character, all they need is be physically powerful are stupid.

[corey_clip]

I'm writing a medieval fantasy novel and my favorite and most complex character in the book is a former fairy queen who was exiled from her clan and forced to raise her triplet daughters on her own. She starts off pretty "weak" physically in the beginning of the book, worrying that she can't protect her daughters and can't be enough for them, but how her character progresses throughout the story is one of my favorite things I've ever written.

[kadenburkhardt]

Back when I made (and over the years, further developed) my first DnD character, I had fun giving her the "can't ask for help", "can't show emotions", and "always in 'fight mode'" traits, except making those her flaws that she needed to work past in order to grow (and then actually having her succeed in that)