Women of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and the Posthuman Intersectionality

At the time of this writing in November 2018, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or the MCU) is in an interesting position both behind the scenes and on the silver screen. After ten years and twenty feature films, the MCU is the highest grossing franchise in film history, though the character representation has only recently begun to improve significantly in contrast to its origins of focusing on white male protagonists; Black Panther featured an almost entirely black cast; Evangeline Lilly’s Hope Van Dyne became the first titular female character in Ant-Man and the Wasp; and next year, Brie Larson will debut as the first solo female hero in Captain Marvel. However, it could be argued that the most representative film, especially when also considering posthuman or cyborg theories, would be James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), as the female characters are not only developed and diverse, but also embody the principles of the posthuman/cyborg theories.

The first woman of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is Meredith Quill (Laura Haddock), the mother of Peter Quill, alias Star-Lord (Chris Pratt). She returns for this film after being in Guardians of the Galaxy [Vol. 1] mostly in absentia, being the emotional and moral compass for the male lead character. In Vol. 1, Meredith is shown as sickly as a result of her brain cancer; which also renders her bald, denoting not only the disease, but connoting a disruption of a natural appearance (something that will be echoed with another character). In Vol. 2, we see a younger, pre-cancer Meredith with Peter’s father Ego (Kurt Russell). In the flashbacks and the tributes Ego constructs throughout the film, it is shown that Meredith was a blonde. When considering Richard Dyer’s writings in The Heavenly Bodies, where he indicates that blondeness is the “ultimate sign of whiteness” (pg. 43), as well as the theories of displaced metaphors, we might intercept the character of Meredith Quill - a white, blonde, heterosexual woman - as the baseline of what the other women in the film will be compared to, as they are in some way an “other” to our Western “us”.

And despite being only human, Meredith has a profound effect on the characters of Peter Quill and Ego, the three of whom form an Oedipal triangle and conflict. Due to Ego’s actions in causing Meredith’s cancer and his plans to take over the galaxy, Peter fights against him. Though his motives are altruistic and in line with the other Guardians when fighting Ego to prevent his takeover, Peter’s initial attack on Ego comes at the revelation about his introducing cancer into Meredith’s system. This outburst is motivated by the love  - a maternal love, as opposed to a sexual love that the Freudian theory might insinuate - for his mother and the newfound and justifiable hatred of his father, fitting in the Oedipal triad. It is also worth noting that, and in spite of her baseline humanness, Meredith Quill gains a posthuman significance for Ego, as he seems to fear her, or rather what she might do to him and his mission, so Ego resolves to kill her to prevent her and her “otherness” (her humanity and loving influence) changing his nature and mission - and we know that she had a strong influence on Ego, as he is shown to recall the song Brandy by Looking Glass fondly through dialogue and whistling, and his line of reasoning for his murder of her;

“I returned to Earth to see her three times and I knew if I returned a fourth, I'd never leave. Expansion, the reason for my very existence would be over so I did what I had to do. But... it broke my heart to put that tumour in her head.” (Gunn, 2017)

In other words, what might be considered a “sameness” in Meredith Quill in relation to a Western audience is reinterpreted as an “otherness” by Ego, which must be defeated in order to continue with his way of life.

A new character in Vol. 2 is the Ayesha, High Priestess of the Sovereign, who represents a more “classical otherness” within the science fiction film genre. With a height of 6 foot, 2 inches and golden skin, Ayesha (portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki) is presented as something to be looked at, calling back to the Classical Cinema connotations about women and their “to-be-looked-at-ness” as described by feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey. She is also shown to perhaps be the most “other” of all the female characters in Vol. 2.; seemingly without a sense of humanity in a stark contrast to Meredith Quill. Whereas Meredith gave birth to Peter from an act of love and in turn loved her son, Ayesha and the rest of the Sovereign, in an alien sense of prosperity, create artificial lifeforms as their prodigy rather than use the “archaic ways of [their] ancestors” and form a natural and emotional bond between parent and child; this contrast is further exhibited by Ayesha’s creation of Adam Warlock during the mid-credits scenes, as this was not an act of love that created this life, but rather an act of vengeance and hatred towards the Guardians. 

The attitude of the Sovereign towards artificial offspring may also indicate an asexual aspect to their people, having forgone the natural organic method of reproduction in favour of one that allows for precise selections in these offspring;

“Every citizen is born exactly as designed by the community. Impeccable, both physically and mentally. We control the DNA of our progeny, germinating them in birthing pods.” (Gunn, 2017)

Whether this asexual method of reproduction literally translates into romantic or lustful asexuality within the Sovereign characters is not directly addressed, though there are some implications that there may still be traces of a sexual nature, such as when Ayesha seemingly flirts with Peter, indicating an interest in revisiting the “… archaic ways […] for academic purposes. …” (Gunn, 2017). Though this flirtation may just be symptomatic of Ayesha’s status as a superfemale as Molly Haskell puts it; “… the superfemale is an actress by nature; what is flirtation, after all, but role playing? Coquetry is an art. …” (pg. 567) 

Another new addition to the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is Mantis (portrayed by French-Vietnamese actress Pom Klementieff), the empath under the care and employ of Ego.  Although she may also be considered an “other” because of her insectoid origins - describing once being in a larval state - Mantis is shown to be more capable of emotions and humanity than the aforementioned Ayesha, though Mantis is also naïve in her expression and experience of these emotions. This may signify Mantis as the innocent or “the virgin” as described in the “Virgin-Whore Dichotomy”, being pure, naïve and selfless, in contrast to Ayesha’s scheming, vain and selfish character, thus “the whore” if a comparison had to be made. Mantis’s virginal naïvety is made unconventionally more explicit by the scene where she uses her empathic abilities to read the “romantic, sexual love” Peter has for Gamora - although Mantis seems unfazed by the meaning of the sexual love, she also seems to lack the emotional and social maturity to be aware that this is information Peter likely wanted to keep to himself. It is only through interaction with the Guardians that Mantis learns more about herself and becomes more emotionally and socially mature, though executor producer Jonathan Schwartz notes that this; “… is a very weird group to learn your social intricacies from. …” (Collis, 2016)

The second-in-commander of the titular Guardians is Gamora, portrayed by Zoe Saldana, who represents the pinnacle of a posthuman woman. With her natural Zehoberei physiology and her bionic enhancements given to her by her adoptive father Thanos (as stated by the rap sheet shown in Vol. 1), Gamora is one of the greatest warriors seen in the MCU, and is known as the “Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy”, or what might be (probably inaccurately) referred to as a “femme fatale” in literary and film theory. A common archetype, the “femme fatale” is often defined in academia as a villainous character who uses their feminine attributes to charm or enchant others to achieve their own goals; while this might describe Gamora during her initial meeting with Peter in Vol. 1, where she does indeed try to use her wiles to coerce the Orb away from him. However her character over the rest of the film, as well as Vol. 2 and Avengers: Infinity War, does not match the “femme fatale” archetype, but instead is more like the “Action Girl/Woman” archetype; 

“… a female badass who is tough and kicks butt. […] She faces dangerous foes and deadly obstacles, and she wins.  For the longest time in many cultures, Doubles Standards in both fiction and real life meant that when it came to action and fighting, guys definitely outnumbered girls. ‘Men Act, Woman Are’ was the rule of thumb, which led to the Action Girl being a subversion of what was acceptable. As society has marched on, this view has faded in some media, leading to stories where Action Girls become the norm rather than the exception …” (TVTropes.com)

The aforementioned bionic enhancements would also qualify Gamora as a cyborg, though it is only referred to in a “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” detail. In addition to this, she does still conform to the “… bourgeois notions of human, machine, and femininity…” (Balsamo, pg. 155-6), being the love interest of the white, male protagonist, and being the emotional and moral centre of the Guardians. There is, however, another character who more figuratively and literally conforms to the cyborg theory; Gamora’s adoptive sister and bitter rival, Nebula, portrayed by Karen Gillan, who described the character as “… very sadistic and evil, but I like to think for a very valid reason. …” (Philbrick, 2013) Her cybernetic enhancements are more visually obvious, with the left arm and eye being most predominantly cybernetic, while there are numerous other enhancements that grant Nebula greater endurance. 

These cybernetics came courtesy of her adoptive father Thanos, who in the bid to create perfect warriors, forced her and Gamora to compete to prove which of them is stronger. In almost every instance, Gamora proved to be stronger, leaving Nebula severely injured and requiring cybernetics to heal and “improve” her. This mutilation and disruption of her natural body (visualised not only by the cybernetics, but also the baldness, echoing the cancer of Meredith Quill) is symbolic of Nebula’s loss of humanity and the transition into the cyborg described in film theory. In attempting to control her through rebuilding her with the cybernetics, Thanos takes on the role of the creator of Nebula’s “Frankenstein’s Monster” who longs to regain some of her lost humanity, by destroying those she perceives as robbing her of it, whether it is Thanos himself, or Gamora for her insistence on winning;

“You were the one who wanted to win, and I just wanted a sister! You were all I had, but you were the one who needed to win. Thanos pulled my eye from my head. and my brain from my skull, and my arm from my body...  because of you.” (Gunn, 2017)

But by uniting with Gamora in the battle against Ego, Nebula is on the path of redemption and regaining her humanity and innocence, and this journey is continued in Avengers: Infinity War and in its currently untitled sequel, where her defeat of Thanos could be the final step in her redemption arc.

In conclusion, all the female characters of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and the larger franchise surrounding the film are all varied and signify some aspect or trope of the posthuman/cyborg theories in the study of gender and representation in film and television; Meredith Quill as the baseline, “Western standard”; Ayesha as the classical “to-be-looked-at” woman; Mantis as the innocent “Other”; Gamora as what may be a “femme fatale” or “Action Woman”; and Nebula as the cyborg in a literal and metaphorical way. And this variety makes Vol. 2 stand out, not only from other MCU films, but other science fiction films, which often rely on one type of female character, whereas Vol. 2 is significant in that the diversity of the female cast, not only through its actors, but in the character types.

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