--- description: DC beats Marvel in the race to feature a woman superhero on the big screen title: Sony Announces a Female Superhero Movie for the Spider-Man Universe image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt247c0cf182f0f44b/69869e4d13c79f0c0119352a/superior_spider-man_vol_1_20_granov_variant.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Living](/tag/time-section-living/) ## Living Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Female Superhero Movie Is Finally Coming ## Video: Understanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe [Watch (HLS stream): Understanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/nKWYGrii.m3u8) (2:55)  _Published 2013-11-05. How do we get from Iron Man to The Avengers? Where do the X-Men fit in? Learn how Marvel has crafted the progression of its superheroes in film._  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Aug 4, 2014 7:52 PM CUT  Superior Spider-Man #20 Adi Granov Variant Superior Spider-Man #20 Adi Granov VariantAdi Granov—Marvel Comics  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Aug 4, 2014 7:52 PM CUT After months of [fan lobbying for a superhero film starring a woman](http://time.com/3023606/san-diego-comic-con-avengers-fangirls-booth-babes/ "undefined"), one is finally on the way. Sony has hired Lisa Joy, who has worked on TV shows _Burn Notice_ and _Pushing Daisies_, to concoct a female-centered story for the Spider-Man Universe, Deadline [reports.](http://www.deadline.com/2014/08/female-superhero-movie-spider-man-sony/ "undefined") The studio has not yet announced which character will get her own movie, but Spider-Woman, Black Cat and Silver Sable are all in contention. Sony’s announcement comes just two days after Marvel Studios [tried to explain why they had not yet made a female-centered superhero film](http://time.com/3075927/marvel-kevin-feige-guardians-of-the-galaxy-black-widow/ "undefined"). Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said that he supported the idea but that it “comes down to timing.” But now Sony has beaten Marvel to the punch. Many critics and fans ([including myself](http://time.com/3034230/scarlett-johansson-lucy-and-the-future-of-the-female-action-star/ "undefined")) expected a Black Widow movie (spun-off from _The Avengers_ universe) to be the first to hit the big screen. Though previous attempts at a woman-led superhero films, like _Catwoman_ starring Halle Berry and _Elektra_ starring Jennifer Garner, have tanked, recent box office numbers suggest that the world is [ready for a comic book flick starring a woman.](http://time.com/3075927/marvel-kevin-feige-guardians-of-the-galaxy-black-widow/ "undefined") An analysis of 2013 movies found that those with strong female characters (like _The Hunger Games_ and _Frozen_) [did better at the box office](http://entertainment.time.com/2014/01/03/movies-with-strong-female-roles-make-more-money/ "undefined"). Meanwhile, _Lucy—_an action-sci-fi movie starring Scarlett Johansson (who also happens to play Black Widow in the Marvel universe)—has been a surprise hit, grossing $66,787,000 domestically in just two weeks, beating out Dwayne Johnson’s testosterone-laden _Hercules_. And comic-book movies that include women in the ensemble of heroes (and which don’t relegate them to the role of damsel in distress) have had a particularly profitable summer: _X-Men: Days of Future Past_ outpaced both _Spider-Man 2_ with a worldwide gross of $739.9 million. And _Guardians of the Galaxy_ has had [the biggest August opening weekend of all time](http://time.com/3075957/guardians-of-the-galaxy-box-office/ "undefined") at $94 million, thanks in part to [Zoe Saldana](http://time.com/3051693/zoe-saldana-guardians-of-the-galaxy-space/ "undefined")—the only woman in the ensemble cast and the most recognizable face on the movie poster. One of the reasons is that these movies attract more female moviegoers: _Guardians_ was the first Marvel Comics film [for which over 40% of the audience was female.](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/04/guardians-of-the-galaxy-is-not-a-watershed-moment-for-women.html "undefined") \[[_Deadline_](http://www.deadline.com/2014/08/female-superhero-movie-spider-man-sony/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3079882/a-female-superhero-movie-is-finally-coming/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3079882/a-female-superhero-movie-is-finally-coming/"},"headline":"A Female Superhero Movie Is Finally Coming","datePublished":"2014-08-04T19:52:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:55:46.582Z","description":"Sony is adding a female superhero to the Spider-Man Universe","url":"https://time.com/3079882/a-female-superhero-movie-is-finally-coming/","keywords":["Living","Culture"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt247c0cf182f0f44b/69869e4d13c79f0c0119352a/superior_spider-man_vol_1_20_granov_variant.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt247c0cf182f0f44b/69869e4d13c79f0c0119352a/superior_spider-man_vol_1_20_granov_variant.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Superior_Spider-Man_Vol_1_20_Granov_Variant","caption":"Superior Spider-Man #20 Adi Granov Variant","creditText":"Adi Granov—Marvel Comics","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3079882/a-female-superhero-movie-is-finally-coming/","name":"A Female Superhero Movie Is Finally Coming"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Understanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe","description":"How do we get from Iron Man to The Avengers? 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