Cate Blanchet has been accidentally outed as the bad buy in the upcoming third installment of the Thor franchise, Thor: Ragnarok. Blanchett had long been rumored to be attached to the film, but no details had emerged as to what part she might play. Entertainment Tonight caught up with her costar Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Hulk, in the film at the BAFTA Awards Season Tea Party on Saturday with the news that she may be close to signing on to the film.
“I’m so thrilled. I saw her at the Governors’ banquet here and heard that maybe she was circling, they were talking to her about the part, so I ran up to her and I was like, ‘Please, please, please make this work!'” he revealed.
“She’s just one of the best, and to have her play a baddie is going to be really exciting,” Ruffalo added.
The Enchantress
So, thanks to Ruffalo, we now know that Blanchett is going to play a “baddie.” Two characters from the Thor comics come immediately to mind that Blanchett would be great for. The first is the less likely, Amora, otherwise known as “The Enchantress” an Asgardian sorceress and seductress who is one of Thor’s oldest and greatest enemies.
Hela
The second and more likely villain Blanchett might play is Hela, daughter of Loki, goddess of death and the underworld in Norse mythology and another of Thor’s greatest antagonists. Since the title of the movie is “Ragnarok,” the battle that ends the world in Norse mythology, its a pretty good bet that death will be involved.
Of course, we have our own favored character that we hope Blanchett is playing — but it’s a pretty big longshot. Still, we are allowed to dream, right?
From a recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
“I heard you were going to be in the new Thor movie,” Kimmel said. “Is that true?”
“Yes, Chris Hemsworth is busy, so I’ve been working out,” she joked.
“Is that confirmation, or are you dodging the question?” Kimmel continued.
“No, I’m not dodging the question!” she claimed. “They’re just substituting one Australian for another. Gender equality! Why can’t you have a female Thor?”
“Black Widow has been around from day one of this…” he said. “…and is portrayed with this kind of heavy-hearted ferocity by Scarlett Johansson – who I think is as good as any actor working today,” he said.
“It seems like it would be tragic, it would be a waste, if that character wasn’t given the spotlight in the way that some of the other characters have been.
“If I know Marvel, they won’t let that happen, because she’s too valuable an asset.”
Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
This isn’t the first time that Gregg has looked to make things right when he thinks female heroes and fans are being slighted. When the second Avengers movie premiered and there was no Black Widow merchandise to be found, Gregg lent his voice to the #WheresNatasha movement, pushing a petition to get Black Widow action figures and merch on the shelves.
Why does Gregg keep pushing for better inclusion and representation of women in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? (Besides being a stand-up guy?) His reasons are simple.
“Y’know, I have a 13-year-old daughter and one of the things I’m proudest about with our show is that there are very strong, very intelligent women who are just as responsible for SHIELD not being exterminated as Phil Coulson – and that’s not lost on my daughter and her friends.”
Hasbro launched a new version of Star Wars Monopoly, and in doing so they have created a great disturbance in the force. Once again, they have left out Rey, the main character from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and included no other women in the set.
Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker represent the “Legacy” tokens — fair enough, I guess. But the Episode VII tokens are villain Kylo Ren and … second lead Finn. The choice to exclude the main character of Rey yet again is not only puzzling for logistical reasons, it deprives gamers of the opportunity to play as a woman. (Adding more tokens so we could include Han and Leia would have been a great choice.)
Many retailers are marketing this as Star Wars: The Force Awakens Monopoly. How will parents explain to their daughters that the main character from the movie is not an option for them when they play the game?
Reaction has been swift and brutal on social media, but perhaps no one put it as eloquently as this little girl.
We’re not sure if Hasbro thinks that girls don’t play Monopoly or that they don’t like Star Wars. Both assumptions are incorrect. It’s 2016, Hasbro. Time to get with the program.
Illustrator Ralph Sevelius created his Disney Princesses/Star Wars mashups as a bit of whimsical fun more than two years ago to celebrate the purchase of Lucasfilms by Disney. They were moderately popular on social media at the time, but with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, they are suddenly more relevant than ever.
Warner Bros. release the "character posters" for the upcoming comic-book movie Batman vs. Superman. What is interesting is that -- although they released posters for many characters -- Wonder Woman…
Female fans are used to being ignored by science fiction franchises. The lack of merchandise from recent blockbuster films has led to hashtag campaigns including: #WheresNatasha, #WheresGamora, #WheresNatasha (again), and most recently #WheresRey — a campaign targeting the fact that the two female leads of the new Star Wars film — Rey and Captain Phasma — were left out of a Target-exclusive 12″ action figure set.
That one set seemed like part of an ongoing problem. For the previous six Star Wars movies, if a girl wanted to get a Star Wars t-shirt, she had to look in the boys department. Lucasfilm had not licensed a single Star Wars product for women or girls.
Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy addressed the issue directly at the Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit in October.
Kathleen Kennedy: We have to make sure that we create products that are, in a sense, appealing to both boys and girls. What’s wrong with that? Even with simple things like t-shirts. There is a fantastic story with this young woman who came to Lucasfilm in 2009. She plays the character of Ahsoka in both Rebels and she also had a role in Clone Wars — and she came to Lucasfilm in 2009 saying, “Why aren’t there clothes that are tied to Star Wars for girls?”
She struggled for quite a while and then put a company together called Her Universe. And it’s doing unbelievable business. And it’s — in fact — the t-shirt that I ran down on the Comic Con floor and grabbed and put on before the Comic Con convention. It just shows that anyone who steps out and does something in quality; they find that there’s plenty of young girls and women out there who are just as interested as the boys.
But the changes went much further than Her Universe. With the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens — for the first time ever — Star Wars is being marketed directly to women and girls. Action figures, clothing, hand-bags and even a make-up line have been licensed — even if they are sometimes a little hard to find.
Female action figures have been flying off the shelves, with some items such as the Captain Phasma Black Series figure already selling for premium prices on ebay. “We underestimated the demand,” said one Disney executive on condition of anonymity. “We’re rushing to get more product into retail channels. It’s a good problem to have.”
To help female fans find the merchandise that is still out there, Heroic Girls has put together this guide highlighting some of the best Star Wars merchandise made for women and girls.
We’ve broken down our guide into sections, you can jump ahead if you like to”
Still a favorite among both kids and adults, Funko has made a full line of Pops for Star Wars, including multiple Reys, a Captain Phasma, and quite a few Leias from the original trilogy.
Star Wars Black Series
The “Black Series” is Hasbro’s name for their line of ultra-detailed collectible action figures. Rey has her own figure that comes with lovable droid BB-8, but the early sought-after prize is the hard-to-find Captain Phasma figure.
Captain Phasma – Black Series Action Figure
Action Figures & Playsets
The most encouraging development is the prevalence of toys developed for children. There are Rey and Phasma action figures, and playsets fully integrated into the consumer line right along side the boys. While there are tons of female figures and sets, our favorite might be the Rey’s Speeder Bike set, which comes with a bonus Rey action figure, dressed to survive the harsh desert landscape of Jakku.
Rey’s Speeder Bike Set
LEGOs
LEGO has always done an above-average job of prioritizing diversity, and they continue that tradition with their Star Wars sets. Our favorite — again — is Rey’s Speeder Bike, which comes with dual stud shooters, opening storage hatch and side-mounted bag, blaster, buzzsaw, electrobinoculars and an “Unkar’s Thug” minifig, that we will go out on a limb and say is a bad guy .
Rey’s Speeder Bike – LEGO
Build-A-Bear
Build-A-Bear has a full line of The Force Awakens characters — no Captain Phasma, but they have this awesome Rey.
Build-A-Bear Rey
Disney Infinity
Disney Infinity 3.0, the latest iteration of the popular toys-to-life franchise, is all about Star Wars. The default set comes with Anikan Skywalker and Jedi-in-training Ahsoka Tano, giving kids a choice of gender, right out of the box. The Force Awakens playset is similarly gender-balanced, coming with both Finn and Rey. There are also sets featuring Leia, and the women from Star Wars Rebels.
Ahsoka Tano – Disney Infinity 3.0
Plush Toys
While there are several to choose from, our favorite Star Wars plush to date has to be the “Itty Bitty Rey” from Hallmark. We won’t justify this decision. Just look at it.
It’s adorable!
Itty Bitty Rey by Hallmark
Clothing
The days of raiding the boys department are finally over. Disney licensed apparel for women and girls to a ton of retailers, including Target, Macy’s, Kohls, Amazon and Her Universe. Here are a few of our favorite items.
Her Universe
If there is one person to thank for the fact that Disney is now Star Wars making merchandise for women, it is Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. Ashley pushed Disney to give her a license to make Star Wars merchandise for women and girls — and when they said, “no,” she went out, recruited experts in fashion and apparel — and came back and asked again, and again, until the answer was, “yes.”
Her Universe proved once and for all that there was a market for quality geek merchandise and apparel for women. Ashley is the woman that made executives wake up and realize that women love comics, science fiction and fantasy just like the guys, and Her Universe remains the gold standard for female-friendly Star Wars apparel on the web.
BB-8 Bomber Jacket – Her Universe
Rey Resistance Youth Tee – Her Universe
Stormtrooper Circle Skirt – Her Universe
Try Not Triangle Chiffon Tee – Her Universe
Macy’s
While Macy‘s doesn’t have much Star Wars clothing for girls, they have an incredible selection for juniors and women, with t-shirts, dresses and jogger pants.
Mighty Fine Juniors’ Star Wars The Force High-Low Graphic T-Shirt – Macy’s
Juniors’ Star Wars Jogger Pants from Mighty Fine – Macy’s
Plus Size Star Wars Luke and Leia Graphic T-Shirt from Hybrid – Macy’s
Juniors’ Star Wars Storm Trooper Sheath Dress from Hybrid – Macy’s
Target
Target provides a wide assortment of entry-level Star Wars fashions for both women and girls. We buy a lot of stuff for the girls here because we want it to look good, but we don’t want to spend a ton of money on clothes they will outgrow in six months.
Star Wars Darth Vader Graphic Sweatshirt – Target
Girls’ Star Wars Leggings – Target
Girls’ Star Wars Trooper In Ya Face T-Shirt – Target
Girls’ Star Wars T-Shirt – Target
Kohl’s
Kohl’s — the second largest department store in the United States — has some truly stunning Star Wars apparel that elevates your fandom above simple cotton tees.
Rock & Republic Star Wars Embellished Hoodie – Kohl’s
Women’s Rock & Republic Star Wars Poster Graphic Tee – Kohl’s
Juniors’ Star Wars Princess Leia Tee – Kohl’s
Juniors’ Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens Graphic T-Shirt – Kohl’s
Amazon
Amazon partnered with Disney to license a fairly extensive line of Star Wars apparel and accessories that they carry right along side apparel made by other manufacturers. While many stores carry merch for women, online is still one of the best places to find apparel for girls. If you’re having trouble finding clothing that let’s your little girl’s geek flag fly, Amazon is a great place to look.
Star Wars Girls’ Rey and BB-8 Walking Girls Short Sleeve Graphic Tee – Amazon
Star Wars Juniors’ Henna Trooper Tattoo Art Racerback Graphic Tank Top – Amazon
Star Wars Juniors’ Episode 7 The Force Awakens Rebel Graphic Tank – Amazon
Star Wars Big Girls’ Galaxy Far Away Tee – Amazon
JCPenney
JCPenney has some cool designs that you can’t find anywhere else — including skirts, leggings and overprint tees.
Star Wars Short-Sleeve Burnout T-Shirt – JCPenney
Star Wars Bodycon Skirt – JCPenney
Star Wars Galaxy Leggings – JCPenney
Star Wars Long-Sleeve Reversible Sweatshirt – JCPenney
Jewelry & Accessories
Loungefly
Hip bag and apparel maker Loungefly has bee cranking out some really attractive Star Wars handbags, wallets, cosmetics bags and more. And they are quality products. The wallets are made from leather. The totes are lined, with zippered products. If you want to display your geek pride over your shoulder, but all the bags you could found were made from cheap vinyl and plastic — your days of waiting are over.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens BB-8 Embossed Wallet – Loungefly
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Captain Phasma Embossed Mini Dome Bag – Loungefly
Star Wars Tattoo Flash Print Coin/Cosmetic Bag – Loungefly
Next Star Wars Ewok Face Crossbody Bag – Loungefly
Kay Jewelers
While there are inexpensive costume pieces at almost every retailer, Kay Jewelers has rolled out an entire line of exquisite gold and silver Star Wars jewelry. There has never been a better time to get a Darth Vader pendant made out of black diamonds.
Star Wars Earrings Stormtrooper 10K Yellow Gold – Kay Jewelers
Star Wars Onyx Bracelet Darth Vader Sterling Silver – Kay Jewelers
Star Wars Necklace Spinning BB-8 10K Yellow Gold – Kay Jewelers
Charmed Memories Star Wars Rebel Alliance Sterling Silver Charm – Kay Jewelers
Makeup
Covergirl
Covergirl released a line of Star Wars themed cosmetics with six “looks” including “Droid,” “Mystic,” and “Chrome Captain.” Smartly, they also recruited Janelle Monae as their “Resistance Pilot,” and we pretty much buy whatever the Eletric Lady is selling.
When your little girl is a huge fan of both Chewbacca from the Star Wars franchise and princesses, figuring out a theme for a birthday party can be difficult — unless you are Mom-of-the-Year candidate Jamie. As she posted on Reddit:
My daughter wanted a Star Wars party, so I bought this Chewbacca doll hoping that I could find a bakery that would turn him into a Barbie cake. Because he was a full size doll and not a kit, I was turned down several times. My amazing friend, Megan, came to the rescue and offered to make Chewy a beautiful cake dress. She nailed it!
Target is having a rough month when it comes to gender and toys. After a fantastic announcement that they were removing gendered signs from the toy department, they flubbed badly by releasing an exclusive Star Wars action figure set that left out Rey, the main character, and Captain Phasma, the menacing female hench(wo)man in exchange for a generic Storm Trooper and Tie Fighter Pilot. This was quickly tied to a long pattern of Target excluding female characters from action figure sets.
Still, after all the furor, it was still surprising to see that — while they offered a dress-up costume for bad-ass female villain Captain Phasma — they put it in the boys department labeled Star Wars: Episode VII Boys Deluxe Villain Trooper Costume.
It would be easy to place this as yet another slight by Target against girls and women, but honestly, it is so puzzling that I think I’m going to use Hanlon’s Razor to determine their motivation.
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
I can’t imagine they wanted the backlash from girls and women on this sensitive topic. And they certainly don’t want to hear from the parents of boys when they find out they were accidentally cross-dressing.
We got a screenshot of the costume on Target’s website below before they inevitably fix it.
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