James Gunn Explains Why He’s Never Liked the “Perfect Female Badass” Trope
James Gunn has always had a knack for creating layered, complex characters, and that includes the women in his stories. While he’s responsible for some of the strongest female characters in comic book adaptations today, the Peacemaker creator and DC Studios co-head has explained why he’s never been a fan of the so-called “perfect female badass” trope we see all too often in movies and TV.
Take Peacemaker’s Emilia Harcourt for example. She’s tough, skilled, and absolutely capable of holding her own, but the show makes it clear she’s far from flawless. Season 2 especially digs into her struggles and shows that behind her sharp edges, she’s still dealing with heavy personal issues.
On the latest episode of Peacemaker: The Official Podcast, Jennifer Holland addressed how rare it is to find those kinds of opportunities for women in Hollywood.
"As a female, you don't always get to play very three-dimensional, complicated characters. Either women are really mean and terrible or they're really nice, sweet and lovely. You [Gunn] add a lot of dimension to your characters."
Gunn followed up by breaking down exactly what bothers him about how female heroes are often written.
"They're all people. There are differences between the sexes, obviously, but we're way more alike than different. When I came into [Hollywood], the female characters were always just perfect for the most part.
“As time went on, the quote-unquote 'female badass' started to occur. I also didn't necessarily like that because they weren't badasses like Star-Lord's a badass or Deadpool's a badass. They didn't have personalities.
“They were still perfect badasses. So, being able to allow flaws in those characters was, to me, the coolest thing you could do."
It’s a refreshing perspective, and one that highlights why Gunn’s work stands out in the crowded superhero landscape. Instead of relying on clichés, he makes sure characters like Harcourt feel real, messy, and human.
What do you think about Gunn’s comments? Do flawed heroes resonate more with you than the “perfect” ones we usually see?