Mutants, Cyborgs and Femininity Unfixed? Addressing the Gendered Bodies of Mystique and Nebula

Abstract

Though Marvel superhero films often display a need to maintain gender rigidity, two interesting cases are the mutant shapeshifter Mystique, who appears in the X-Men films, and the female cyborg Nebula of the Guardians of the Galaxy films. This chapter addresses the potential for queer readings of these characters, while also examining how they are placed within postfeminist boundaries. The simultaneous queering and de-queering of Mystique that occurs throughout the X-Men films is a notable paradox. Meanwhile, Nebula can be read in terms of the radical politics of the gendered cyborg, especially concerning subjectivity and family. These characters pose excellent case studies for the subject of the posthuman (but still gendered) body due to the representation of their bodies as explicitly pliable and questioning hegemonic gender norms. Both characters have an alien appearance, harnessing the generic potential of the science fiction-superhero hybrid genre that more recent superhero films make use of since the initial success of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy.