Entertainment

Stranger Things 3: Breaking stereotypes and empowering women

There’s more than just killing the Mind Flayer

Published

July 27, 2019

Vincenz

Fans know that all seasons of the Stranger Things were set during the 1980s. It’s also a time period where women were rarely given the chance to stand up and speak for themselves.

Fast forward today, some people still think it’s a privilege rather than a basic human right — but the latest season proves otherwise.

This article contains spoilers so it’s better to stay away if you haven’t seen Stranger Things 3 yet.

El (Eleven)

Although Eleven is quite literally the most powerful woman on this list, younger El was timid and socially inept in the first two seasons due to all the traumatizing experiments performed on her by Hawkins Lab. This season, she’s all about discovering her other powers — that she’s someone who knows and believes in herself. She’s more than just “dumping your ass!” She’s bitchin’ more than ever!

Max Mayfield

Aside from being exasperated and having issues with her stepbrother Billy Hargrove from last season, Eleven and Max also had an awkward relationship, especially because they were introduced to each other unintentionally.

This season changed her a lot. She’s instrumental to El finding her own style and voice. After discovering what happened between El and Mike, Max took her out of her comfort zone, took her shopping, and introduced her to Wonder Woman. She started teaching her to do things on her own — that girls should not always rely on their lousy (ex) boyfriends just to feel better. The boys’ friendship is great, but showing female characters develop as friends, and not just as love interests to the boys is important, too.

Nancy Wheeler

We’ve seen Nancy gradually grow into a brave young woman for the last two seasons of Stranger Things — from someone who’s hesitant to party on a Tuesday night to someone who’s brave enough to face the Demogorgon.

In Season 3 we find Nancy working at the Hawkins Post as an intern. The workplace being full of men, which includes her boyfriend Jonathan Byers, she was expected to have a minor role of serving co-workers coffee or lunch.

She was humiliated for not remembering what an employee wanted in his sandwich. She was also pranked toy rat by her co-workers for trying to pursue a story of an old woman who complained about the unusual rat in her house eating fertilizers and other chemicals.

Unfazed by her colleagues’ misogyny and her boyfriend’s disapproval, she pursued the story that helped unravel and solve more mysteries in Hawkins. In the end, her dedication paid off and helped the gang defeat the monsters that haunted them. If only the men listened to her much earlier.

Karen Wheeler

Also known as Mrs. Wheeler, she is the mother of Mike, Nancy, and Holly, her youngest daughter. Her character was pretty questionable at the start of the season when she started flirting with Billy Hargrove.

The motel meet-up did not push through — Billy was “flayed” while she felt resentful about her actions. She chose to keep her family’s reputation in tact.

One of the most powerful scenes this season was when she gave Nancy a pep talk:

It’s not easy out there Nancy. People are always saying you can’t and you shouldn’t; that you’re not smart enough, not good enough. This world it beats you up again and again until eventually most people they just stop trying. But you’re not like that. You’re a fighter. You always have been.

I felt that.

Robin

Robin’s character was introduced this season as Steve Harrington’s co-worker at Scoops Ahoy. She started as a seemingly anti-social who can’t be bothered, but as the story progressed, she showed us her true side — a funny and smart language whiz who can crack Russian codes instead of a lame dingus.

Throughout the season, Steve saw how fun and witty Robin is that confessed his feelings for her. While they were high from Russian medication, they talked about how obsessed Robin was with him in high school. Robin then admitted it’s not because she had a huge crush on her, but because she envied him as her high school crush — a girl — always stared at him in class.

Although Steve was dumbfounded that she’s gay, it just goes to show that there’s no place for homophobia in this season, as Steve and Robin continued to be friends, closer than ever, even after they defeated the Mind Flayer. 🌈

Erica Sinclair

Saving the best for last, Erica talks and acts as if she’s not 10. Even if she made a short appearance last season as Lucas’ bratty younger sister, she got all the spotlight she deserved this season.

Being young does not stop her from being mature and sassy at the same time. Asked if she loves the country, she responds, “Well you can’t spell America without Erica.”

She accomplished tasks assigned to her with ease for an unlimited supply of Scoops Ahoy. Although she never liked being called a nerd, her intellect proves that young girls are just as smart, if not smarter than their male counterparts.

Who is your favorite Stranger Things character this season? Let us know in the comments section below

Related Topics:Netflix Stranger Things Stranger Things 3

Entertainment

Here’s what you should watch before Avengers: Doomsday

The road to Doom begins here.

Published

August 18, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As of today, the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will take around 650 hours to watch. So, if you wanted to catch up with everything before this December’s Avengers: Doomsday, you would need to allot around 5 hours per day to watch content from Marvel. For a lot of us, that sort of commitment is completely untenable. Thankfully, Marvel has released an official watchlist, paring the list down to something much more manageable.

Before the MCU got as big as it is today, it was fun to do a movie marathon heading into a major Marvel release. For example, when Avengers: Endgame came out, some theaters held continuous marathons lasting a few days. Take note that this was before Marvel officially included every TV show and legacy movie (like the X-Men universe).

Now, heading into Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel will not ask you to devote the rest of your year just for homework. Instead, here’s an official list you can use to catch up:

X-Men
X2
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Avengers
Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Endgame
Loki
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Captain America: Brave New World
Deadpool & Wolverine
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Thunderbolts
The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Compared to the extensive list of everything Marvel, this official list is much more manageable, especially since there’s only one show (Loki). It’s also a veritable who’s who of the MCU, so it’s hard to get bored.

The official list as seen on Disney+

There are, however, a few surprises and spoilers. For one, if you’ve been avoiding the teasers and trailers, the X-Men films might be a shock to you. Likewise, the inclusion of the critically panned Brave New World is interesting.

The exclusions are just as noteworthy, too. Though the two earliest X-Men films are included, the list doesn’t add Days of Future Past, one of the first Marvel films to use time travel. Thor: Love and Thunder isn’t on here, despite Love, Thor’s adopted daughter, appearing in the trailers. Brand New Day is also missing, but that’s likely because the movie isn’t on Disney+ yet.

Avengers: Doomsday premieres in cinemas on December 18. Four months should be enough time to catch up on these titles.

Entertainment

Marvel Studios unveils new X-Men cast

Adam Driver, Inde Navarette, more join Sadie Sink for film set for May 2028

Published

August 17, 2026

GadgetMatch

Courtesy: Marvel

At the D23 Disney fan event, Marvel Studios has officially unveiled the cast of the new X-Men movie, which has been announced for a May 5, 2028 premiere.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and director Jake Schreier were joined onstage by Sadie Sink, who made her debut as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, for the showcase.

The trio then welcomed Sink’s new co-stars: Kit Connor as Scott Summers/Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, and Maya Boyd as Storm.

Finally, Adam Driver crashed the panel with one final video surprise, where he revealed that he will be playing a very sinister figure named Nathaniel Milbury, a.k.a. Mister Sinister.

Mister Sinister has been a recurring antagonist throughout various X-Men media, including in Season 2 of the 1992 animated series and in the first season of X-Men ’97.

Now, he will serve as the main villain in the new X-Men film that jumpstarts the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Mutant Saga.

Given the initial cast, this X-Men reboot will be set in the earlier stages of the team’s lifecycle, taking audiences back to how the school built its foundation for a faithful setup based in the comics. Although within the MCU chronology, it will be set in the present day.

The rebooted X-Men film is now the third confirmed feature film in the post-Multiverse Saga MCU, after Black Panther 3 and Ghost Rider.

Entertainment

Avengers: Doomsday special look teases villain’s origin, crusade vs. ‘stolen lives’

Clip previews Doom’s dynamic with the Fantastic Four, motives

Published

August 16, 2026

GadgetMatch

Courtesy: Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Studios debuted an Avengers: Doomsday special look at the D23 Disney fan event, showcasing a clip focused heavily on the Dynamic between Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four.

No less than lead antagonist actor Robert Downey Jr. graced the stage to reveal the special look. He was joined by MCU veterans Chris Evans (Steve Rogers) and Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter).

Their joint was fitting as it: their characters in Avengers: Endgame were last seen living out an alternate timeline together after Steve returned the Infinity Stones to their original places following the time heist.

The special look opens with Sue Storm explaining Doctor Doom’s origins before his turn to villainy. Among those listening were Shang-Chi, the Wakandans, the X-Men, Thor, and Steve Rogers.

“Victor was always the smartest guy in every room. He used to be different. He used to be caring. And then, everything he loved was taken from him. I knew he was lost, but I did not realize that he was broken,” Sue says.

This establishes the deep-seated relationship between herself, Reed Richards, and Doom. Long before the antagonist took the couple’s child, Franklin Richards, in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the trio shared a long and complicated history.

The clip then cuts to Reed himself confronting his adversary among the rubble, asking him: “Did you do this?”

While Doom has historically held a grudge against Mister Fantastic stemming from their academic falling out, the footage hints at a motivation far broader than a personal vendetta.

‘Stolen lives’

Delivering what may be the clip’s defining line, Doom issues a stark warning: “All of you have lived stolen lives. But now you must give them back.”

There’s no question that since the MCU introduced the multiverse, timeline instability and incursions have grown increasingly dire.

But of course, the most pertinent one for the Doomsday narrative is Steve living a borrowed life by choosing to remain in the past with Peggy, not knowing the repercussions of this decision.

Because Doomsday serves as a direct Endgame sequel anyway in the grand scheme of things, this provides a clear context for Doom’s vengeful crusade.

The special look transitions with the familiar but brief battle scene between Thor and Doom — this time with a bit of dialogue. The Stormbreaker just gets flicked away effortlessly, and the God of Thunder is blasted backward before Doom summons an army of Sentinels.

“Hell answers to me,” Doom declares, “for I am Doom”.

Wolverine, Deadpool, Spider-Man appearing?

Building on Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool antics during the recent San Diego Comic-Con where he asked Downey Jr. about the film’s production schedule, long-time Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman made a surprise video appearance in D23.

Prompted by an off-screen Reynolds, Jackman asked if there still was room in the already star-studded Doomsday ensemble.

Marvel Studios continues to lean into these officially sanctioned bits, using playful cast teasers rather than risking leaks or confirming appearances blatantly.

While logical storytelling suggests saving characters like Deadpool and Wolverine for Avengers: Secret Wars, the impending multi-versal collapse makes virtually any crossover possible.