I upvoted both you and Buldak because I'm certain there's something to what you're saying. Few things are monocausal or completely explained by one factor. And surely these modern filmmaking tropes feedback on themselves and reinforce prevailing styles. Mine isn't any kind of grand unifying theory. I just think it's a factor.
Male assholes (ex: Rick from Rick and Morty, Nolan's Batman, Downy's Iron Man) are fun and interesting to watch. Female assholes are much, much harder to write (Amanda Waller, Suicide Squad, seems to be the best written one in recent films?)
I guess there's explicitly "female" movies, like "Devil Wears Prada" where that kind of behavior is more acceptable (Miranda Priestly plays the role of asshole boss).
But maybe the "formula" for what audiences accept just hasn't really been figured out yet for female characters. You certainly can't just take male-oriented tropes and try to apply them to female-oriented characters.
This comment made me replay 2021 cruella in my head a bit.. the successful female asshole is successful since she does not play fair.. the younger female gets to be an asshole cuz she is poor / parents taken away (?) She then becomes a different asshole caring for only herself and single success, which her long time friends dislike.. then she gets to be a more sinister asshole because she has proof her victims have been more sinister (?)
the female lead was the same as devil wears prada right? so the typecast / emotional prejudice was already embedded..
I can see how this stuff is hard to write, once of the suicide squads tried so hard it should of just made up new characters imho.
but then this particular formula seems so easy to write - main characters get to do really bad things to people cuz those people did really bad things.
I guess this is the main appeal of spiderman type projects - they limit the bad things done to bad people (?)
I put question marks because my study and recollection of these things is of a real interest, but not well versed research / knowledge. I'm sure there is much more.
Frankly I've been disappointed in what movies/media/tv shows / social sharing - all this stuff has been teaching for lessons for a long time, I can't think of much that is done well for non-awful lessons I guess.
Yeah, I think this is a pretty interesting response. That double standard feels to me like a plausible explanation for why some female characters are written differently.
