Welcome to this week’s installment of Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week, wherein we shine a spotlight on strong women who inspire us. Now, this not only includes fictional female characters in geeky media but creators as well. These ladies are a prime example of female empowerment and how crucial it is for youth to have said example to follow.
DISCLAIMER: The following is loaded with spoilers for Marvel’s Thor, Thor: The Dark World and WandaVision. You’ve been warned. Proceed with caution
Darcy Lewis
Fast Facts:
Doctor Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) is a former student from Culver University. She worked as an intern for Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) and an assistant to Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). She first appeared in the MCU when Thor (Chris Hemsworth) crash-landed onto Earth. Through him, she and Jane became focused on breaking down and understanding the Bifrost Bridge. When Thor eventually returned to Earth, Lewis helped him and Jane takedown Malekith (Marc Thompson) and the Dark Elves. Following these events, Darcy returned to school to finish out a doctorate in astrophysics and one of the 50% to survive Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) snap.
Post-Blip Darcy was recruited by S.W.O.R.D. to take part in an operation occurring in Westfield, New Jersey. She was tasked with uncovering the mysterious supernatural phenomenon that was currently holding the town hostage. She uncovered that Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) was broadcasting her own show from within the bubble. Darcy worked alongside Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) to uncover the how and why of WandaVision. Darcy and the team soon uncovered that Wanda wasn’t the only one with secrets. S.W.O.R.D. acting director Tyler Hayward (Josh Stamberg) was up to something of his own.
Following Darcy’s removal from the operation, she was able to sneak back in with Jimmy and Monica’s help. However, she was caught while trying to reach Vision (Paul Bettany) as he was trying to leave the bubble. Unbeknownst to her, Wanda began expanding the bubble to protect Vision and Darcy was sucked in along with other members of S.W.O.R.D. and turned into a circus troupe. On the inside, Vision found her and snapped her out of Wanda’s spell and she filled him on all of the events he was missing. During the battle of Westview after Wanda took down the bubble, Darcy made it into town just in time to ram her truck into the side of Tyler Hayward’s vehicle, keeping him from escaping.
Darcy dipped in true Darcy fashion before authorities arrived to question her, simply sharing with Monica that “Debriefs are for the weak”. Where will we see her next? It’s anyone’s guess!
The Real Deal:
Darcy Lewis is the real deal. She may have been introduced simply as Jane Foster’s sidekick in Thor, but she quickly grew into her own character. She is brilliant, snarky and a badass in her own way. In WandaVision, we finally get to see her truly blossom and step out of Jane Foster’s shadow. Darcy took what she learned from Jane and Erik and returned to school to further her education and open doors previously closed to her. Thankfully her new degree and title don’t change her personality too much as she is still full of snarky wit which was made very apparent during her time with S.W.O.R.D. at the base outside of Westfield.
But it isn’t just her snarky attitude and big brain that makes her so important in our eyes. It is her investment in Wanda, Vision and the Westfield bubble. She spends her time on base watching through the sitcom and theorizing Wanda’s motives with us. I can just imagine sitting down and sharing some popcorn with her as we discuss why Wanda was swapping decades for each episode. She feels compassion for Wanda and Vision and focuses on motives beyond an evil ex Avenger looking to become the villain. Alongside Monica and Jimmy, she stands up to Hayward and defends Wanda even though she loses her job in the process.
Why She Matters:
Yes, Darcy most definitely matters! In the MCU, we are surrounded by characters with superhero abilities, insane fighting skills, or massive amounts of money and the brains to build super suits. Darcy is a character that helps bring a sense of normalcy to the films and TV series. We can see the events through the eyes of someone similar to us. Now, of course, she is a bit different as she is brilliant and gets to work for organizations like S.W.O.R.D., but she still our favorite snarky lady. She uses her brains to fight for the side of good and we see in WandaVision that she also has a lot of empathy for others which leads her to work to protect her friends, Vision and Wanda.
So, be like Darcy. Use your experiences to gain future possibilities, do everything to protect your friends and feel empathy for those around you and do what you can to help them.
RELATED: Need a catch-up on WandaVision? Check out our recaps!
Who I Am: A nerd by the strictest definition. I enjoy diving straight into my favorite fandoms without a care in the world. I live on video/board games, fantasy movies and TV, and all things geeky.
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