# Why do they still do "Woman vs. Woman" fights in movies and TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, movies\ **Created:** [February 16, 2023, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884 "2023-02-16T12:35:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/1 "2023-02-16T12:35:09Z")
By which I mean the (usually singular) females on the good/bad side square off at once. It doesn’t always happen, and it doesn’t happen as much as it used to (at least from what I’ve seen) but this pattern still pops up. Is it that they’re concerned about the audience’s reaction to seeing a guy hit a lady? ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/2 "2023-02-16T13:15:52Z")
My guess is _yes_, most audiences would not enjoy watching a guy hit a lady…unless it was a tiny guy against a large lady, or a tax accountant guy against an MMA lady, or an arm-less guy against a gun-toting lady, or… ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/3 "2023-02-16T13:18:33Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Is it that they’re concerned about the audience’s reaction to seeing a guy hit a lady? Or maybe they’re concerned about the “realism” (and I use the term loosely in the context of action movies) of a 100-lb woman beating up a 210-lb guy. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/4 "2023-02-16T13:29:17Z")
I’m not understanding the OP at all. Is the point of the question why the women fight only the women but not men, or is it why fights between women are part of drama at all? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/5 "2023-02-16T13:30:09Z")
Women hero-types and main characters have fights with men in movies and TV all day long. They also have fights with women. Black Widow, Captain Marvel, all the women in the Titans series, Chloë Decker in Lucifer, etc., etc. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/6 "2023-02-16T13:30:38Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Is the point of the question why the women fight only the women but not men This. I worded it clumsily. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/7 "2023-02-16T13:40:48Z")
…Atomic Blonde, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Matrix series, etc… ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/8 "2023-02-16T13:53:08Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Women hero-types and main characters have fights with men in movies and TV all day long. I think the OP is referring to the much more specific case where you have a team of good guys (including one woman) and a team of bad guys (including one woman) and then the women pair off. TV Tropes calls it “Designated Girl Fight”. > **[Designated Girl Fight - TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DesignatedGirlFight)** > > An unspoken version of Wouldn't Hit a Girl; when there's a team with one Action Girl, and there's one female opponent among several men, the two will always take care of each other. She might take out one of the guys, too, but the men will keep … ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/9 "2023-02-16T13:53:30Z")
It’s common when the woman fighter is the protagonist and will either win or advance the plot by losing. Less common to see the male action hero beating up women, even if they’re skilled and willing combatants. Which means that if you have a good guy team and a bad guy team, you usually don’t see a Good Man beating up the Bad Woman if a Good Woman can do it. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/10 "2023-02-16T14:00:36Z")
I mean, yeah, you don’t see strong men whaling on women or even weak men that often. It’s no fun to watch. But, with strong women? They fight all the time. Sure, if there are women on both sides, they might pair off. In Deadpool 1 and 2, there were men and women fighting (I’m thinking of Colossus and whatever her name was, the one from the Mandalorian, and Domino and a bunch of creeps from that boarding school). I think they will make the fight as interesting as they can – look at the fight from one of the Iron Man movies, where Black Widow defeats a ton of men while Happy takes all day to beat that one man. They didn’t square off Jean Grey with Mystique in the X-Men movies either. Anyway, there seem to be so many counter examples that are just springing freely to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/11 "2023-02-16T14:01:52Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > whatever her name was, the one from the Mandalorian, and Domino and a bunch of creeps from that boarding school). Gina Carano. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/12 "2023-02-16T14:05:39Z")
Thanks. In the past few years, I would say the opposite is really true – you have women with no special super powers, but just fighting skills, beating the crap out of men who also have fighting skills. It’s something I’ve noticed recently, that there doesn’t seem to be any divide between the men and women when it comes to who is fighting and winning in the movies and TV. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/13 "2023-02-16T14:17:41Z")
Yeah, I don’t buy the premise of the OP either. These days women in movies not only fight and hold their own, but often kick ass against much larger male opponents. To the point that it’s unrealistic. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m a fairly large male and someone like Ronda Rousey would surely beat the crap out of me. But if two opponents of any gender fight, given similar fitness levels and fight training, the larger opponent will beat the smaller the great majority of the time. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/14 "2023-02-16T15:04:55Z")
It usually leads to cries of how unrealistic it is, however hollow those words ring in a show where one man takes out 5 guys regularly. If this is an itch that needs scratching, check out the CW reboot of “Beauty and the Beast” starring 5’4" 100-lbs-on-her-best day Kristin Kreuk. Most fight scenes had her trying to fight hand-to-hand, getting thrown around like a rag doll by men twice her size, then getting her hands on a gun. I honestly don’t remember a scene where she fought another woman, aside from sparring with her partner to cover plot exposition. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/15 "2023-02-16T16:19:28Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > In Deadpool 1… “This is confusing. Is it sexist to hit you? Is it more sexist to not hit you? I mean, the line gets real… blurry!” ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/16 "2023-02-16T16:34:21Z")
So good! ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/17 "2023-02-16T16:37:36Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I think the OP is referring to the much more specific case where you have a team of good guys (including one woman) and a team of bad guys (including one woman) and then the women pair off. TV Tropes calls it “Designated Girl Fight”. Yeah, this is just the gender-based version of what I call the “Superhero Sorting Algorithm”. When you have two opposing teams of superheroes/supervillains, they almost always fight each other in accordance with their relative power levels. You don’t put a Superman-type character up against the guy who’s just a naturally talented gymnast-turned-bad-guy, because the fight would be ridiculous. Closely matched opponents make the best fight scenes, unless you’re looking for a funny Hulk vs. Loki curbstomp battle. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/18 "2023-02-16T17:32:42Z")
> [@epbrown](#): > > Most fight scenes had her trying to fight hand-to-hand, getting thrown around like a rag doll by men twice her size, then getting her hands on a gun. This was also the case with Veronica Mars. Kristen Bell is 5’1" and the show clearly tells us how she needs to use her wits and smarts, because if it comes to fighting, she’d be in very real trouble. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/19 "2023-02-16T17:42:07Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > In Deadpool 1 and 2, there were men and women fighting Deadpool even made fun of the trope: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ia9i948UbHM/maxresdefault.jpg "deadpool sexist") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia9i948UbHM) ETA: Whoops, missed the post that said the same thing above. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884/20 "2023-02-16T20:06:30Z")
@Hogarth’s ref to TV Tropes in post #8 really nails it and goes into considerable detail about the whys and the variations on this theme. For sure the tone of all this is changing quickly. When Angelina Jolie did _Lara Croft: Tomb Raider_ in 2001 _twenty two_ years ago(!) her character’s role was seen as a pretty ground-breaking example of an ass-kickin’ woman. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-still-do-woman-vs-woman-fights-in-movies-and-tv/979884.md?page=2)