Wynonna Ea p: An A ypical Wes e n Rep esen a ion
Ana Bea iz da Piedade Simão
Disse ação de Mes ado
em Li e a u as e Cul u as Mode nas
Es udos Ingleses e No e-Ame icanos
No emb o, 2021
Disse ação ap esen ada pa a cump imen o dos equisi os necessá ios
 ob enção do g au de Mes e
em Li e a u as e Cul u as Mode nas – Es udos Ingleses e No e-Ame icanos,
ealizada sob a o ien ação cien í ica da P o esso a Dou o a Isabel Oli ei a.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A hea el hank you
To P o esso Isabel Oli ei a, a huge hank you o he guidance and suppo h oughou
his pe iod o cons an sel -doub .
To my pa en s, o he cons an suppo and guidance h oughou his pe iod, and o e all,
my en i e li e. I is wi h pa en s such as mine ha one g ows o being able o d eam and
o belie e ha we can do wha we wan i we pu ou minds o i .
To my sis e , Ana and b o he -in-law Rica do, o hei cons an suppo and belie in
my capabili ies. A hank you is no enough.
To my nephew, Xa ie , o keeping i simple and un, some hing ha only a child can
do.
To my boy iend, Valé io, o suppo ing me and keeping i easy h oughou he exci ing
as well as ha d pa h o w i ing.
To he iend I g ew up wi h, Ana, and also o he new ones, o always making me
laugh and suppo ing me e en when I el ha I had oo much going on.
The pandemic made i di icul , bu wi h each o you, we made h ough wi h ligh in ou
eyes. No hing can ake ha away.
Wynonna Ea p: An A ypical Wes e n Rep esen a ion
Ana Bea iz da Piedade Simão
ABSTRACT
This disse a ion deals mainly wi h Beau Smi h’s Wynonna Ea p (1997), a comic se ies,
as pa o he ee alua ion he wes e n gen e has been going h ough. The Ame ican Wes ,
a space whe e men domina e and e y ew women ha e been allowed in, is also a main
ocus, since some emale cha ac e s who ha e been unde mined and o he s who ha e
h i ed will be sc u inized in wo ks such as The Vi ginian (1902) by Owen Wis e ,
Wes wo ld (2016) by Jona han Nolan and mo e ex ensi ely, Wynonna Ea p, in mediums
such as comics and ele ision. Likewise, he social and poli ical changes b ough on wi h
ime will be a he co e o his wo k as hey help o elucida e and desc ibe how he wes e n
has been e ol ing in he way i ep esen s women and allowing hem o become he oes in
a space and na a i e whe e he igu e o he cowboy has been idolized and my hicized in
Ame ican his o y. Wynonna Ea p demons a es he p og essi e ideas o ou ime and
shows how pe sis ence migh be cen al o change.
KEYWORDS: Wynonna Ea p, wes e n, comics, Ame ican li e a u e, cowboy, my h,
s e eo ypes, change.
Wynonna Ea p: Uma Rep esen ação de um Wes e n
A ípico
Ana Bea iz da Piedade Simão
RESUMO
Es a disse ação analisa p imo dialmen e Wynonna Ea p (1997), uma banda desenhada
da au o ia de Beau Smi h, como pa e da ea aliação de que o wes e n em sido al o. O
Oes e ame icano, um espaço maio i a iamen e ep esen ado como masculino, onde
poucas mulhe es êm sido deixadas en a , ai se igualmen e um dos en oques, is o que
se á analisado como algumas das igu as emininas êm sido es e eo ipadas e ou as
consegui am desen ol e -se em ob as como The Vi ginian (1902) de Owen Wis e ,
Wes wo ld (2016), de Jona han Nolan, e p incipalmen e Wynonna Ea p, em géne os como
a banda desenhada e a ele isão. Além dis o, momen os polí icos e sociais conside ados
ulc ais ão es a p esen es, sendo analisados em conjun o com o mencionado
an e io men e, pois elucidam e ajudam a desc e e como é que o wes e n em indo a
e olui na o ma como ep esen a a igu a eminina e como em c iado, cada ez mais,
na a i as com he oínas. Assim, Wynonna Ea p em, ao mesmo empo, e ela ideias
ino ado as do nosso empo e mos a que a pe sis ência em sido undamen al pa a a
mudança.
PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Wynonna Ea p, wes e n, banda desenhada, Oes e Ame icano,
cowboy, mi o, es e eó ipo, mudança.

Table o Con en s
In oduc ion p. 1
Chap e I. The Classic S e eo ypical Female Cha ac e Ou Wes p. 6
1.1 The Vi ginian (1902) by Owen Wis e : The Model p. 6
1.2 Shane (1949) by Jack Schae e : The S e eo ypical Woman wi h a Rebellious Side
p. 13
1.3 Wes wo ld (2016-2020): The Libe a ion o Chained Women in he Imagined Wes
p. 20
1.3.1 Dolo es Abe na hy: F om he Damsel in Dis ess o he Leade o he Species
p. 23
1.3.2. Mae e Millay: F om he B o hel’s Madam o Wa io Mo he on a Mission
p. 27
1.3.3 Po ai o Women in Wes wo ld p. 30
1.4. The Mandalo ian (2019-2021): Ca asyn hia Dune he “New Soldie o Women”
p. 33
CHAPTER II: Wes e n Comics: Women in and ou o Re ige a o s p. 38
2.1 Image Comics: Wynonna Ea p p. 40
2.2 IDW Publishing: The New Wynonna Ea p p. 47
CHAPTER III: Ou o he Re ige a o : Tele ision Adap a ion o Wynonna Ea p
p. 56
3.1 F om Reluc an He o o Righ ul He o o an Imagined Wes e n Space p. 61
3.2 Readap a ion o Wynonna Ea p om Showing o Telling p. 89
CONCLUSION: The Pe sis ence o Female He oes in he Wes e n p. 95
Wo ks Ci ed p. 99
1
In oduc ion
The Eme gence o a New Wes e n He o: Women as He oes
The ‘ul ima e s uc u e’ o me ana a i e, in e ms o he Wes , has been
a se ies o dominan s o ies o my hs old o e ime and endowed wi h
massi e cul u al powe , such as he P omised Land, Mani es Des iny,
Tu ne ’s on ie hesis, each o which sough o encompass and de ine he
Wes . Taken oge he and o e ime, hese my hs con ibu e o he
cons uc ion o a discou se ha de ines he Wes in he consciousness.
Neil Campbell, The Cul u es o he Ame ican New Wes (2000), 6.
The discou se o he wes e n gen e has always been imme sed in my hs, encoding i s
na a i es wi h a powe ul symbolism which popula cul u e consumes a idly. Wha e e
he media h ough which he wes e n is p esen ed – mo ies, ele ision, li e a u e, music,
among o he s – he my hical wes e n ha became amous and ex emely success ul and
aluable almos always in ol es he igu e o he male he o, he cowboy. Richa d Slo kin,
in Gun igh e Na ion: The My h o he F on ie in Twen ie h-Cen u y Ame ica (1993),
e e s o he use o my h as ollows:
[My h] [o] e ime h ough equen e ellings and deploymen s as a sou ce o
in e p e i e me apho s, he o iginal my hic s o y is inc easingly
con en ionalized and abs ac ed un il i is educed o a deeply encoded and
esonan se o symbols, “icons,” “keywo ds,” o “his o ical clichés.” (5)
The main he o o he Ame ican Wes , he cowboy, became a amous icon whose se o
alues and mo ali y echoed h oughou popula cul u e, oo ing i sel in Ame ican his o y.
Wi h he cowboy as an icon, he na a i es abou he Wes u ned his imagined space
in o a masculine domina ed a ea whe e ew women we e allowed, acco ding o he mos
gene alized wes e n s o ies. Viewing he wes e n as limi ing women is a common idea
when one alks abou he wes e n and i s he oes. Howe e , i he wes e n is mos ly a male
2
domina ed gen e and space, i has also been a space o women, e en i i po ays mainly
wo ypes o women: he damsel in dis ess o he p os i u e wi h he hea o gold.
These wo po ai s o women a e he mos common in wes e n na a i es, and
al hough hey a e es ic i e and de imen al, he e ha e been o he oles gi en o women
h oughou ime and some s o ies o eal women ou Wes esu aced, which ha e been
helping o ques ion he wes e n as a male domina ed space. Ma k Wilde mu h, in
Feminism and he Wes e n in Film and Tele ision (2018, 37), men ions se e al emale
cha ac e s who appea ed in ele ision se ies and mo ies, such as Annie Oakley (1935)
and Calami y Jane and Sam Bass (1949). Neil Campbell also no iced how he wes e n
has mul iple na a i es which in he end ell he same s o y, ha o male he oism and
emale unde mining:
This my hic discou se, p oduced by selec i e his o y, li e a u e, isual a s, and
popula cul u e, cons uc s an ideological amewo k o g id ha au ho izes and
p i ileges he dominan s o ies o he Wes . Such my hs ha e o be examined
closely because hey dis o by na u alizing his o y, hollowing i ou in o a nea ,
closed, unambiguous p ocess. (2000, 6)
Th ough Campbell’s wo ds abou how he gen e picks, closely and selec i ely, he s o ies
i ells, i can be a gued ha when i comes o elling women’s s o ies in he Wes , he
gen e s ill has a long way o go in allowing space o women o explo e and o ha e oles
in na a i es in which hey a e mo e han seconda y cha ac e s used o male he oes o
en ich hei he oic ad en u es and pe sonali ies.
Hence, e en i he wes e n con inues o ha e p oblems when i comes o he way
i add esses emale oles in i s na a i es, especially om he wen ie h cen u y un il
oday, he e ha e been impo an de elopmen s in his gen e which ha e accompanied
impo an igh s o equal ep esen a ion be ween he sexes and acial equali y in media
such as cinema and ele ision. The e o e, mo emen s, as The Women’s Righ s
Mo emen and he Ci il Righ s Mo emen , helped Ame ican cul u e become mo e
willing o e lec on i s inne p oblems and in he image, i po ayed o i s people. These
mo emen s impac ed o he mediums, such as comics in which he supe he o gen e was,
and s ill is, che ished by popula cul u e. Pa adoxically, mo emen s such as Feminism
bo h p ized and c i icized emale he oes like Wonde Woman (1941). Female he oes we e
lo ed and c i icized simul aneously because, on he one hand, hey embodied ai s like
independency and s eng h, which eminis s we e igh ing o , and on he o he hand
9
"Why, he e's a skunk," said I, no icing he p e y li le animal o ing in on
o us a he edge o he hicke s. “Oh, whe e is i ? Don' le me see i !" sc eamed
Molly.” And a his deeply eminine ema k, he Vi ginian looked a he wi h
such a smile ha , had I been a woman, i would ha e made me his o do wha he
pleased wi h on he spo . (158)
Again, as in he i s example, she ac ed acco dingly, and so did he Vi ginian,
demons a ing how he was supe io o he by ac ing unsu p ised and una aid. As a man
om he Wes he ac ed as he s ong p o ec o , and Molly, a woman om he Eas , wi h
li le con ac wi h na u e, ac ed as i she needed p o ec ion. He was he he o and he
p o ec o o Molly, he woman in need o help. No ice he na a o ’s wo ding, such as
“deeply eminine ema k” and pa icula ly he sexual innuendo o he es o he sen ence.
Fu he mo e, ano he impo an momen om he no el ha demons a es how
women we e po ayed in he wes e n always in need o p o ec ion, e en om ha sh
wo ds and he u h is when he qua el be ween he Vi ginian and T ampas, he illain,
is explained: “I was his code ne e o speak ill o any man o any woman. (…) In his
scheme, good women we e o know only a agmen o men’s li es (…) She should know
he s o y o his qua el in language as ligh and casual as he could eil i wi h” (282).
While he ies o ind he igh and ligh e wo ds, he alks abou he di e ence be ween
men and women by gi ing an example o a es less nigh he spen a a ho el because o
he empe o he woman in he oom nex doo : “Once I had o sleep in a oom nex a
ladies' empe ance mee in'. Oh, hea ens! Well, I couldn' change my oom, and he ho el
man, he apologized o me nex mawnin'. Said i didn' su p ise him he husbands d ank
some.” (283).
Thus, once again, Molly is he shel e ed woman who should only know abou a
ce ain pa o he li e o he man she was going o ma y, and e en i he Vi ginian is
elling he abou his oubles wi h T ampas, he chooses his wo ds ca e ully, so as no o
dis u b he agile and p ecious mind. Addi ionally, he e a e o he wo examples ha
con ibu e o he iew o Molly as a classic example o he s e eo ypical wes e n woman.
The i s example is when he Vi ginian is old no o go change his clo hes o his wedding
a i e and o keep he ones he had on, because he would need he mos eedom o
mo emen in he duel wi h T ampas. Molly does no unde s and he meaning behind his
seemingly simple eques since she is innocen and unawa e o he ue and iolen eali y

10
o he Wes , e en i she had al eady seen he kind o jus ice and law ha exis ed in he
Wes , he kind o aking jus ice and he law in o one’s own hands. The example is:
Bu he Vi ginian had aken Scipio's meaning. "DON'T CHANGE YOURS
CLOTHES." Innocen Molly app ecia ed hese wo ds no mo e han he a e age
eade who eads a mas e piece, complacen ly unawa e ha i s s yle di e s om
ha o he mo ning pape . Such was Scipio's in en ion, wishing o spa e he om
ala m. (286)
The na a o ’s desc ip ion o how Molly was obli ious o he eal in en o hose wo ds,
u he helps o lowe emale cha ac e s in he wes e n, demons a ing ha women in he
Wes end be le ou o he iolence ha exis s in e e yday li e o he men, and ha hey
as supe io beings only wan o p o ec women.
The wes e n by lea ing women in he pe iphe y o public li e, demons a es ha
he e a e wo sphe es — he p i a e and he public — and a on ie be ween hem, which
women a ely lea e. I hey e e pu a oo in he iolen public space, i is only o beha e
as he cliché woman who, a i s , su p isingly, s ands up o he iolence and he need o
men o esol e hings wi h hei guns, and decide ha i he male he o wan s o use
iolence, hen hey would no con inue o be oman ically in ol ed wi h he male he o.
Bu , when women inally ake a s and, and decide some hing by hemsel es, o en hei
ini ial esol e c umbles, and hey accep back he male he o. This is wha happens in he
second example when he Vi ginian and Molly a gue abou he upcoming igh wi h
T ampas, and Molly wan s he Vi ginian o lee. Howe e , she inds ou ha he Vi ginian
canno lea e own because o his a ogance and manliness, and she decides she canno
ma y him a e all, since she does no unde s and he need o iolence and mu de :
"Can' yu' see how i mus be abou a man?" he epea ed.
"I canno ," she answe ed, in a oice ha sca cely seemed he own. "I I ough o,
I canno . To shed blood in cold blood. When I hea d abou ha las all, — abou
he killing o hose ca le hie es, — I kep saying o mysel : 'He had o do i . I
was a public du y.' And lying sleepless I go used o Wyoming being di e en
om Ve mon . Bu his — she ga e a shudde — "when I hink o o-mo ow,
o you and me, and o — I you do his, he e can be no o-mo ow o you and
me." (297)
Howe e , as men ioned be o e, his does no las , and Wis e , h ough he na a o ’s oice,
u ns he in o a cliché, because once she saw ha he Vi ginian was sa e, she o go abou
11
hei di e en opinions abou iolence: “Thus did he New England conscience ba le o
he end, and, in he end, capi ula e o lo e. And he nex day, wi h he bishop’s blessing,
and M s. Taylo ’s b oades smile, and he ing on he inge , he Vi ginian depa ed wi h
his b ide in o he moun ains” (302). In he end, he cowboy and he Wes we e supe io
o he woman’s ideals om he Eas , meaning ha masculini y and iolence as a means
o jus ice and law we e supe io o he Eas e n no ions o jus ice and law.
Addi ionally, he Wes is a space whe e men’s ideals a e abo e he women’s, since
men ac on bo h p i a e and public sphe es. Women a ely had ha op ion o a ely did
hey ake i upon hemsel es o be pa o bo h a eas. Rega ding Wis e ’s opinion o he
Wes and o women, Tompkins w o e abou he in luence o women in Wis e ’s li e,
especially his mo he , Sa ah Bu le Wis e (1835-1908). In e es ingly, hei complica ed
ela ionship had e iden consequences on his iew o women, because he cons an
sc u iny and judgemen oge he wi h he de imen o his heal h, led Wis e o he Wes ,
a space ee o women’s con ol. As Tompkins a gues, he Wes “was he place whe e a
new b eed o men was coming in o being, whe e adi ion mean no hing and he weak
we e being winnowed ou by he p ocesses o e olu ion.” (137).
Fu he mo e, besides his p oblema ic ela ionship wi h his mo he , his unhappy
ma ied li e also migh ha e con ibu ed o his iew o women, and consequen ly o he
c ea ion o Molly Woods as a woman who ma ched he classic s e eo ype, and did
e e y hing acco ding o he desi es o he male p o agonis . Ul ima ely, Molly was c ea ed
in acco d wi h Wis e ’s opinion. Tompkins e en ela es he cha ac e o Molly o Wis e ’s
mo he , and a gues:
His mo he was e e y hing he Wes was no : socie y, a , manne s, as e,
inhe i ed weal h, good b eeding, a li e o leisu e in exquisi e su oundings —
e e y hing exclusi e, disc imina ing, and gen eel. The Vi ginian’s iumph o e
Molly — hei “exchange” o “posi ions,” he “su ende ,” his becoming
“mas e ” — makes sense when one conside s Wis e ’s need o be independen
o his mo he , wi hou losing he ega d. (143)
The e o e, h ough Tompkins connec ion be ween Wis e ’s mo he and Molly, i seems
clea ha he la e cha ac e would be based on he women he knew. Hence, ano he
example om he no el ha demons a es Wis e ’s opinion o women, and consequen ly
hei ep esen a ion in he wes e n is seen in he las pa ag aph o The Vi ginian:
12
Some imes she missed he Bea C eek days, when she and he had idden
oge he , and some imes she decla ed ha his wo k would kill him. Bu i does
no seem o ha e done so. Thei eldes boy ides he ho se Mon e; and, s ic ly
be ween ou sel es, I hink his a he is going o li e a long while. (314)
In he las pa ag aph o he no el, Wis e ocused on he longe i y o he male he o and
on he wo ies o Molly abou he husband’s wo k. The las in o ma ion he eade has o
he main he o is ha he will li e long, and he e is no in o ma ion abou Molly’s
longe i y. The e is only e e ence o he child en ha she ga e bi h o and he wo ies.
F om his las pa ag aph he idea o women as mo he ly, docile, and subse ien is s ill a
wo k, and wha ma e s o many o wes e n w i e s and hei admi e s is he male
p o agonis .
Howe e , he e is an example in he no el ha demons a es a di e en side o
Molly, a side ha should ha e, and could ha e been mo e explo ed i he w i e saw
women di e en ly. Molly in his example could be desc ibed as sel less, esilien , and
s ong because she sa ed he Vi ginian om ce ain dea h a e Indians a acked him. Bu ,
as his could ha e been he glo ious momen in he wes e n, when he main he o was
sa ed, i was uined because he said ha Molly had o be he man in cha ge: “You ha e
go o be he man all h ough his mess.” (207). So, he e is a e e sal in oles, making
Molly he emale he o, and he Vi ginian he one needed sa ing. Bu , in he he oic
momen , she had o be a man, because only men could be ough, s ong, sma and endu e,
making ha d decisions o su i e in he Wes .
In addi ion, Molly alls in o he s e eo ypical emale beha io by nu sing he
Vi ginian back o ull heal h, making Molly he classic nu u ing and docile example o
women who ake ca e o o he people’s heal h. Mo eo e , his was he momen in he
no el when he emale cha ac e sa ed he male p o agonis all on he own, and i could
ha e been he momen ha made Molly s ep ou o he domes ic sphe e in o he public
wes e n space whe e men like he Vi ginian domina e. She did s ep ou o he sa e and
p o ec ed domes ic space in o he dange ous Wes , bu she did i as a man, no as a woman.
Wis e makes ha clea when he male p o agonis associa es Molly’s cou age and
s eng h o men’s quali ies, as i women we e no able o he oic and sel less ac s
hemsel es. Will W igh , when analyzing lo e in he wes e n, a gues ha “(…)
independen women a e a ac i e o men, bu oo much independence is dange ous.
Socie y can only be ci il i lo e makes women dependen , so decen women mus wan
13
lo e mo e han independence.” (2001:153). In The Vi ginian, his is wha occu s, since
in he end Molly wan ed lo e mo e han he own eedom and independence.
In addi ion, as i was e e ed be o e abou he Vic o ian no el and he es ic ion o
women o he domes ic space, i should be said ha mos o he wes e ns c ea ed in he
wen ie h cen u y (and e en nowadays) e lec his image o women ha has, om
Wis e ’s no el and o he wes e n wo ks by au ho s such as Louis l'Amou , de eloped in o
he classic image o women in he Wes . W igh a gues ha con inuously es ic ing
women o he p i a e and domes ic sphe e is he way o keeping a balanced social o de .
Ne e heless, he also admi s ha women in eali y canno s ay only in one sphe e, and
when hey lea e i , hey h ea en ha social o de . Thus, acco ding o W igh , he wes e n
always ies o keep women in check. When hey s ep ou o ha space, no mally: 1- hey
a e pushed back by he male he o; 2- he woman is he illain, and is killed; 3- inally,
she admi s ha she made mis akes and dies in he he o’s a ms. Wha e e he end, as
W igh a gued “(…) ma ke assump ions equi e women o admi e and obey men, no o
h ea en hem. (…) Women should s ay in he amily, in hei iew, while men compe e
in he ma ke , so he amily can be s able, and he ma ke can be ci il.” (151). The
Vi ginian se he cou se o he wes e n o g ow apidly, and as i became he wes e n’s
model o ollow o he es o he wen ie h cen u y, women like Molly Woods appea ed
massi ely h oughou ime, becoming he model o emale cha ac e s in he Wes . The e
would be excep ions like Wonde Woman and Annie Oakley who we e independen and
powe ul p o agonis s in he wes e n public space. Bu he excep ions a e ew, and he e
would s ill be a long ime un il o he in e p e a ions o womanhood appea ed and le a
ma k in he Wes . None heless, i was om excep ional women like he ones men ioned
be o e ha he wes e n de eloped and s a ed o accep and inco po a e impo an emale
na a i es.
1.2. Shane (1949) by Jack Schae e : he s e eo ypical woman wi h a ebellious side
(…) he independen women ound in o he pos –Wo ld Wa II wes e ns
ini ially appea o be h owing o he shackles o adi ional gende oles,
bu in he end (…) hey ha e o be escued by men, hey ollow he male’s
lead, and ul ima ely hey wind up accep ing domes ic bliss. Richa d Aquila
(2015)
14
The Cold Wa (1947-1991) was an e a ha ma ked almos e e y aspec o he USA.
Consequen ly, i a ec ed he discussion o gende in Ame ican socie y challenging he
ypical oles o men and women. Mainly, men con inued o ake he ole o p o ec o and
women he ole o he domes ic docile nu u e , bu as Aquila a gues his pe iod o he
Cold Wa saw a e ision o “(…) women, mino i ies, immig an s, and you hs; hey
ein e p e ed he oles played by indi iduals, amilies, socie y, and go e nmen ” (167). I
was a pe iod when women wo ked and s udied mo e, making pa o he labo o ce, and
en olling in colleges and uni e si ies. Hence, wes e n no els and ilms du ing his ime
con inued o ha e adi ional opics o amily and ma iage, bu hey also e lec ed on
hese changes in he way men and women we e pe cei ed. The e o e, as Aquila
summa ized his e a was “(…) cha ac e ized by powe ul and con adic o y o ces
swi ling wi hin he cul u e o he Cold Wa . Pos wa wes e ns p o ide e idence o
consensus and con lic , as well as con inui y and change.” (167).
Subsequen ly, a wes e n no el ha le i s imp in and modeled he igu e o he
cowboy was Jack Schae e ’s Shane (1949), which es ablished a change and g ow h in he
s e eo ypical ision o he emale cha ac e s in he Wes . Schae e ’s Ma ian S a e
shows, wi h some ai s ha will be discussed u he , a de elopmen om Wis e ’s Molly
Woods. The wo au ho ’s li es- Wis e and Schae e - a e socially and his o ically
di e en , and ha has o be aken in o accoun . Ne e heless, as much as Wis e and
Schae e li ed in di e en imes wi h ac i e changing ideas o he ole o women in
socie y, he u h is ha be o e Wis e he e we e al eady emale w i e s ha we e ahead
o hei ime by he way hey saw hemsel es and wha hey could do o he socie y and
cul u e hey li ed in
2
. Thus, we can say ha Wis e ’s pe cep ion o women could be
somewha jus i ied. Maybe because women w i e s el he lack o igh s and
oppo uni ies hemsel es, hey ended o be mo e libe al o hei emale cha ac e s, and
male w i e s did no know how i was ealis ically.
Shane is se in 1889, in Wyoming, bu i was in luenced by he change b ough on
by he Cold Wa . The i s example ha will be used is he momen when he woman
2
Female w i e s such as Ma y Aus in Holley (1784-1846), and Eliza Fa nham (1815-1864) w o e abou
he way o li e in he Wes . Holley’s Texas (1833) and Fa nham’s Li e in P ai ie Land (1846) alked abou
he wes e n’s way o li ing, and o en imes e lec ed on eal issues o he Wes such as he se e e
exploi a ion o he land and he ways o li e in he Wes o ecen ly a i ed emig an women. (Kolodny:
98)

15
cha ac e is in oduced, a e he mys e ious Shane a i ed a he S a e homes ead, and
he is in i ed o dinne :
She was p oud o he cooking, was mo he . Tha was one hing she lea ned back
home (…) ha was o some use ou in his aw land. As long as she could s ill
p epa e a p ope dinne , she would ell a he when hings we e no going igh ,
she knew she was s ill ci ilized and he e was hope o ge ing ahead. (1975:11)
F om his desc ip ion, Ma ian’s cooking is in oduced o he eade , and i is impo an o
e e o his example because as he skill ulness is in he ki chen, he woman in he Wes
is once again pu in he place, he domes ic sphe e. Mo e han ha he e is an almos
humo ous in en when he na a o (Ma ian’s son Bob who is elling he s o y when he is
al eady an adul bu emembe ing wha had happened when he was a young boy) s a es
ha Ma ian’s cooking would be a kind o wa ning o some hing changing. As his is he
momen in he no el when he eade is gi en some in o ma ion on who she is, he i s
hing ha i is said is ha he bes skill is domes ic, and i is in he ki chen whe e she
decides how li e is going o he amily. She could ha e been in oduced in o he ways
ha made he cha ac e look less as he s e eo ypical wes e n p o o ype o women and
mo e like a capable wes e n woman ha had skills as he mo he ly igu e, bu also was
mo e han ha , an in elligen woman capable o making he own mind and ad ising he
men a ound he . Consequen ly, his example does pu Ma ian in he emale space o he
wes e n and con ibu es o he s e eo ypical image o women in he Wes .
Howe e , Schae e gi es Ma ian a ew ins ances in he no el when he eade can
see ha she was mo e han he classic woman in he wes e n space. These momen s will
be discussed la e on, bu i s i is impo an o no ice ha Schae e allows he mo e
spo ligh han o he emale cha ac e s, al hough she was also o en e used om u he
con ibu ion o he men’s discussions and diminished as he woman who had some wise
easoning behind he a gumen s, bu as she was no a man, he opinion would no be gi en
mo e c edi .
Ano he example when i is demons a ed ha Ma ian only oams in a es ic ed
sa e space can be seen in Joe S a e ’s wo ds: “Ma ian’s igh . Only she doesn’ go a
enough. These ains a e sho . Bu hey su e mess up he oad.” (Schae e :17). F om his
example, i can be no iced ha he place whe e she wande s is he sa e es ic ed space o
he Wes ha has been ans o med om he wilde ness in o ci iliza ion. She does no go
16
in o he unp edic able and dange ous space ha Shane seemed o be used o. She would
always s ay in he wes e n space ha was ci ilized by men. Addi ionally, ano he ins ance
ha pu s Ma ian in he box o he s e eo ypical woman is when she asks Shane abou he
new ashion ends, and hen appea s wi h he new ha p oudly in on o he men:
She was he eshes , p e ies hing I had e e seen. She had aken he ha and
s ipped he old ibbon om i and ixed i as Shane had old he . (…) She had
cu sli s in he b im and he sash om he bes d ess (…). She was s epping along
dain ily, migh y p oud o he sel . (32)
F om his example, women in he wes e n a e always linked wi h ci iliza ion, and Ma ian
is no di e en . Again, jus as Molly, she was a school eache who ma ied and came Wes
because he husband p omised a be e li e o hem, and a place ha was hei own. She
pe soni ies ci iliza ion by being he symbol o mo he hood and aking ca e o he house
while he men wo k ou side ying o ame he wilde ness o he Wes . She ies o s ay
connec ed o wha women do and wea in o he places, ying o keep a pa o he sel
ha in he Wes would p og essi ely be o go en, since ashion was no he mos
impo an hing, su i al was. Ne e heless, he e a e a ew ins ances ha make Ma ian
a mo e complex cha ac e han Molly Woods in The Vi ginian. The i s example occu s
when he men a e discussing he igh be ween Shane and Ch is, he man who wo ks o
he illain, Fle che , and Ma ian calls he husband ou o being w ong:
Be o e anyone else could push in a wo d, mo he was speaking. I was su p ised,
because she was upse and he oice was a li le sh ill. “I wouldn’ be oo su e
abou ha , Joe S a e . I hink you’ e made a bad mis ake.”
“Ma ian, wha ’s go in o you?”
“Look wha you’ e done jus because you go him o s ay on he e and ge mixed
up in his ouble wi h Fle che ”
Fa he was edging owa d being pee ed himsel . “Women ne e do unde s and
hese hings.” (…)
“Oh Joe, can’ you see wha I’m alking abou ? I don’ mean wha you’ e done
o Ch is. I mean wha you’ e done o Shane. (102-103)
Thus, Ma ian gi es he own opinion abou he ma e being discussed, despi e wha he
men hough o he , making he husband unde s and he change ha was b ough o Shane
by he qua el in he communi y. Joe S a e had no seen i ye , bu Ma ian did,
demons a ing ha women a e mo e han p e y aces and mo he ly igu es in he wes e n.
She showed ha she was in elligen and able o s and o e he men’s opinions.
Fu he mo e, ano he example occu s when he husband and Shane we e igh ing
17
Fle che ’s men, and she decided o s ay and see i o he end, despi e he husband elling
he o lea e:
“You wai ou a he wagon, Ma ian. Mo gan’s had his coming o him o qui e
a long ime now and i ’s no o a woman o see.”
Mo he shook he head wi hou mo ing he eyes now om Shane. “No, Joe.
He’s one o us. I’ll see his h ough.” And he h ee o us s ayed he e oge he
and ha was igh , o he was Shane. (122)
Ma ian is s ill in he side-lines, no pa icipa ing in he igh , bu he beha iou owa d
dange and iolence and he e usal o do wha he husband said, demons a es a
de elopmen o women in he wes e n. This migh ha e o do wi h he social changes
b ough on by Wo ld Wa II and he Cold Wa in which women became much mo e ac i e
and in ol ed in hei communi ies and in Ame ican socie y and cul u e. Thus, while in
The Vi ginian Molly did no e en lea e he ho el oom o see i he iancé was okay when
he wen o igh T ampas, in Shane, Ma ian wen a bi u he and s ayed, wa ching he
igh un old in on o he eyes. Molly was p o ec ed om all he iolence, and Ma ian
while s ill being p o ec ed by Joe and Shane, was able o demons a e ha women can
s ep ou o he domes ic sphe e. Schae e did no ake he in o he unexpec ed wilde ness
o he Wes alone, she was su ounded by men, and hus ha does b ing in o ques ion how
much she dis anced he sel om o he s e eo ypical emale cha ac e s in o he no els and
ilms, bu i is an imp o emen om o he emale cha ac e s ha do no ge he chance o
decide o s ay o s ep ou o he ci ilized and sa e space o he domes ic sphe e.
Addi ionally, he e a e o he ins ances in he no el ha demons a e he in luence
o Ma ian on he wo men a ound he , and one o hose can be seen when she is alking
o he husband Joe:
“Bob’s igh , Joe. We can’ le Shane down.” I was quee hea ing he say he
same hing o a he she had said o Shane, he same hing wi h only he name
di e en .
(…)
“I know Joe. Bu you don’ see a enough.” (…) “I can’ eally explain i , Joe.
Bu I jus know ha we’ e bound up in some hing bigge han any o us, and ha
unning away is he one hing ha would be wo se han wha e e migh happen
o us.” (149-150)
Ma ian’s easoning is used by he o emind Shane and Joe o wha was impo an in hei
igh o sa e he communi y. I is he in luence on he male igu es and he capaci y o
decide on he own ha pu s Ma ian wi h a oo ou o he s e eo ypical ca ego y o he
18
emale igu e in he wes e n ha exis s basically o be he oman ic pa ne o he male
p o agonis and o be he woman ha nu u es he house. She ep esen s he classic woman
in he wes e n ha nu u es he domes ic sphe e, and he igu e ha ep esen s ci iliza ion
and eason, bu Schae e made he a bi mo e ebellious han he s e eo ypical emale
igu e, by making he be ce ain o wha she wan ed, lo ed, wan ed o p o ec , and he
own belie s. Then, al hough she s ill emb aces he s e eo ypical beha iou o women in
he wes e n, she also shows new a ibu es like us a ion and ange when she sees ha
he men a ound he we e no hinking easonably. As al eady men ioned, his migh ha e
o do wi h he changes b ough on by he Cold Wa , in which gende and sexuali y s a ed
o be pe cei ed di e en ly. Richa d Aquila e e s o his change, when he alks abou
Ma ian in he mo ie Shane (1953):
(…) Ma ian S a e does no i he i ies s e eo ype o he con en housewi e.
(…) some hing is missing in he li e. He es lessness an icipa es by a decade o
mo e simila us a ions ha we e implici (…) and unleashed by he sexual
e olu ion o he la e six ies and se en ies. (168)
The same happens in he no el e en i i was published ou yea s ea lie , since a e he
Second Wo ld Wa , women we e much mo e ac i e in socie y, and consequen ly hey
slowly s a ed o change i , making i mo e equal o men and women. Ma ian’s
pe sonali y demons a es an e olu ion and a somewha ebellious cha ac e di e en om
o he emale cha ac e s like Molly Woods, and also because one can a gue ha she was
in lo e o a leas di ided be ween wo men, which is di e en om o he no els and
ilms in which he emale cha ac e is in lo e only wi h he male p o agonis . When Shane
knocks ou Joe o p e en him o go and igh he illain, i is in e es ing o no ice ha
Ma ian does no immedia ely go ake ca e o he husband. She s ays o alk wi h Shane
be o e he goes o mee Fle che : “She had no mo ed since he appea ed in he doo way,
no e en when a he ell, and he able ee e ed unde he hands on i s edge. She was
wa ching Shane, he h oa cu ing in a lo ely p oud line, he eyes wide wi h a swee
wa m h shining in hem.” (168). Ma ian’s a en ion was no on he husband e en when
he ell a e Shane bea him wi h his gun; he a en ion was cen e ed on Shane, he o he
man she seems o ha e allen in lo e wi h, a e he husband. Aquila again e e s o he
same inciden in he ilm saying:
S a e ’s wi e is equally complex. No doub , emale iewe s in he i ies, an
e a ha glo i ied emale domes ici y, could ela e o Ma ian, who appea s o
be he
25
in dis ess, and consequen ly needed o emb ace a ibu es no mally seen in men such as
iolence and leade ship. This demons a es a leas wo aspec s: 1— she chose o
inco po a e a male pe sona in o he own mind, e en a e all he auma ha o he male
igu es like Fo d had in lic ed on he ; 2— Dolo es inco po a ing a male pe sona o be
able o igh back and kill, ques ions o wha ex en Dolo es’s choices can be ega ded as
p ima ily emale, and ul ima ely Wes wo ld as ha ing a eminis pe spec i e.
In Season Two, Dolo es is s ill playing a na a i e c ea ed by Fo d called “Jou ney
in o Nigh ” in which she plays he leade o he ebellion. Thus, e en i she was able o
ee he sel in Season One, she is only slowly gaining he capaci y o achie e ee will.
She is s ill pa ly ollowing he las na a i e Fo d c ea ed be o e he was killed. Fo d was
no able o inco po a e ee will in o he hos ’s p og am, so he c ea ed a na a i e wi h
elemen s ha would s uc u e he hos ’s e olu ion o ee will. I was s ill up o hos s like
Dolo es o choose, making mis akes along he way, as Fo d old he gues s in he las
episode o Season One: “So I began o compose a new s o y o hem. I begins wi h he
bi h o a new people... And he choices hey will ha e o make... And he people hey
will decide o become.” Subsequen ly, in Season Two he spec a o sees he ac ess who
plays Dolo es, E an Rachel Woods, swi ch h oughou he season om one exp ession o
ano he , meaning ha in ce ain ins ances Dolo es is p esen , while in o he s i is Wya
when iolence is needed. Dolo es’s na a i e in Season Two is an impo an one o
analyze because e en i he e is he use and in luence o a male pe sona in he ac ions,
Dolo es is he one who looks o an escape om sla e y o he species. Th oughou he
season, she igh s and kills a big numbe o hos s (excep Mae e) ha do no see he same
ou come as she does, and e en i he use o iolence and killing migh seem excessi e,
Dolo es jus wan s a chance o he people o su i e. Mo e han ha , in his season he e
is a b oade ques ion: o h i e and decide who hey wan o be wi hou any sc ip s and
na a i es ha decide hei ai hs.
Con a y o he o he wo emale cha ac e s p e iously analyzed who we e
con ined in he amed wes e n space and unde he dominance o masculini y, Dolo es
igh s pa ia chy and explo es new e i o ies, lea ing he ma k in he wo ld whe e she
was c ea ed and wan s o lea e behind. While Molly claimed ha she would no accep
he Vi ginian i he ough T ampas, bu in he end she did, and Ma ian ne e hough
abou lea ing he S a e homes ead, Dolo es wen u he by killing he c ea o , and by
ying o lea e he space ha had been c ea ed o he species o be explo ed and ensla ed.

26
In some ways Dolo es’ cha ac e explo es he mis ep esen a ion o women in he wes e n
space, c ea ing and eimagining a space in he Wes whe e women s and on hei own ee
and a e in he spo ligh . In addi ion, in Season Th ee, Dolo es inally lea es he pa k and
mo es o he human wo ld whe e humani y li es con olled by a machine called
Rehoboam, and a human Se ac. Dolo es’ objec i e is now o help libe a e humans om
ha con ol. Season Th ee will be he las analyzed since he se ing changes om he
wes e n space o he ci y landscape, demons a ing a bigge in luence o science ic ion.
Wha is impo an is he g ow h shown in Dolo es’ cha ac e o using ee will in Season
Th ee. In he p e ious season, she did no belie e humans dese ed a chance o change
and be be e , bu in Season Th ee she le s humani y choose hei own u u e because o
one human, Caleb, who c ea es hope in Dolo es’ mind o a b igh e u u e. Then, she
helps libe a e hem since she belie ed ha he e was s ill hope o hem. She shows
pe sonal g ow h and ha she had ee will o change he mind abou humans. Ac ually,
ha is made clea in episode eigh “C isis Theo y” when Dolo es s a es ha “F ee will
does exis , Caleb. I ’s jus ucking ha d,” demons a ing ha she s uggles wi h he
decisions jus as humani y does, bu ha she uly had ee will o a leas belie ed in i .
The closes in Season Th ee ha we see Dolo es back in he wes e n space is when
in episode se en “Passed Pawn” she eminisces abou he pa k o Wes wo ld: “I li ed in
hell. Bu he e was beau y in i . The pa k was modelled a e his place. The Wes was...
c uel, unjus , and chao ic... bu he e was a chance o cha you own cou se. I wan a
place o my kind... and o all o us... o be ee.” In he same episode, she alks abou
he i s ole in he pa k: “Fo he i s 35 yea s o my li e, I was a bi playe . A anche 's
daugh e . And when he ime came, I knew I had o be mo e.” Subsequen ly, om hese
wo quo es he Wes was ha d, and he li e was es ic ed and con olled, un il she was
able o b eak ee om he cage. Dolo es e ol ed om he damsel in dis ess o he leade
o he ebellion agains Delos, he company ha owned Wes wo ld, and inally in Season
Th ee she became a cha ac e he spec a o saw as nei he he o o illain, a cha ac e who
had no hing ou o he o dina y ei he physically and men ally, bu jus someone who
knew ha he ai h o he wo ld should no be in he hands. As Dolo es says in episode
six “Decohe ence” speaking o Mae e: “You wan me o be a sain . Bu you' e no sain .
You' e no a illain, ei he . And nei he am I. We' e su i o s.” Dolo es is shown o be a
lawed cha ac e , nei he a sain no a illain, jus a su i o who had o e ol e o be able
o escape he li e ha was p og ammed in o he mind.
27
Th oughou he h ee seasons o Wes wo ld Dolo es changes om he classic ole
o he anche ’s daugh e who only oamed in he Abe na hy homes ead and he own o
Swee wa e in o he s ic , enge ul, ebellious cowgi l and leade o he hos s’ ebellion.
In Season Th ee she e en acknowledges ha he e was mo e o humani y, and hus
e ol ing in o a mo e ca ing cha ac e . She is s ill ebellious and capable o iolence, bu
she ies o he pa hs be o e slaugh e ing e e yone who s ood in he way. This e olu ion
h oughou he h ee seasons, demons a es ha Wes wo ld ques ions he gap be ween
male and emale na a i es old in he wes e n space. The se ies a emp ed o equally
ep esen bo h male and emale s o ies, bu wha is in e es ing o no ice is he way hey
de eloped he emale libe a ion o cha ac e s such as Dolo es and Mae e om classic,
and a i s banal pe sonali ies in he wes e n, o ully complex hos s ha made he
spec a o ques ion how eache ous humani y can be. By explo ing emale na a i es in
he wes e n space, he se ies helped in he e ision and ein en ion o he my hical Wes
whe e masculini y and men we e ully ep esen ed, and women and eminism we e
silenced and mainly used as seconda y o ado n he males’ na a i e. Mae e Millay’s
cha ac e , a b o hel madam, also helps he se ies ques ion he ole o women in he
wes e n space.
1.3.2. Mae e Millay: om he b o hel’s madam o wa io mo he on a mission
In con as wi h Dolo es’ cha ac e , Wes wo ld had Mae e Millay play he b o hel’s
madam in Swee wa e , he opposi e ole o Dolo es. Jus like Dolo es, Mae e was one o
he i s hos s o awake and unde s and he na u e. Howe e , di e en ly om Dolo es
who wan ed o escape and sa e he species om ex inc ion and con ol, Mae e was only
in e es ed in he own s o y. She wan ed o sa e he daugh e Delos had sc ip ed in o he ,
e en i she knew ha he emo ions and memo ies owa ds he gi l we e all pa o an
inco po a ed na a i e, as she acknowledges, in he las episode o Season One, “The
Bicame al Mind”: “She was ne e my daugh e ... Any mo e han I was... whoe e hey
made me.” Mae e’s cha ac e is impo an o analyze jus like Dolo es’ because she also
e ol es om he ole o he p os i u e o a mo he and wa io , ques ioning he classic
ole o he p os i u e wi h he hea o gold in he Wes .
Mae e’s na a i e, he escape om a p ede e mined li e and Delos Pa k
dis inguish he om o he wes e n na a i es in which women a e comple ely domina ed
28
by men and he masculinized Wes , like Ma ian and Molly, who did no e en wan o
escape he s e eo ypical oles o he docile and subse ien woman. Thus, in Season One,
Mae e s a ed o ques ion he exis ence o some o he memo ies abou igu es whom she
belie ed o be gods. E en ually, she disco e ed he u h abou he na u e and ha hose
who she hough we e gods we e only memo ies o people who wo ked in he pa k when
she was aken ou o se ice o be epai ed. Like Dolo es, she had a p ede e mined ole,
and e en be o e Dolo es disco e ed consciousness, Mae e had se e al momen s ha
showed he spec a o ha she oo was de eloping a conscience. One o hose momen s
occu s when Fo d was abou o e ase he memo ies o he mo he hood and he child’s
assassina ion. E en a e he e ased hem, Mae e, no knowing ha she canno ac ually
die, and will be la e be b ough back online, kills he sel in episode eigh “T ace Decay”,
so ha hey would no ake he memo ies away: “No. No, no, no, please. This pain... i 's
all I ha e le o he . Please.” Fu he mo e, in he inal episode o Season One, when she
was abou o escape he pa k she decides o s ay behind and sa e he daugh e , e en i
she knew ha he memo ies o he we e all cons uc ed.
Mae e’s ans o ma ion om p os i u e o mo he , and om unconsciousness o
awa eness we e made wi h he use o iolence and calcula ed choices. He escape om
he pa k was s ill pa o Fo d’s na a i e o he . Howe e , she decides on he own ha
mo he hood was mo e impo an o he han he own escape and su i al. Thus, he use
o iolence, manipula ion, and he ac i e ole in sa ing he daugh e a e in e es ing o be
no iced i she is compa ed o o he emale cha ac e s in he wes e n ha did no ha e
ac i e oles in he mos impo an ma e s o he na a i e being old. Besides Mae e
ac i ely pa icipa ing and pu ing he su i al a isk, she assembled a g oup o hos s o
which she was he leade o sa e he daugh e , and she b ough hem oge he by gi ing
hem he chance o choose eely i hey wan ed o join he o no . Wi h Mae e’s cha ac e ,
Wes wo ld u ns upside down he classic ca ego ies ha mos women i in o ei he as he
mo he o he p os i u e, and joined hem oge he sub e ing hese s e eo ypical ypes,
and demons a ing ha hough mo he hood is Mae e’s co ne s one, i does no make he
he submissi e woman a aid o using iolence. I is ob ious ha he ole o unning he
b o hel ga e he mo e audaci y and less cons ic ion in he wo ds and ac ions, bu he
se ies ended up c ea ing a complex cha ac e ha agi a ed and ied o nego ia e he lack
o spo ligh gi en o women in he wes e n gen e.
29
Mo eo e , in Season Two, Mae e con inues o igh o he daugh e , and
h oughou he season she lea ns o con ol o he hos s and change hei code, all wi h he
own mind, he p og am. Mae e igh s o he daugh e , sa ing he , and ul ima ely
sac i icing he sel . He sel - eliance in he abili ies o sa e he sel wi hou he g oup a e
impo an in he g ow h as a ee hos . Though Mae e being a mo he could be seen as a
cliché, and he ca ing o he daugh e i ing in o he common pe sonali y o women in
he wes e n, i is he capaci y o iolence, su i al and ac i e pa icipa ion in he mission
ha sepa a es Mae e om o he emale cha ac e s ha a e passi e and always s ay in he
side-lines. Mae e is ull hands on, and he sac i ice in he inal episode o Season Two,
demons a es he humbleness and lo e owa ds a daugh e ha was he s only as pa o a
s o y. In episode i e, season? “Akane No Mai”, Mae e alked abou hei cons uc ed
memo ies and he abili y o lo e o he hos s e en i hose memo ies and eelings we e
jus code, saying “You can' keep doing his o us, gi ing us people o lo e and hen
ge ing upse when we do.”
Addi ionally, she is much mo e complex han jus being a mo he , since
h oughou he second season she chooses o sac i ice o he hos s, and some o hem
choose o sac i ice hemsel es o he . She is able o be iolen and u hless in sac i icing
o he s o make su e ha he daugh e makes i , e en i o he s and he sel do no su i e
along he way. Fu he mo e, in Season Th ee, hough i is no in he Wes , Mae e is
woken up by he illain Se ac, and she igh s Dolo es because he p omised Mae e, she
would be able o ge he daugh e back. Wha is mainly impo an in his season is ha in
he inal episode “C isis Theo y”, she inally unde s ood wha Dolo es had been igh ing
o , and i was no he annihila ion o humani y. When e e y hing Dolo es had been
igh ing o could ha e been los , Mae e s epped up and unde s ood ha he sea ch o
he daugh e would ha e o be pos poned, making he decision o sa e Caleb, he human
who would ei he choose o e ase he machine ha con olled he human ace o con ol
he machine himsel and p ospe wi h i . In he las episode, Mae e inally chose a side
in he igh , a choice ha she had no made in he p e ious seasons. She chose o
pa icipa e in some hing bigge han he sel and he own p oblems, demons a ing he
capaci y o ee will. Though mo he hood was he p ima y ai , he se ies made he much
mo e han a simple mo he who wan ed o p o ec he child, because she was also capable
o using ex eme measu es o iolence, such as killing o he hos s and he sel , and also,
30
she was able o pu he su i al o he species and o humans abo e he own desi es o
inding he daugh e .
Mae e has many laye s wi hin he sel , making he a woman ha s ands ou as
independen and a leade , a woman like Dolo es who ques ions and ies o e ise he
na a i es old in he Wes . Fu he mo e, when Mae e inally unde s ands Dolo es’ pligh
is h ough a memo y o he pa k o Wes wo ld. A he ime, bo h cha ac e s alked, and
Dolo es old Mae e ha she had ocused on e enge and ange owa d humani y, bu she
had inally unde s ood ha he e was kindness and beau y in he wo ld and in he human
ace. This is ele an because i was in he wes e n space Dolo es unde s ood ha hough
i was a iolen and dange ous space, i was also a space wi h beau y and good memo ies
o in e ac ion be ween he hos s and humans.
Likewise, his kind o easoning could be applied o he eal wo ld, since his was
also a space wi h iolence bu wi h people capable o c ea ing beau y and kindness. In
Reading Wes wo ld, Alex Goody and An onia Mackay s a e:
(…) Wes wo ld is indeed ou wo ld, ha he hype eal, mise-en-abyme o he
ime- a elling, my hic Wes is he hype eali y o ou own iolen , g eedy,
exci ing, empowe ing, ca eless “consume cul u e [in] he wen y- i s cen u y”.
We can hus mo e h ough Season Two and beyond, ou , wi h Dolo es, in o he
eal wo ld, knowing ha we will ne e ha e le and will ne e lea e Wes wo ld.
(2019:303)
Subsequen ly, he pa k o Wes wo ld as a iolen and dange ous space o he Ame ican
Wes e lec s on o he spaces ou side o ha landscape, jus like i was shown in he ci y
se ing o Season Th ee o Wes wo ld. The my hical Wes is a he same ime capable o
u hless and kind ac s, no much di e en om o he spaces in Ame ica. The di e ence
is ha he na a i es su ounding he Wes no only show i as he mos iolen space in
Ame ica, bu also as he space whe e change ( egene a ion) can occu , jus like i happens
wi h he ep esen a ion o women. The imagina y Wes has allowed space o men o
domina e and oam ee, i was abou ime o le women do he same.
1.3.3. Po ai o Women in Wes wo ld
Dolo es’ and Mae e’ cha ac e s e ol e h ough he h ee seasons o Wes wo ld om
classic oles no mally ound in he wes e n o he “damsel in dis ess” o he p os i u e
in o complex leade s capable o kind and iolen ac s. Bo h become mul i ace ed

31
p o agonis s lo ed and ha ed a he same ime. By ocusing on he mo al and emo ional
g ow h o hese wo cha ac e s, he se ies deal wi h issues ega ding he lack o emale
isual ep esen a ion in he wes e n gen e and in ele ision. Dolo es and Mae e become
dominan and cen al cha ac e s gi ing women mo e signi icance in he wes e n. The e is
s ill imp o emen ha can be done wi h hese wo cha ac e s and he na a i e o
Wes wo ld i sel which would make i mo e eminis . C i ics such as Jacinda Read o
Alexand a Fanghanel
4
ha e e e ed o he scenes o ape and ic imhood o women,
a guing ha he e is a need o e ise he way ape is ea ed no only in ele ision and
o he mediums, bu in socie y in gene al. As hese wo cha ac e s g ew in o leade s and
ep esen a i es o hei species, hey acqui ed ai s no mally seen in men like Dolo es
did by in eg a ing Wya in o he own mind. Being able o ex eme iolence and e en
mu de , bo h cha ac e s’ pe sonali ies became mo e complex, and p one o ga he
c i icism. In Wes wo ld Psychology: Violen Deligh s (2019), Ma ie-Joëlle Es ada a gues
abou his:
Women who wan o occupy adi ionally “masculine” leade ship posi ions ha e
o iola e he eminine communal s e eo ypes o be conside ed agen ic enough
o lead. (…) women a e in a double bind: Women who iola e he eminine
s e eo ype a e seen as “ oo agg essi e” and a e disliked. This dec eased
likeabili y can be seen in he women who occupy leade ship posi ions and he
lack o emo ionali y ha he audience expe iences wi h hei demise. (203)
Thus, Dolo es and Mae e g ew in o complex cha ac e s capable o iolence and lo e, and
hey we e easily disliked because hey s epped ou o hei classic and sa e oles and
emb aced leade ship and cen al oles ypically seen in men. When ha ole belongs o
men who may kill as much o capable o kind ac s, like Dolo es and Mae e, hey a e no
no mally so disliked, since ha beha io is s anda d o men in he wes e n. Es ada also
sugges s a possible solu ion o gende c i icism, s a ing ha “(…) i equi es a shi in
socie y’s pe cep ions be o e i will be ecognized as such.” (Ibidem:206). I mo e
cha ac e s and emale s o ies like he ones p esen ed in Wes wo ld a e c ea ed, hen
maybe he discou se wi hin socie y will change and he iew on s ong and complex
women will shi as well, emb acing a (wes e n) na a i e wi h women ha can be as
complex and s ong as men. Women ha e always been s ong. I is only because o a
p edominan hegemonic masculine socie y ha women in he wes e n o o he gen es
4
Jacinda Read’s New A enge s: Feminism, Feminini y and he Rape-Re enge Cycle (2000) and Alexand a
Fanghanel’s Dis up ing Rape Cul u e: Public Space, Sexuali y and Re ol (2019).
32
ha e been silenced and seen as seconda y. Neil Campbell e e s his aspec when a guing
abou dominan s o ies in he wes e n:
Ce ain dominan s o ies, o Mani es Des iny, he ‘F on ie ’, masculine
asse ion, and he Na ion o med in he Wes , no longe p o ide maps o
meaning, bu ins ead o e my hs and dead-ends ha enclose and cu o om
he ib an possibili ies o eimagina ion and ein en ion. (2000, 125)
Tele ision se ies, such as Wes wo ld, migh help in ein en ing and eimagining a Wes
ha has many mo e possibili ies no only o men bu o women as well. New oices a e
being c ea ed o demons a e ha he Wes does no need o be p edominan ly masculine,
i can be eminine as well.
1.4. The Mandalo ian (2019-2021): Ca asyn hia Dune, he “New Soldie o Women”
“I wasn’ d awn as a s o y elle o e y big can as, big sc een blockbus e
S a Wa s. I was d awn o (…) a ew cha ac e s making i h ough he
wo ld” (Fa eau, Jon. “'The Mandalo ian' c ea o Jon Fa eau alks
show’s inspi a ion, 'pe sonal connec ion' o ilmmaking”. In e iew by
Ch is Conelly. ABC News)
The wes e n has had i s ups and downs h oughou he yea s, and du ing he 1960s and
1970s, people seemed o ha e g own i ed o he my hical na a i e o he Wes . P obably
as a esul o he assassina ions o John Kennedy, Robe Kennedy and Ma in Lu he
King, as well as he con o e sial wa in Vie nam, he g ow h o he Ci il Righ s
Mo emen , Wa e ga e and in gene al Richa d Nixon’s p esidency. Howe e , by 1969 and
wi h Ronald Reagan as p esiden in he 80s, he in e es in he wes e n g ew again,
ein en ing i sel and changing he se ing om he old on ie o space. The i s S a
Wa s (1977) c ea ed by Geo ge Lucas is an example o change, since i can be seen as a
wes e n wi h a mix o o he in luences. In My h, Media, and Cul u e in S a Wa s: An
An hology (2012), Douglas B ode and Leah Deyneka a gue ha “Lucas d ew on many
elemen s o his concep ion o he S a Wa s uni e se, om he high a o Aki a
33
Ku osawa’s samu ai epics o he lowb ow un o he Buck Roge s and Flash Go don
comic s ips and mo ie cli hange s.” (3).
The S a Wa s anchise became a huge success and helped ein en he wes e n.
The way P incess Leia was po ayed, especially in he i s mo ie, helped shi he way
women we e seen, and ep esen ed in he Wes . A ew decades la e in 2012, he Wal
Disney Company bough Lucas ilm and announced a new ilogy o ilms wi h he i s
coming ou in 2015. Besides he mo ies, spin-o se ies we e p oduced like The
Mandalo ian (2019) c ea ed by Jon Fa eau. This TV se ies will be he ocus o his
subchap e , mo e speci ically he cha ac e o Ca asyn hia Dune played by Gina Ca ano.
In an in e iew o he Hollywood Repo e Ca ano s a ed:
I de ini ely hink Ca a s ands ou in a way ha ’s e y di e en om someone
like Leia, who’s also e y s ong and independen . I hink ha ’s exac ly wha
Jon wan ed o b ing o he S a Wa s uni e se as a as my cha ac e . (…) He
wan ed my cha ac e o be his new soldie o women, and he wan ed he o ha e
an impac . Fo me, i ’s been a way o emb ace who I am, and i he bigges
complain is ha I’m oo s ong, i ’s eally a complimen o me. (2019: n.p)
Ca a Dune, as she is commonly e e ed, is a emale cha ac e in The Mandalo ian, also
a wes e n like he S a Wa s mo ies. She is impo an o conside because he wes e n
lacks women like he , ha a e s ong physically and men ally, capable o aking ou he
male p o agonis wi h he ba e hands. I is wi h women like Ca a Dune ha he wes e n
demons a es ha he imes a e changing, and ha he e is space o women o s and and
show ha hey can be as powe ul as men can.
The na a i e o The Mandalo ian
5
happens i e yea s a e S a Wa s: Episode
VI – Re u n o he Jedi (1983), and i ollows a Mandalo ian and boun y hun e — Din
Dja in — h oughou his missions un il he inds and sa es a c ea u e called “The Child”,
whose name is la e e ealed o be G ogu. As a esul , he Mandalo ian has he mission
o keep sa e and deli e him o his own species (whose name is unknown), because G ogu
is pa o a powe ul species who can manipula e he Fo ce, an ene gy ield ha connec ed
5
The Mandalo ian is a ele ision se ies c ea ed by Jon Fa eau and p oduced by Fai iew En e ainmen ,
Golem C ea ions, Lucas ilm and he Wal Disney S udios. The na a i e o he se ies akes place a e he
all o he Empi e and i ells he s o y o Din Dja in, a boun y hun e , who goes on missions ac oss he
galaxy ying o make p o i s. Th oughou he wo seasons eleased, he Mandalo ian a els ac oss he
galaxy mee ing di e en people, some o whom become his allies and a e ecu en cha ac e s: Ca asyn hia
Dune, G ee Ka ga, Fennec Shand, Boba Fe and Ashoka Tano. The hi d season has al eady been
con i med and will be eleased in 2022.
34
e e y hing in he galaxy. Ca a Dune is one o he people ha help he Mandalo ian
h oughou Season One. As mo e in o ma ion is disclosed abou Dune’s pas in Season
Two he spec a o knows ha she is om a plane des oyed by he Empi e, Alde aan.
A e ha , she became a s o m oope igh ing wi h he Rebel Alliance, ough in he
Galac ic Ci il Wa , and helped o c ea e he New Republic. She and o he s like he we e
made o keep he peace and ac as p o ec o s o delega es. Finally, when he Mandalo ian
inds he , she has dese ed and become a me cena y hiding in di e en plane s and
unning om a li e sen ence.
E en hough Ca a Dune only appea ed in h ee episodes o Season One, she
became a cha ac e linked wi h a eminis app oach, since she s ands ou om o he
s e eo ypical ep esen a ions o women in he wes e n. She migh be compa ed o o he
emale cha ac e s such as Molly Woods, P incess Leia and e en Dolo es Abe na hy, bu
Ca a Dune s ands apa om hem. All he women men ioned be o e a e in w i en and
isual o ma s he pe ec embodimen o he p ejudiced ideas o wha a woman should
look like: wi h a slende body ep esen ing so ness and a sculp ed ace made o o he s
o admi e. Fa eau chose Gina Ca ano on pu pose o embody Ca a Dune since she has a
s ong and muscula igu e due o he yea s in Mixed Ma ial A s. Mo e han Ca ano’s
physical appea ance, he cha ac e has o he ai s ha dis inguish he no only om
women like Molly Woods o Ma ian S a e , bu om he common emale cha ac e
ound in o he wes e n ilms and books.
Like Dolo es Abe na hy and Mae e Millay, Dune’s abili y o hand o hand
comba , and ac ical planning dis inguish he om he s e eo ypical woman ound
ypically in he wes e n. She is capable o aking down he male p o agonis , Din Dja in,
as shown in episode ou o Season One “Sanc ua y” when she ough him in a hand- o-
hand comba , di e en om he usual S a Wa s’ ype o comba o using a ligh sabe .
Addi ionally, in he same episode she and he Mandalo ian p o ec a me s om a g oup
o bandi s and an Impe ial Walke , and Dune was he s a o he episode by pu ing he sel
a isk and aking ou he Impe ial Walke by he sel . Simila ly, she also acked down
he shoo e who was ying o kill G ogu igh be o e he pulled he igge on him. Dune’s
igh ing abili ies and he p ima y eac ion o be pa o any igh , make he a cha ac e
who s ands ou in he wes e n ou e space, and an example o a woman ha does no need
any man o help he su i e. She can make i on he own, igh ing and su i ing. She
came o be ega ded as pa o a eminis app oach as she ills a gap in he TV and ilmic
41
and con olling big Ma el i les. Howe e , hey we e a is s who had li le expe ience
wi h w i ing comics, and hose Ma el i les hey had been assigned o, began o wane.
Many o hese a is s also wan ed owne ship o he wo k hey had done o hose i les,
and as Ma el e used, hey le and c ea ed Image Comics in 1992. The i les hey c ea ed
we e simila o he wo k hey had done o Ma el, and hei emale he oes con inued o
be o e sexualized, bu as men ioned p e iously, like o he companies in his business,
Image Comics closed be o e he beginning o he 21s cen u y. The published i e issues
o Wynonna Ea p we e: — issue 1 “Red Necks, Whi e Co puscles and Blue Ribbon
Bee ”, issue 2 “The Bloody Badge o he Law”, issue 3 “Dea h Sucks”, issue 4 “Re ied
Dead” and issue 5 “W ap Pa y”. Th oughou he i e issues one ai is always p esen :
he almos inhuman, o e sexualized body o Wynonna, and skimpy clo hes which lea e
li le o he eade ’s imagina ion. The eade ollows Wynonna Ea p, a U.S. Ma shall and
descendan o Wya Ea p, while she igh s di e en na ional h ea s, including si ua ions
in which supe na u al, ho o and an asy elemen s a e combined, acco ding o he
de ini ion o he wei d wes e n gen e. She igh s e il no only in he wes e n space, bu
also in he ci y.
Wynonna Ea p’s cha ac e was in luenced by he changes occu ing in he 1990s
wi h he widesp ead access o he in e ne , and he ising in e es in explo ing sexuali y.
These i e comic issues o Wynonna Ea p mos ly ake place in he wes e n space, and he
emale cha ac e possesses s ong ai s and quali ies ha make Wynonna a skill ul and
dange ous he o o igh agains , and demons a e a de elopmen , and a di e en way o
elling emale s o ies in he Wes . The i s quali y Wynonna Ea p has and ha
dis inguishes he om o he conse a i e and s e eo ypical emale cha ac e s in he
wes e n is he igh ing abili ies and capaci y o adap a ion o di e en h ea s. The e o e,
h oughou he i e issues he eade can see ha she is he main agen dispa ched by he
agency o ‘neu alize’ he h ea s o na ional secu i y. Besides being Wya Ea p’s
descendan , in he i s issue “Red Necks, Whi e Co puscles and Blue Ribbon Bee ” (las
page), i is e ealed ha she is:
An Olympic le el a hle e wi h high hono s in mos known and some unknown
igh ing s yles. Pe haps he g ea es weapon is one she sha es wi h he possible
ances o (…). The powe o be he cooles head in a e y bad si ua ion – o
comple ely con ol he composu e no ma e wha he odds.

42
She possesses bo h men al and physical skills ha make he di icul o de ea , and
a guably he mos impo an skill is he in elligence and logic easoning when she igh s
c iminals. This can be seen in Issue Th ee “Dea h Sucks”, when she is igh ing he bigges
h ea Bobo Del Rey, a supe na u al supe human who while igh ing he , inc eases his
s eng h and powe e en mo e o kill he Ea p hei . She ends up de ea ing him by using
he in elligence: she had lea ned ha he bes way o de ea him would be wi h a mix u e
o blood and holy wa e ha would educe his supe na u al abili ies, and inally would
des oy him, and hus she go i . Ano he example appea s in Issue Two “The Bloody
Badge o he Law”, when she en e ed a ba in he wes e n space illed wi h c iminals who
sold a d ug called “hemo”. She go he e wi hou backup and ough all he men in he ba
o ob ain in o ma ion abou Del Rey’s d ugs. The e a e o he examples ha could be
e e ed o since she almos always manages o de ea e e y illain in he wes e n space
and he su ounding ci ies. Mo eo e , besides he igh ing abili ies, she can be seen as a
lone he o who like o he male cowboys in he Wes p o ec ed he communi y and de ea ed
he illain. Wynonna Ea p had help om ime o ime, allies ha ough wi h he while
she ook ca e o he mos dange ous c iminal, and she also had a eam on s andby who
ook ca e o hings a e he h ea was elimina ed. Howe e , she s ill de ea ed he main
illain, and gained in o ma ion on he own abou c ime in he a ea. Subsequen ly, his
emale he o who was in luenced by he social and poli ical changes b ough on in he las
decades o he wen ie h cen u y s ands apa om ea lie emale cha ac e s in he Wes .
As s a ed p e iously, mos o hose we e s ill gi en conse a i e, s e eo ypical, and
in e io oles, wi h he excep ion o he oines like Annie Oakley and Dale E ans who we e
p o agonis s o hei own ad en u es and did no s and aside while o he male cha ac e s
became he he oes o he na a i e. Then, jus as o he male he oes in he wes e n who
wo ked p edominan ly alone, Wynonna Ea p in hese issues was he same: lonely, and
he he o o his wes e n na a i e.
Finally, he hi d posi i e quali y was he powe o he p esence when she
appea ed in he scenes. Besides being d awn in a bigge size compa ed o o he cha ac e s
in he comics, she b ough powe and dominance o he space she occupied. As no mally
male he oes i adia e powe and s eng h in he Wes , consequen ly becoming a h ea o
he c iminals a ound hem, so Wynonna Ea p has he own cha isma. He igu e emana es
powe and s eng h. Addi ionally, she some imes uses he body as a ool in he wo k o
ob ain in o ma ion om c iminals, using he p econcei ed image o he agile and non-
43
h ea ening woman. In hese issues, his seems o wo k pe ec ly as men almos ne e see
he as a h ea , and only pay a en ion o he body while she ob ains wha she needs o
inish he mission. I is impo an o s a e ha being d awn in a sexually exagge a ed way,
and by using he own seduc i eness o ob ain in o ma ion, his can be seen as a nega i e
quali y, since i can be easily a gued ha his makes he desi able o male eade s.
Ne e heless, i can be seen as a esou ce she is able o use o he own ad an age. Je ey
B own in Dange ous Cu es: Ac ion He oines, Gende , Fe ishism, and Popula Cul u e
(2011) e e s o his double s anda d a guing ha
The eal impo ance o he ac ion he oine is ha she is no easily w i en o as
“ei he /o ”. She does muddy he wa e s o wha we conside masculine and
eminine, o desi able beau y and h ea ening sexuali y, o subjec i i y and
objec i i y, o powe ul and powe less. (9-10)
Subsequen ly, Wynonna Ea p’s body is bo h h ea ening and desi able. Fu he mo e,
ela ed o his ma e , he e is one main c i ique ha can be made o he e sion o his
cha ac e : he sho , igh ou i s ha Wynonna Ea p wea s while she is on a mission, and
ac i ely igh ing c iminals. Th ough he i e comic issues, he clo hing is always igh ,
lea es no hing o he imagina ion, and ge s o n easily in a igh making he look e en
mo e naked han she al eady was. An example o his can be seen in Issue Th ee “Dea h
Sucks”, a e she ough Del Rey (see Fig. 1.)
44
Fig. 1. Wynonna Ea p #3 (n.p), 1997.
Hence, while Wynonna Ea p is shown o be s ong and capable, ha ing he same abili ies
and p esence as o he male he oes in comics, and e en in he wes e n space, he e is a big
di e ence o o he male he oes in he 1990s. They do no ha e an exagge a ed display o
skin, hey igh c iminals in ou i s ha a e easy o hem o mo e a ound, and hey do
no ha e hei p i a e pa s exposed. The “Bad Gi ls” o he 1990s did, exagge a edly so.
As s a ed p e iously, his was ela ed o an almos exclusi e male eade ship o comics,
he impac and wide-sp ead adula ion o sexy emale he oes po ayed by popula
ac esses like Pamela Ande son and Demi Moo e, and Angelina Jolie (B own:11).
In a na a i e which akes place in an imagined wes e n space, Wynonna Ea p’s
clo hing and lack he eo , unde a es he as a woman and as a he oine in he Wes . The
ou i she wea s mos o he ime, pa ially ep esen ed in Fig. 1., demons a es he
connec ion o his he oine o he wes e n space. He ou i includes he boo s, he bandana
a ound he neck, he b own lea he bel a ound he wais , he gun and e en he badge she
ca ies a ound, di ec ly linking he o he ypical ep esen a ion o a cowboy in he Wes .
No mally, his ype o ga men s empowe s he he o wea ing i , bu as he ou i is e y
45
e ealing and sho , i does he e e se: i makes he look like a domina ix who decided
o ake on he jou ney o he he o and igh c iminali y. I disempowe s he as a he o, and
i inc eases he sexual desi abili y. Likewise, as he e a e e y ew emale he oes in he
wes e n, his aspec is no mino . In chap e one, women such as Molly Woods who had
mos ly a conse a i e and s e eo ypical ole o play we e e e ed, and wi h his e sion
o Wynonna Ea p he e is basically he same p oblem only in a di e en way: his emale
he oine can s ill be linked wi h a s e eo ypical image, since he body is sexually
objec i ied and disp opo iona e. Besides, (e en hough she used i o he ad an age
some imes) she was no aken se iously by mos men a ound he because o he body and
he clo hes she wo e in missions, jus like in Issue Two “The Bloody Badge o he Law”
when she walked in o a ba wea ing a e y sho ski , igh op and high heels. She needed
in o ma ion and was ca -called by he men a ound he .
Subsequen ly, e en i she is s ong and capable o de ea ing c iminals on he own
in he wes e n, she is, a he same ime, no espec ed enough by o he s a ound he when
she is no igh ing. The “Bad Gi ls” end in comic books by making emale he oes look
like domina ices u ns hei s eng h and powe in o an a e hough . Wha de ines hese
he oines o he 1990s is hei sexual appeal and desi abili y. In Wynonna Ea p’s case i
was he same, he a ac i eness was abo e e e y hing else. W i en by a man bu d awn
by a woman in he i s h ee issues o Image Comics, Joyce Chin, i could be expec ed
ha he a is would ha e paid mo e a en ion o he way she d ew a emale he o. This
ype o he oines was ex emely c i icized by mos women, bu he e we e o he s who
app ecia ed hem. A he end o Issue Two “The Bloody Badge o he Law”, Beau Smi h
answe ed a an who ques ioned Wynonna’s igh and sho clo hes. Smi h’s answe
explains he end o he “Bad Gi ls” in he 1990s, ha ing male eade s as he main
audience. He s a ed: “‘Cause she looks good in i and bein’ a manly man I like he way
she looks in i . Besides bein’ a beau i ul woman he sel , a is Joyce Chin knows how o
d aw a ue gun- o in’ badge-wea in’ babe o a ma shal” (n.p).
This ype o emale he oes o he la e 1990s, should ha e been mo e han jus
‘babes’ who we e good o look a , because as his o y has shown, women we e mo e han
jus mo he s, house-wi es and las ly jus good o look a . They had he igh o be
ep esen ed wi h he same espec and powe shown o male he oes. The “Bad Gi ls” o
he 1990s, as well as his e sion o Wynonna Ea p showed some e olu ion mainly
46
because in his ype o na a i es, hey became p o agonis s and could be as powe ul and
s ong as male he oes.
Finally, he e is one las ma e ela ed o he las comic issue “W ap Pa y” in
which he explana ion behind Wynonna Ea p’s ac ions is somewha dubious. In his issue
she mee s he ex-boy iend, a c iminal, who had chea ed on he wi h o he women while
hey we e in Las Vegas. The he oine shows ange a i s , bu hen a he end o he issue
she ended up dinning wi h him and kissing him. He eason o ac hus was ha she wan ed
him o us he and o become he in o man o u u e missions. This is ano he c i ique
ha should be poin ed ou , because no only is she unde mined and dis espec ed by he
way she looks as a he o, bu his kind o ac ions do no empowe he . The explana ion is
poo , and i helps unde mine he e en mo e, because in p e ious comic issues she was
able o ge in o ma ion h ough o he sou ces wi hou ha ing o le he sel be oo
ulne able. This e sion o Wynonna Ea p was only p og essi e in he dominan ole and
powe gi en o he as a emale he o in he wes e n. I did no do mo e han ha , since he
clo hing and some o he ac ions unde mined he as a woman and he o in he wes e n.
E en i she was gi en mo e eedom han o he emale cha ac e s, such as Molly Woods
and Ma ian S a e , Wynonna ended up alling in o ano he s e eo ypical ole. Howe e ,
due o he p e ious emale he oes’ aul s and c i icism, new e sions o emale he oes in
he wes e n can lea n om, and g ow e en mo e as women and he oes, and one hing is
ue abou hese “Bad Gi ls”, as B own poin ed ou : “Whe he ac ion he oines a e
depic ed as masculinized ha d bodies o as so , miniski ed ass-kicke s, hey ul ima ely
challenge he assump ion ha gende and beha io a e biologically de e mined” (13).
Issue 5 would be he inal issue Image Comics published o Beau Smi h’s he oine.
Also, i would be he las comic o Wynonna Ea p ha was published o a while, and as
men ioned be o e wi h he publishing companies closing, in his las issue Smi h had un
wi h he c i icism hese emale he oes ecei ed h oughou he yea s, when he appea ed
in a con e sa ion wi h he emale he o he sel and saying: “Please—come on back! I’ll
cancel Pamela Ande son om playin’ ya in he mo ie! I’ll ha e ‘em d aw mo e clo hes
on ya!” (n.p). Thus, e en i joking he was well awa e ha some hing had o change.
Many o he emale he oes om he 90s would no eappea again. The emale
he oes ha appea ed la e , we e changed physically and men ally. The same happened o
Wynonna Ea p whose publishing igh s we e acqui ed by IDW Publishing in 2003,
publishing i s a h ee-issue se ies en i led Wynonna Ea p: Home on he S ange.

47
2.2. IDW Publishing: The New Wynonna Ea p
A e 9/11, he P esiden o he Uni ed S a es o Ame ica Geo ge W. Bush used he
wes e n and he my hs su ounding i o espond o he c isis b ough on by ha e ible
e en . I was no he i s ime ha an Ame ican p esiden used he image o a my hical
Wes , and Bush used i o c ea e a sense o na ional need o e ibu ion and sa e y.
Consequen ly, he lo e o wes e ns esu aced again in mul iple mediums such as
ele ision, cinema and comics, b inging a eassessmen o he idea o he oism and o he
place o he US wo ldwide. Addi ionally, women’s igh o equali y o gende
ep esen a ion and oppo uni ies con inued o be a cen al issue, and in comic books mo e
he oes s a ed o appea who dis anced hemsel es om he whi e, male, and he e osexual
pa adigm. Nickie D. Phillips and S aci S obl speak o a ise o gay supe he oes such as
Midnigh e , Apollo, and Ba woman in he i s decade o his cen u y (169). Howe e ,
he comics indus y con inued o be male domina ed, and emale he oes con inued o be
sexualized, made his way especially o male eade s, e en i no as much as he “Bad
Gi ls” o he e sion o Wynonna Ea p by Image Comics.
IDW Publishing e iewed his emale he o’s na a i e, d as ically al e ing he
clo hing, and making he look mo e like a egula woman han an inhuman emale he o.
Because o his d as ic change, she looks and ac s like a espec able, powe ul he o o he
Wes , a he o whom emale eade s would see as app oachable and a e sion o a powe ul
independen woman. This new Wynonna Ea p p esen s a posi i e image o and o
women. Mad id a gued ha many emale he oes who ha e “(…) s ong, powe ul
cha ac e s can be nega ed by he way hey a e d awn, and a e d essed” (298), and i
eade s we e o ead his new Wynonna Ea p, hey would see ha he way she was d awn
does no nega e how powe ul she can be. The e is an excep ion, bu mos o he ime she
is a he o in he wes e n who much like mos male he oes can ake ca e o he sel and be
an example o a woman ha anyone would eel sa e and p o ec ed i hey had he on hei
side.
The i s posi i e quali y o Wynonna Ea p as a he o in he wes e n is how IDW
Publishing c ea ed a wes e n na a i e in which he main cha ac e is a woman who is
able o s and on equal oo wi h o he men. In his h ee-issue se ies, Beau Smi h who is
known o his lo e o wes e ns, w o e a na a i e based on eal e en s: he e a e a ious
48
e e ences such as he amous gun igh a he O.K. Co al in 1881, a hi y-second gun
igh be ween he Ea ps, Doc Holliday and a g oup o ou laws called he Cowboys. In his
se ies, hese cha ac e s ha e he same names o he his o ical g oup o ou laws like Johnny
Ringo and Joseph Clan on, bu his ime hey come o igh Wynonna Ea p. Th oughou
he h ee issues Wynonna Ea p con inues o be a Ma shall igh ing supe na u al c iminals,
bu in his se ies he cha ac e appea s espec ul and able o igh com o ably wi h he
clo hes she has on. While in he Image Comics’ e sion, he eade could ques ion he
s eng h and powe because o he way she was d essed (in a e sion o a bikini), in hese
issues she wea s egula clo hes, as can be seen in Figu e 2.
Fig. 2. Wynonna Ea p: Home on he S ange #3 (15), 2004
Thus, she d esses much mo e app op ia ely o someone who knows is going o igh . In
he p e ious issues she had li le clo hing on, and she s ill managed o ge a he end o a
igh wi h e en mo e holes in he ou i . In hese IDW Publishing issues, she always wea s
clo hes ha di ec ly connec he o he Wes , gi ing he a much mo e digni ied and
espec ul look as a he oine who pu s he li e ahead o o he s. She is a woman who is
much mo e han jus a cha ac e ha se es he pu pose o being eye-candy o male
49
eade s. She is s ill sexualized in hese comics since she wea s a sho whi e c op op and
is somewha s e eo yped and objec i ied since she is blond wi h blue eyes. One needs o
emembe ha e en hough hese issues (and he ollowing ones) ha e aken in o accoun
he c i icism gi en o he i s se ies o Image Comics, he image o women con inues o
be p ima ily seen as he ai ha a ac s mos audiences o ead hem. Je ey B own
e e s o his issue, when he s a es:
Because he sexualiza ion o emale cha ac e s in popula cul u e is s ill ega ded
as hei p ima y appeal o audiences, especially he ypically male audience ha
is assumed o all ac ion gen es, i is di icul o imagine ha he s eng h and
compe ence o he oines will e e ou shine hei e o ic p esen a ion. (245)
Subsequen ly, Wynonna Ea p is s ill sexualized, bu in a much mino way when compa ed
o he i s issues. F om he IDW Publishing issues onwa d she can be seen as a woman
who is making a eal di e ence in he wes e n space, because she is empowe ed no only
because o he igh ing skills, bu also because o he way eade s can pe cei e he : as a
woman who knows who she is and is capable o aking ac ion in o he own hands and
sa e he day. She is di ec ly seen as a wes e n he o because o he boo s, and Figu e 2
also shows he wea ing a b own jacke wi h inges. This could be conside ed as cliché,
since almos e e y he o and illain in he wes e n wea s hem. In he case o wes e n
emale he oes who wea his kind o clo hes, i could be a gued ha i is impo an o wea
hem, so ha hey a e di ec ly seen as someone who is powe ul and s ong.
Addi ionally, he e is one o he ai p esen in his se ies ha demons a es a
change, and ha is he in oduc ion o ano he powe ul woman who like Wynonna Ea p
is able o ake ac ion in o he own hands: Ma shall Holly Day. She is an immo al agen
who helped Wynonna igh he illains a he O.K. Co al. Besides Day, he e a e wo
o he men who joined hem. The in oduc ion o ano he emale cha ac e who is jus as
s ong and capable as he main cha ac e is impo an . Since he beginning o he 2000s,
he appea ance o se e al eams o women like Bi ds o P ey
6
(1996) showed ha he e
was an in e es o c ea e mo e na a i es in which women we e capable o being as s ong,
independen , and capable as he oes as men we e. Simila ly, he same happens in
Wynonna Ea p: Home on he S ange, demons a ing ha women had a place as c ime
6
Like Bi ds o P ey, o he all- emale he o eams ha e eme ged, especially in comics like The Fea less
De ende s (2013) and A-Fo ce (2015).
50
igh e s and wes e n he oes. Holly Day, jus like Wynonna Ea p, has a pas linked wi h
he Wes : he pa en s had been membe s o he ou law g oup Cowboys, bu a e wa ds
hey sided wi h he igh side o he law.
Wi h wo s ong emale cha ac e s like hese wo, i is shown ha mo e emale
cha ac e s we e s a ing o be aken mo e se iously, and we e able o be equals o male
he oes. In con as , one c i ique can be made abou his se ies, and ha is ela ed o one
scene in Issue One when Wynonna Ea p was d awn in an in ima e posi ion in he ho el
oom, a e aking a showe (Figu e 3.). She is d essed in a pink obe wi h he legs opened
wide. The obe co e s he geni alia, bu he posi ion and he ac ha he legs a e ba e can
be linked o he hype -sexualiza ion depic ed by Image Comics. As s a ed be o e, in his
se ies he emale he o is s ill sexualized, bu in a much mo e con olled way han in he
issues published by Image Comics. In his scene he main cha ac e as a he o is
unde mined like she was in he Image Comics issues, and she loses he digni y. No male
he o is d awn in such a sexual posi ion.
Fig. 3. Wynonna Ea p: Home on he S ange #1 (22), 2004.
57
o he wo ks ha esona e h ough epe i ion wi h a ia ion (8)”. The p ocess o adap a ion
is impo an o be unde s ood especially when adap a ions a e analyzed and compa ed
wi h hei o iginal o ms. Many adap a ions change hei me hods o engaging wi h he
“o iginal” e en using di e en media. Fu he mo e, he p ocess o adap a ion has o
conside o he a eas o socie y and cul u e, s ill acco ding o Hu cheon and O’Flynn:
We engage in ime and space, wi hin a pa icula socie y and a gene al cul u e.
The con ex s o c ea ion and ecep ion a e ma e ial, public, and economic as
much as hey a e cul u al, pe sonal, and aes he ic. This explains why, e en in
oday’s globalized wo ld, majo shi s in a s o y’s con ex – ha is, o example,
in a na ional se ing o ime pe iod – can change adically how he ansposed
s o y is in e p e ed, ideologically and li e ally. (28)
This can easily be seen when a ilm o ele ision adap a ion con eys a na a i e o a
speci ic cul u e ha has i s own adi ions and cos umes, o e en when he e is a na a i e
o a emale he o being old by a male p oduce . Depending on he p ocess o adap a ion,
he e is always c i icism o be made by spec a o s in a ce ain cul u al con ex . Mo eo e ,
in he p ocess o adap a ion he e will be, mos p obably, addi ions being made o he
na a i e being old: hey can a y om new cha ac e s, adding mo e d ama o he
s o yline, o e en changing he ending o he o iginal wo k (Hu cheon and O’Flynn 37).
Adap a ion is pa icula ly impo an because Wynonna Ea p was dually adap ed:
i s om comics o ele ision, and hen om ele ision o comics, in which he la e
adap a ion was based on he o e all changes done o he s o yline by he ele ision se ies.
Wi hin he p ocess o adap a ion, he p ocess ha ans o ms and adap s he s o yline om
elling o showing, gene ally om p in o pe o mance, in ol ing d ama iza ion, implies
ha “(…) desc ip ion, na a ion, and ep esen ed hough s mus be anscoded in o
speech, ac ions, sounds, and isual images’’ (Hu cheon and O’Flynn 40)”.The change in
mediums implies ad an ages and limi s, and in he p ocess o adap ing o pe o mance,
such as in ilm and ele ision, he e is one speci ic ad an age and limi , espec i ely, he
use o cinema ic echniques is an ad an age, and he limi is ha he p ocess o
anscoding p in ex s o isual is complex and he e may be some losses in he p ocess
(Hu cheon and O’Flynn 43). These au ho s also a gue ha “[g] aphic no els a e pe haps
adap ed mo e easily o ilm o his eason” (43), since when he p ocess o anscoding
in ol es comics, which ha e d awings as pa o he na a i e, he ans o ma ion o
ano he medium o gen e is easie . Nowadays, adap a ions o comics ha e become
common and mo e o hese a e being p oposed and made in o ilm and ele ision se ies,

58
like Supe gi l (2015) and The Mandalo ian, showing socie y’s need o adap a ions, o
wan ing o see he same s o ies being old epea edly. These na a i es ac “as a speci ic
cul u al ep esen a ion o a “basic ideology” and as a gene al human uni e sal (Hu cheon
and O’Flynn 176, emphasis in he o iginal)”. The p ocess o adap a ion implies he change
o na a i es o sui a ce ain ime and place, and mos impo an ly “[w]e e ell — and
show again and in e ac anew wi h – s o ies o e and o e ; in he p ocess, hey change
wi h each epe i ion, and ye hey a e ecognizably he same. Wha hey a e no is (…)
in e io – o hey would no ha e su i ed (Hu cheon and O’Flynn 176-177)”.
Likewise, he exis ence o s o ies o emale he oes, which may ha e simila i ies,
does no imply he e is no need o new na a i es o he oines o be old and shown. The
wo ld has changed posi i ely in ega d o emale ep esen a ion, bu he e is s ill much
wo k o be done, which in pa can come om adap a ions, such as he ones in ol ing
Wynonna Ea p. In chap e wo, he comic book se ies published by Image Comics and
IDW Publishing we e analyzed, hen in 2016 he e was he adap a ion o ele ision by
Sy y. I was a p oduc ion by Emily And as
10
who had been p e iously in ol ed in Los
Gi l (2010- 2015). As al eady e e ed, he p ocess o adap ing om he comic book se ies
o he sc een migh in ol e changes o he s o yline and he cha ac e s, and he e we e
majo changes o he o iginal na a i e. The ele ision se ies o Wynonna Ea p con inued
o ollow he main emale he o Wynonna who con inued o be a descendan o Wya
Ea p. Howe e , in he show he spec a o ollowed a na a i e much mo e cen ed on
amily, iendship and he powe wi hin hose ela ionships. The spec a o ollows he
emale he o’s na a i e in only one space, Pu ga o y, he place o bi h
11
and he
de elopmen and ma u ing o he emale he o om a woman who an away o he he oine
he own and he amily and iends needed.
The plo o he TV se ies ollows Wynonna Ea p, a woman whose amily had been
cu sed by a powe ul demon Bulsha Cloo ie, who was o iginally he snake who emp ed
10
And as had p e iously wo ked on Los Gi l pa icipa ing and consul ing du ing he i s and second
seasons. Then, she became execu i e p oduce and show unne du ing he hi d and ou h seasons o his
ele ision se ies.
11
The name o he emale he o’s bi hplace in he ele ision se ies was inspi ed in Wynonna Ea p comic
se ies in which he bi hplace o he emale he o was Tombs one, a eal own in A izona whe e he O.K.
Co al ook place. Smi h when alking abou he se ies and hanking Ted Adams said ha : “Ted’s belie ed
in i om day one, he’s [been] he e a he O.K. Co al [wi h me].” (Beau Smi h, Wynonna Ea p Wiki). Then,
he name o he own in he se ies was changed, bu in he comics i is Tombs one.
59
Adam and E e om he Ga den o Eden. Cloo ie cu sed Wya Ea p and his descendan s
because he gunslinge had killed Cloo ie’s sons. In e e y gene a ion o he Ea ps he e
would always be a cu sed hei , someone who on hei 27 h bi hday gained new abili ies,
basically becoming a powe o be eckoned wi h, and inhe i ed Wya Ea p’s gun —
Peacemake . Addi ionally, e e y gene a ion, Ea p’s hei had o kill he e enan s o
demons Wya Ea p had al eady killed and sen o Hell in his li e ime.
In Wynonna’s gene a ion she was no supposed o be he hei , since ha would be
he olde sis e Willa Ea p. Wynonna had wo sis e s, Willa and Wa e ly, he younges
o he amily. Wynonna and he sis e s g ew up in an emo ionally uns able home wi h he
iolen and alcoholic a he , Wa d Ea p, he p e ious hei o he cu se. Thei mo he
Michelle Gibson was p esen un il Wa e ly was bo n. Michelle bonded he sel wi h a
demon Jolene who wan ed o kill Wa e ly and was olun a ily ins i u ionalized o keep
he demon locked away. The h ee sis e s g ew up oge he , and a e hei mo he le
hem some ime a e Wa e ly was bo n, yea s la e he amily homes ead and e i o y,
which was supposedly sac ed g ound and limi less o demons, was in aded by se en
demons. Wynonna’s a he had made a deal wi h he demons, Willa Ea p was allegedly
killed, and when Wynonna ied o sa e he a he om he demons, she acciden ly killed
him. A e hese inciden s, she was ins i u ionalized because o wha she did, and because
she kep on saying ha demons had killed he sis e . Mo eo e , Wa e ly had o g ow up
wi hou he sis e s, and Wynonna lashed ou and became an ang y and emo ionally closed
up indi idual who d ank a all hou s o he day, using alcohol as he coping mechanism.
As al eady men ioned, on he 27 h bi hday she e u ned o Pu ga o y o a end he uncle’s
une al. She became he hei o he cu se and she joined a sec e go e nmen agency —
Black Badge Di ision —and h oughou he ou seasons o he ele ision se ies, she ied
o b eak he cu se by killing he demons ha had einca na ed. She became he he o
Pu ga o y and he Ghos Ri e T iangle needed o igh e il. In he ele ision se ies she
has a eam o back he up, made by he amily and iends: Wa e ly Ea p, Xa ie Dolls
(a special agen ), Nicole Haugh (she i ’s depu y), Je emy Che i and John Hen y
Holliday (also named simply as Doc Holliday), an immo al who had been Wya Ea p’s
bes iend.
The i s season is ocused on he hun ing and killing o he se en demons ha
kidnapped Wynonna’s sis e , Willa, and also on he e-appea ance o Willa who had been
b ainwashed by he main illain Bobo Del Rey. Willa had aligned wi h he illain and
60
wan ed o b eak he cu se and ee he demons om he Ghos Ri e T iangle so ha he
nex Ea ps did no ha e o con inue o hun and kill demons h oughou he yea s. In he
end, Wynonna had o igh he sis e and he illain, and consequen ly she killed he sis e
me ci ully a e she had been aken by ano he supe na u al mons e who would p obably
use he in a new e il plan.
In he second season, he emale he o con inued o igh and kill demons, and she
wen agains he wo widows o he demon Cloo ie whose main goal was o ee him. She
also disco e ed ha she was p egnan wi h he nex hei o he cu se, and she s uggled o
decide abou wha o do wi h he child. A he same ime, Wynonna’s younge sis e
Wa e ly was possessed by a demon and ound ou abou he ue ances y, being he
daugh e o an angel and no eally an Ea p. By he end o he season, Wynonna ga e
bi h o a gi l, and had he lown ou o Pu ga o y because he e we e people who wan ed
he child as she was he nex hei i Wynonna died. She was able o kill Cloo ie’s wi es,
bu no be o e he was esu ec ed.
Th oughou season h ee, Wynnona igh s Cloo ie as he was ying o ind he
en ance o he Ga den o Eden which was a sanc ua y in he Ghos Ri e T iangle. The
emale he o was gi en a solu ion o end Cloo ie which in ol ed Wa e ly aking he place
o keepe o he ga den. Wynonna ough agains his decision and was able o kill Cloo ie
be o e he could ge in o he ga den, bu again no be o e Wa e ly, he angel, was apped
in he ga den. Finally, in he las season eleased, Wynonna and Nicole Haugh ( he new
she i o Pu ga o y and gi l iend o Wa e ly) ied o ind a way inside he ga den o
escue Wa e ly and Doc Holliday who had gone in o help Wa e ly. A e eleasing
Wa e ly om he Ga den, hey came home o ind ou a long ime had gone while hey
had been in he ga den, and he own o Pu ga o y was u ned upside down wi h he Ea ps
long- ime enemies — he Clan ons — unning hings. Then, as Wa e ly and Nicole y
o ge pas he auma o being apa o so long, Wynonna sea ches o Peacemake , now
a swo d.
The backg ound gi en o Wynonna Ea p in he TV adap a ion was no as glo ious
as he emale he o in he o iginal comics, since in he TV adap a ion i is clea ly shown
ha e en hough she became a he o, she had aumas o deal wi h, memo ies ha haun ed
he , pu ing he in a ulne able s a e o mind. While in he comics he eade ne e sees
he emale he o deal wi h a auma izing pas o e en he a e ma h o killing mons e s,
in he se ies and a e wa ds in he comics ha we e gene a ed om he se ies, he he o
61
and e en he mons e s show human emo ions and pe sonali ies. This allows he emale
he o o ques ion he du y as he hei o he Ea p cu se, as well as he spec a o s who
ponde on wha i akes o alida es pulling he igge on some (no all) o he e enan s
who while ha ing commi ed some pe y c ime in hei o he li e, o e all did no dese e
o become colla e al damage in a con lic hey had no hing o do wi h. Thus, he ollowing
subchap e s will deal wi h he de elopmen he emale he o displayed h oughou he ou
seasons in o de o show whe he Wynonna Ea p embodies wha a eal emale he o can
be in he wes e n space.
3.1. F om Reluc an He o o Righ ul He o o an Imagined Wes e n Space
Acco ding o Vale ie F ankel, “[ ]he opp essed mino i y cul u es o Ame ica needed ales
o sub le y, o pa ience, o quie he oics, bu he Ame ican philosophy o he whi e man
se ling he Wes in o a gende -speci ic pa adise had li le oom o spunky women”
(F om Gi l o Goddess 183). E en hough F ankel could ind ou some s o ies o women’s
ad en u es in he Wes , he my hical wes e n space has always been ypically male, and
women we e always side lined and ul ima ely hough o as seconda y o he ales o men
ou Wes . Real s o ies o women exis ed, bu hey we e neglec ed jus like Kolodny
showed in he s udy. Wi h he changes b ough on pa icula ly in he las decades o he
wen ie h cen u y wi h he Feminis mo emen g owing in s eng h wo ldwide and ha ing
women igh ing o he same oppo uni ies ha men had h oughou hei li es, new
na a i es o women’s ad en u es in he wes e n s a ed o ge public a en ion. Mo e
women we e being gi en he oic oles, jus as Ma k Wilde mu h no iced in Feminism and
he Wes e n in Film and Tele ision (2018), poin ing ou se e al emale cha ac e s ha
ha e appea ed in mo ies and ele ision se ies, pa icula ly when he my hs su ounding
he Wes ha e been c i icized and new pe spec i es and na a i es a e coming o he o e,
di e en om he male pe spec i e, as Campbell no iced:
Pos colonial heo y, he impac o he ci il igh s mo emen and eminism can
be seen in he g adual shi owa ds he inclusion o ma ginalized oices in New
Wes cul u al ep esen a ion. (…). I is hyb id ‘in-be ween’ space (…). This, I
would a gue, is he mul icul u al space o he New Wes , a complex mixing o
cul u es in phases o adi ion, agi a ion, nego ia ion, and hyb idi y. (The
Cul u es o he Ame ican New Wes 104)
62
Subsequen ly, Wynonna Ea p, as a wei d wes e n ele ision se ies embodies wha se e al
au ho s ha e a gued abou he Wes needing o change and e ision, since he emale he o
in his TV adap a ion dis u bs and nego ia es wi h he pas , p esen and u u e o he
na a i es old in he Wes . The emale he o has some adi ional o classical ai s seen
in o he wes e n na a i es, and a he same ime she has a new code o beha io ha pu s
he in a g ey (‘hyb id’) a ea be ween he classic wes e n he o and he non- adi ional
wes e n he o. The e o e, he analysis o his emale cha ac e will be di ided in wo
sec ions: a) Classic Wes e n T ai s and b) New Codes o Beha io .
a) Classic Wes e n T ai s
The i s ai ha should be men ioned because i is p esen h oughou he ou seasons
o Wynonna Ea p is he wes e n’s p edisposi ion o iolence. I is known ha he wes e n
gen e is inhe en ly iolen , and ha he he o’s use o iolence and killing o he illainous
cha ac e s is ypically jus i ied. Richa d Slo kin when analyzing he my h ha su ounds
he Wes and iolence, a gues ha :
Wha is dis inc i ely “Ame ican” is no necessa ily he amoun o kind o
iolence ha cha ac e izes ou his o y bu he my hic signi icance we ha e
assigned o he kinds o iolence we ha e ac ually expe ienced, he o ms o
symbolic iolence we imagine o in en , and he poli ical uses o which we pu
ha symbolism. (13)
Thus, iolence and my h ha e a big in luence on he c ea ion o na a i es and when
ce ain s o ies a e linked wi h iolence, hey gain new meanings and symbolism. The
same happens in he own o Pu ga o y, because he en i onmen su ounding he emale
he o and he o he cha ac e s is al eady iolen and calls o mo e iolence in esponse o
he e il ha lu ks in Pu ga o y. In he i s episode o season one en i led “Pu ga o y”, he
spec a o lea ns ha he e had been se e al mu de s in he own be o e Wynonna a i ed,
in which some o hem a e men ioned − ou young gi ls and Wynonna’s uncle − h ough
a con e sa ion be ween Xa ie Dolls and She i Randy Nedley:
DOLLS. “Spoken like a man who inds a lo o dead gi ls. And you' e had h ee
o 'em in he pas six mon hs. So, you ind..."Kie s en's" head ye ?”
NEDLEY. “Which agency did you say you we e om?”
DOLLS. “See hose skid ma ks? This isn' he kill si e.” (…)

63
DOLLS. “And hese lace a ions... - de ensi e wounds?”
NEDLEY. “Bi e ma ks... om sca enge s. We ha e an o e popula ion o
coyo es his summe . Win e will hin ou he pack. You plan o be he e ha long,
M ...?”
Fu he mo e, hese ype o “inciden s” a e common o he people who chose o li e in
Pu ga o y, and hey know ha hey we e much mo e han jus acciden s o animal a acks;
hey knew ha he e was some hing supe na u al lu king in own. The own al eady had
i s accoun s o c iminali y and iolence wi hou he Ea p hei being he e. When she
inally a i es, iolence escala ed e en mo e wi h he e enan s wan ing o kill he . The
adap a ion o Wynonna Ea p o ele ision d ama ized he emale cha ac e ’s backg ound
s o y. In he comic se ies because he emale he o was he descendan o Wya Ea p
ha ing g own up hea ing s o ies abou him and he e was no men ion abou he pa en s.
In he TV se ies he he oine’s backg ound is auma izing when i is e ealed she came
om a b oken home wi h an alcoholic a he who used o bea he mo he , and a mo he
who an away when Wynonna was young. Mo eo e , he e is a palpable inc ease o
auma and iolence in he ele ision adap a ion, no only because o he change in
mediums, bu also because he na a i e acqui ed a much da ke pe spec i e.
I he wes e n space is iolen , so is Wynonna’s pas and p esen . The audience
lea ns ha be o e coming o Pu ga o y she had been in a men al ins i u e and ha
a e wa ds she became pa o a c iminal g oup called he ‘Bandi os,’ as well as being
wan ed o ques ioning in a c iminal case. Fu he mo e, Wynonna Ea p’s job is o
elimina e e enan s wi h a sho in he o ehead. He job is bo h killing and p o ec ing, and
she acknowledges ha she is good a being a kille h oughou he ou seasons. In episode
hi een o Season One “I Walk he Line,” a e killing he sis e , he emale he o says:
“Bu i s , I'm gonna kill e e y single e enan om he Rockies o he big ci y. And hen
I'm gonna s op ha hing om ge ing in he e;”.
Again, in episode wel e o Season Th ee “Wa Pain ” when she is ying o de ea
Cloo ie and has associa ed wi h he o he e enan s who also had been cu sed, she admi s:
WYNONNA. “Anybody wanna go b eak a goddamn cu se? I *cking lo ed
hun ing and killing you all. F om he momen I i s i ed Peacemake ... eally
i ed i ... and sen my i s Re enan back o hell, Malcolm...”
(…)
“I knew i was wha I was mean o do. E en i i was supposed o be someone
else... my sis e , Willa... he Ea p hei was gonna be me. I' e ne e said i ou
loud o anyone be o e: The only hing I' e e e been any good a is killing. Bu
64
I'm willing o gi e i up. I am willing o go back o being... no much o
any hing.”
Likewise, in episode six “Holy Wa Pa Two” o Season Fou , when she is ying o ge
he gun back, she s a es:
WYNONNA. “The cu se may be o e , bu you know wha , ou enemies won’
s op coming jus because we wan hem o. And I know you wan wha I wan :
o keep kicking e il ass. Enough bullshi . I do wha needs o be done ‘cause I’m
a he o, and you know wha , some imes, ha makes me a kille .”
I seems clea he emale he o had a p edisposi ion o iolence all he li e e en when she
was no ac i ely hun ing e enan s in he home own. Mo eo e , he use o iolence is
usually jus i ied, since mos o he e enan s she killed had mu de ed o he people in hei
p e ious li es. The use o iolence is done in he name o jus ice and o inish a cu se ha
was a ec ing no only he Ea ps, bu also he people li ing in Pu ga o y. The use o
iolence by he emale he o is jus i ied o he spec a o since mo ali y and jus ice a e on
he he oine’s side. Tompkins ques ioned he need o e ell his kind o iolen na a i es
o e and o e again. E en hough she could no a i e a an exac answe , when e e ing
o he use o iolence she a gues ha
The en i e pu pose o he pa e n I’ e desc ibed is o ge he audience o he poin
whe e i can’ wai ill he he o le s loose wi h six-shoo e s. (…), he e’s a
emendous eeling o elie a he momen o discha ge (…). Vengeance, by he
ime i a i es, eels biologically necessa y. (228)
While also adding ha
The s o y can climax, and desi e be sa ed, only i he mo al applause me e eads
way o he scale in he he o’s a o . Wha jus i ies his iolence is ha he is in
he igh , (…) and can now be pe mi ed o do hings which a sho while ago
only he illains did. (…) The he o is so igh ( ha is, so w onged) ha he can
kill wi h impuni y. And we a e wi h him one hund ed pe cen . The eeling o
sup eme igh eousness (…) is delicious and ha dly o be dis inguished om
mu de ousness. (229)
Ea p’s hei in Wynonna Ea p is in he same kind o si ua ion and he spec a o is on he
side, eeling ha jus ice was se ed, and ha he emale he o did wha was igh .
Wynonna s ands apa om he illains because she does no kill people wi hou hinking
o wi hou a highe eason, also he demons she killed had been c iminals and con inued
65
o be in hei new li es. As al eady men ioned, he e we e some e enan s who we e no
uly e il and had jus commi ed pe y c imes and ound hemsel es cu sed, pa icula ly
in Season one. In episode i e “Digging Up Bones” she sho one e enan , Amb ose, who
she saw was no a bad pe son, jus had made some bad choices. She o e ed o le him go.
This happens be o e Cloo ie was esu ec ed and he cu se could be b oken i she killed
him. Fo he o b eak he cu se wi hou killing Cloo ie, she needed o kill he se en y-
se en e enan s Wya Ea p had killed in his li e ime. A e she o e ed o le Amb ose
go, he e used and asked he o shoo him, which she did:
WYNONNA. “I hink i 's ime. You su e you' e OK wi h his?”
AMBROSE. “I was always gonna end his way. I don' wan o li e, wai ing o
ei he o us o be sho down by he hei . Tha 's no li e.”
WYNONNA. “So you' e made you peace?”
AMBROSE. “You' e gonna be he one o b eak his cu se, Wynonna. Fo all o
us. And I hank you.”
WYNONNA. “I'm gonna coun o h ee. OK? One.”
The emale he o’s use o iolence can be compa ed o o he wes e n he oes, because she
has he same ai s in he cha ac e as cowboys such as he Vi ginian and Shane,
men ioned in Chap e One. Wynonna Ea p as a he o and p o ec o o Pu ga o y, he
ic ional wes e n space, has on he side jus ice and he igh mo als o jus i y he pulling
o he igge and killing ano he pe son. Slo kin, when e e ing o iolence, also adds:
When his o y is ansla ed in o my h, he complexi ies o social and his o ical
expe iences a e simpli ied and comp essed in o he ac ion o ep esen a i e
indi iduals o “he oes”. The na a i e o he he o’s ac ion exempli ies and es s
he poli ical and/o mo al alidi y o a pa icula app oach o he use o human
powe s in he ma e ial wo ld. The he o’s inne li e — his o he code o alues,
mo al o psychic ambi alence, mix u es o mo i e — educes o pe sonal mo i e
he complex and con adic o y mix u e o ideological impe a i es (…). The
he oes o my h embody some hing like he ull ange o ideological
con adic ions a ound which he li e o he cul u e e ol es (…). (13-14)
Wynonna Ea p exempli ies Slo kin’s a gumen , since in his wes e n na a i e, she
ep esen s and expe imen s wi h mo al issues. He mo ali y and no ion o jus ice − code
o alues − and he ad en u es in he wes e n space unc ion as a es o possible
esolu ions o issues Ame ican cul u e has p oblems sol ing.
Ano he ai di ec ly connec ed wi h he use o iolence is he esponsibili y o
he people o Pu ga o y. Since she became a Black’s Di ision Depu y o con ol he
supe na u al occu ences in he Ghos Ri e T iangle, she also became he he o o he
66
own, jus like o he male he oes in he wes e n. Jus as some cowboys in he wes e n who
had no hing o do wi h iolence di ec ly, being homes eade s and a me s, bu we e
‘ o ced’ in o iolence, in Wynonna’s case she ne e wan ed o be linked wi h he ole o
he he o pa icula ly in Pu ga o y, he own whose people saw he as a ebellious nonsense
and supposedly men ally uns able Ea p who had go en he a he killed.
A he s a o Season One, she is no ecei ed by he ownspeople wi h open a ms.
Ins ead he spec a o lea ns ha because o wha happened o he amily she g ew up
ac ing ou , causing p oblems and being a ebellious eenage . The iewe also lea ns ha
she was w onged by a lo o people in own who had always suspec ed ha he e was
mo e o he mu de s and acciden s, bu chose o see hem and he Ea ps as a plague and
one o he causes o he oubles b ewing in own. In episode hi een “I Walk he Line”
o Season One, a e a pa y gone w ong and when many we e dying o a poison pu in
he d inks by he illain Bobo Del Rey, he ownspeople we e old ha i hey go him he
Ea p hei dead o ali e, he would gi e hem he an ido e. Wha ollowed was a hun o
he hei by he e y same people Wynonna was ying o sa e. She i Nedley was he one
who con inced people in own o le he go, by s a ing ha al hough she had had nega i e
ac ions, she was he only one who could end he supe na u al occu ences, and sa e hem:
NEDLEY. “This is qui e he pickle you go you sel in o, Wynonna.”
WYNONNA. “You know me.”
NEDLEY. “You ha e been a plague on his own... des oyed a lo o li es... and
you we e a oyal pain in my ass. She's also he only sho we go a ge ing ou o
his mess. I know you' e sick. I know ha you' e sca ed. So am I. Bu ha man
ou he e. Bobo Del Rey and his ilk. They' e no like us. They' e ne e been like
us. I we do his... I mean, i we u n in o he ang y mob o igno an illage s ha
he hinks we a e ... i we kill one o ou own — and make no mis ake, Wynonna
is wha we made he — ... i we do ha , hen well, yeah, we'll be jus like hem.”
[indis inc cha e ] “Hell, we'll be wo se because we had a choice.”
(…)
NEDLEY. “No one's gonna die, Moi a. Wynonna's no gonna le ha happen.
Righ ? Go. Fix his.”
The emale he o was he black sheep in own, ne e accep ed o who she was and ne e
unde s ood o he auma o killing he a he and seeing he olde sis e kidnapped
wi hou being able o help he . The ownspeople ne e saw beyond he ebellious ac s,
bu in he end, she s ill helped hem and became he Ea p hei while ca ying all he killing
and auma ha came om shoo ing people and loosing iends and amily because o he
cu se. Two examples ha suppo his can be seen in Season One. Fi s , in episode h ee
73
has made i so a because o he alues, mo ali y and because she knows ha he wo ld
is no black and whi e. While she ied o s op iolence and dea h as i was shown in
Season Fou he people a ound he eminded he ha uni y migh be a solu ion.
Ano he classic ai o he wes e n p oblema ized in he ele ision show is he
ejec ion o Ch is iani y, especially shown in Seasons Th ee and Fou because o he
exis ence o a po al in he Ghos Ri e T iangle o he Ga den o Eden, whe e he snake
Cloo ie wan ed o en e . Jane Tompkins a gues ha i he wes e n ocuses so much on
dea h and iolence i is because i denies Ch is iani y (31), adding ha he ejec ion o
Ch is iani y is in pa ela ed o he ac ha he chu ch and he domes ic sphe e had been
a woman’s space (44). Tompkins also adds ha
Fo mos o he nine een h cen u y he wo places women could call hei own in
he social s uc u e we e he chu ch and he home. The Wes e n con ains nei he .
I is se in a pe iod and in an en i onmen whe e ew women a e o be ound and
whe e condi ions a e he wo s possible o hei acqui ing any social powe : a
echnology and a code o jus ice bo h o which equi ed physical s eng h in
o de o su i e. (…), I hink i is no acciden ha men g a i a ed in imagina ion
owa d a womanless milieu (…), and a social se ing ha b anded mos ea u es
o ci ilized exis ence as eminine and co up , banishing hem in a o o he
h ee main a ge s o women’s e o m: whiskey, gambling, and p os i u ion. (44)
Tompkins is igh , because i mo ies and ele ision shows s a ing emale he oes a e
compa ed o he numbe o male he oes s a ing in he wes e n gen e, i is clea he
numbe s a e much educed. Howe e , change has been happening, since he e a e emale
ep esen a ions o women in he wes e n ha demons a e women exis ed in he wes e n,
and Ma k Wilde mu h e e ed hem in his book, s a ing ha e en hough he numbe o
emale cha ac e s a e ewe han male cha ac e s and ha , consequen ly, male he oes a e
p edominan in he wes e n gen e, emale he oes and hei na a i es should no be so
easily dismissed, since many o hem p o e ha change is coming and ha women
de ini ely should ha e space o hei s o ies o be old (2). Wilde mu h ocused on
‘p o essional women’ who in his de ini ion could be muleskinne s and gunslinge s (8).
In Wynonna Ea p and keeping in mind Tompkins’ wo ds abou he ejec ion o
Ch is iani y, in he ele ision show he e a e wo majo plo lines shown in Season Th ee
and a he beginning o Season Fou which display a clea ejec ion o wha Ch is iani y
s ands o . In Season Th ee, episode h ee “Colde Wea he ” he emale he o has o deal
wi h he dea h o one o he main cha ac e s, Xa ie Dolls, who sac i iced himsel o sa e
hem all. While she is g ie ing and mus deal wi h his une al, he e a e some dialogues

74
ha show ha she and he people a ound he ejec Ch is iani y and ha e a much deepe
connec ion wi h na u e and he land, using o he ways o paying espec o hose who a e
gone:
WYNONNA. “This one's qui e a kick in he box.” HOLLIDAY. “Yes, ma'am.”
WYNONNA. “I s ill don' unde s and wha happened o him ou he e on ha
ledge.”
HOLLIDAY. “We we e dying, Wynonna, and Dolls, he sa ed us.” (…).
“Some imes you ge and some imes you ge go . Back in my day...”
WYNONNA. “Oh, God, ha en' I su e ed enough?”
HOLLIDAY. “Back in my day, gunslinge s ha died wi h hei boo s on hey
we e bu ied a Boo Hill. O cou se, i was a lag an popula i y con es . Cac us
Pe e, he go in.” (…) “Bu he i ual o i ... se ing a man's ho se loose o un.
Placing a ine bo le o whiskey on his g a e...”
WYNONNA. “Tha sounds kinda nice.”
F om he con e sa ion be ween Holliday and he emale he o i can be seen ha when
dea h was in ol ed, jus like in o he wes e ns, in Wynonna Ea p he cha ac e s had a
much bigge connec ion wi h he cus oms o he land han wi h he classic i uals o Dea h
used by many eligions. They had hei own way o emembe ing and laying hei iends
o es . Addi ionally, in Season Fou , episode wo “F iends in Low Places”, when
Wynonna’s sis e , Wa e ly, was apped in he Ga den o Eden, being he p isone o a
illainous E e, he e is he ollowing dialogue:
EVE. “God... hasn' been he e o a long, long ime. Yup. He hi i , hen he qui
i . Le humani y on ead.”
WAVERLY. “Maybe we should jus , like, chill on he God alk.”
EVE. “And wha kind o ba shi playg ound expe imen o c ea ion was his?”
A he end o his episode, he emale he o was able o sa e Wa e ly om he Ga den,
bu no wi hou consequences: i was impe a i e ha an angel s ayed behind o keep wa ch
o e he p ison. Howe e , Wa e ly (pa angel) did no s ay o gua d he p ison, and an
e il E e was eed in he p ocess:
WAVERLY. “The gua dians o he ga den do no ge o lea e.” WYNONNA.
“You a e no jus he gua dian. You a e an Ea p.” (…)
WYNONNA. “The cu se is o e , Wa es, i 's ime o s a li ing o ou sel es.”
WAVERLY. “Wynonna... Help.”
WYNONNA. “All his des iny, cu se, a e, hei s o any hing bullshi ? I 's
cancelled.”
75
Thus, om he wo examples men ioned be o e, besides he emale he o and he iends
ha ing hei own ules abou g ie ing and une als, and e en i hey belie ed ha Hell
exis ed, hey always ound a way o de ia e om he des ined pa h ha o he supe na u als
had seen o laid down o he Ea ps. This can be seen in Season Fou when Wynonna was
o le Wa e ly go, and she did no , unleashing e il in he p ocess. The emale he o p e e s
o belie e in hei eali y and ha hey can choose, and i ha eali y is ques ioned, she
igh s o keep i . Rela ed o his, Tompkins a gues ha “(…) he gen e ejec s o ganized
eligion (…) emb acing ma e , physical ac s, and physical o ce as ul ima ely eal (…).
The Wes e n needs a se ing, and a se o belie s, whe e s eng h coun s mo e han p aye ”
(34).
In Wynonna Ea p, he connec ion o he land in Pu ga o y is much mo e symbolic
and has much mo e weigh in he emale he o’s li e han eligion does. The land, which
is a opic no immedia ely disce nible in he wes e n and in his ele ision se ies, has deep
symbolism and i con ains e e y hing he emale he o ca es abou . Tompkins has also
aken his issue in o conside a ion by a guing ha
The in e ac ion be ween he o and landscape lies a he gen e’s cen e ,
o e shadowed in he popula image o he Wes e n by gun igh s and chases, bu
no less essen ial o he expe ience Wes e ns p o ide. In he end, he land is
e e y hing o he he o; i is bo h he des ina ion and he way. He cou s i ,
s uggles wi h i , de ies i , conque s i , and lies down wi h i a nigh . (81)
The e o e, he land holds meaning o he he o in he wes e n, and e en i iolence and
dea h had a bigge display han he symbolism o he land, he wes e n landscape is whe e
he he oes wen h ough ha ing ad en u es and acing dea h. I is he wes e n land ha
holds he he oes’ memo ies and hei li es. Ul ima ely, as Neil Campbell a gues in The
Cul u es o he Ame ican New Wes he ela ionship wi h he land in he wes e n is a a he
complica ed one:
Applied o he Wes , his app oach o he li ed expe ience o space and he
ela ions be ween humani y and land discou ages educ ionism and enables
landscape o be ‘ ead’ as a complex, mul ilaye ed cons uc ion mixing memo y
and desi e, my h and eali y, bu always e ealing ideology. (42)
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b) New Codes o Beha io
In addi ion o he analyzed issues and subjec s common o wes e ns, he e a e o he ai s
and subjec s which challenge he old ways o he Wes . Among hem, he challenging o
ideas o masculini y and he my h ha su ounds he wes e n, issues ha would be
expec ed in a 21s cen u y wes e n. Neil Campbell in Pos -Wes e ns Cinema, Region,
Wes e e s o an impo an concep when discussing con empo a y wes e ns, ha o
“phan om a chi ec u e” (2). This is a wes e n space occupied wi h buildings and elics o
he wes e n pas and, a he same ime, buildings connec ed o he p esen . In Wynonna
Ea p, he su ounding space is illed wi h buildings and i ems ha ela e bo h o he
wes e n pas – he Ea p homes ead and Sho y’s saloon – and he wes e n p esen – he
she i ’s o ice and he high school building. Rela ed o he changes in he wes e n space,
lack o ho ses in his wes e n should be men ioned. I is ue ha his ele ision adap a ion
is a wei d wes e n, in ol ing a ious elemen s ha a i s seem disconnec ed om each
o he . Howe e , he wes e n is s ill a he show’s cen e , and in Wynonna Ea p, ho ses
a e ba ely e e seen. Ins ead, he e is he emale he o’s lo e o mo o cycles, hus
eplacing and mode nizing old opes o he wes e n’s pas , some hing ha was no new.
12
Ho ses ha e always been pa o he wes e n gen e, e en i hey we e no gi en
much a en ion, besides being he ide o he main he o as well as o he cha ac e s. The
use o ho ses in he wes e n ela es o a connec ion wi h na u e and he landscape, since
he cha ac e s ide li ing animals o ge h ough he landscape. Tompkins e e ed o
ho ses a guing ha in he wes e n “…[m]o e han any o he single elemen in he gen e,
hey symbolize he desi e o ecupe a e some los connec ion o li e” (94), bu ha
no mally hey a e no gi en much a en ion by c i ics (90). In Wynonna Ea p, he he oine
is ne e seen iding a ho se, bu a mo o cycle le o he by he uncle. I is in e es ing o
no ice he compa ison made by Doc Holliday when Wynonna i s saw he bike in episode
six “Cons an C a ings” o Season One:
WYNONNA. “1200 s age one Sc eaming Eagle!” (…)
WAVERLY. “No, Cu is's will s ipula ed ha he bike goes o Wynonna.” (…)
WYNONNA. “I knew we we e soulma es. Ohhh!”. (Wynonna pu ing). “Wha
am I going o name his sexy beas ? Doc!”
12
The change and mode niza ion o an old and classic ai o he wes e n has been seen in ilms like Ha ley
Da idson and he Ma lbo o Man (1991) and Ghos Ride (2007).
77
DOC. “Ne e seen a cowgi l look mo e a home in he saddle.”
Wynonna’s lo e o mo o cycles ins ead o ho ses demons a es ha he wes e n has been
changing, and ha i has adap ed o mode n imes, hus applying Campbell’s phan om
a chi ec u e.
The e is ano he subjec in Wynonna Ea p ha clashes wi h he classic wes e n
cowboy. Wynonna Ea p has g own up as a ‘lone wol ’, bu i is when she decides o s ay
in own ha he spec a o uly sees he he oic po en ial. She is s ill a lone , capable o
aking ca e o he sel , and she is seen as a de e mined and s ong indi idual o be a ound.
She is he cha ac e in he se ies ha ca ies a ound he bu den o killing and always
ha ing o be on ale i she does no wan o ge killed. Howe e , she is also he mos
b oken and auma ized cha ac e o he ele ision se ies. No o he cha ac e is as
emo ionally uns able and auma ized as he emale he o shows o be. Th oughou he
ou seasons he spec a o wa ches he emale he o y o deal wi h he pas , and a he
same ime deal wi h he losses b ough on by he p esen esponsibili ies as he Ea p hei :
Willa’s, Sho y’s and Doll’s dea hs. Adding o his is he weigh o killing and he
consequen doub s abou he cos o pulling he igge which has al eady been men ioned
be o e. All hese issues a e deal wi h using oxic and p oblema ic ways, usually in ol ing
alcohol and sex.
Wynonna Ea p is a b oken he o who has e y di e en beha io s o he classic
wes e n he o whom he spec a o mo e o en han no sees as pe ec e en i emo ionally
closed o . While he cowboy was o en he embodimen o mo ali y, jus ice and many o
he emale cha ac e s we e de o ed o being mo he s and aking ca e o he house,
Wynonna Ea p demons a es ha a di e en kind o he o migh exis in he wes e n, a
he o who is humanly lawed like all humani y. She s ands in a g ey a ea be ween he old
wes e n he o and he ise o a new he o wi h a new code o beha io . The classic wes e n
he o is in gene al emo ionally closed o , ne e opens up abou how he eels and
subsequen ly does no show how uly a ec ed he is by he dea h and loss o iends and
amily. Wynonna is he opposi e because e en when she does no speak, she d owns
he sel in alcohol and i is clea ly seen how hings a ec he .
The e a e wo examples ha demons a e his. In Season One, episode nine “Bu y
Me wi h My Guns On” he spec a o wa ches he d own he sel in alcohol, a e she was
78
kidnapped by he se en h demon who was in ol ed in he kidnapping o he olde sis e
Willa. She inally kills he se en h and las demon, and a e he spec a o sees he
d inking a lo , dance wi h e e y man in Sho y’s saloon, while she had lashbacks o he
demon who had almos cu he open. The dialogue be ween Wynonna and Holliday
exempli ies he dilemma:
HOLLIDAY. “The hing abou an Ea p, hey a e su i o s o he co e. Quick o
eco e , enacious, commi ed o hei cause.”
WYNONNA. “Hey! Hey, s ange guy!”
HOLLIDAY. “The hing abou his Ea p is she is all hese hings, wi h demons
o miles.”
WYNONNA. “Ah! I'm ee. I'm good.” (…)
WYNONNA. “I hough I'd eel di e en . I hough I'd look di e en .”
HOLLIDAY. “You nea pe ished a he hands o a maniac.”
WYNONNA. “I'm no alking abou ha . The se en mu de ous spawns o Hell
ha a acked he homes ead and killed Willa a e dead.”
HOLLIDAY. “Well, you said you'd ge hem, and you go 'em.” WYNONNA.
“Bu his sp ing, coiled so igh in me? I 's jus as igh , Doc. “
HOLLIDAY. F om my expe ience and I' e go some you elease he age, you
migh ind he e's no hing le .
WYNONNA. “Wo s o une-cookie ad ice e e . I ha e his s upid cu se. Wha
did Wya do o mess us all up so bad?”
HOLLIDAY. “He always aimed o be a good man. I migh be i didn' ake. In
he end, i 's men like me who o en su i e.”
WYNONNA. “Then maybe i 's be e o be bad.”
Alcohol is used o escape wha she had been h ough and wha she el a e wa ds and
s ill he anguish emains. In Season ou , episode se en “Lo e’s All O e ” he iewe
can, once again, see he emale he o ollowing a pa h o sel -des uc ion. This ime
because she and Doc Holliday (he lo e in e es ) could no ag ee on he killing o Hol
Claybo n, she d owned he sel in alcohol and has sex wi h he demon Amon, a e which
he ollowing dialogue occu s:
AMON. “Now he e's he Ea p sis e I like. Haza dous, ho , hal -in- he-bag.”
WYNONNA. “I wasn' su e i you'd be alone.”
AMON. “Deme i? He le a e I le him yell some nonsense abou how I ha e
no soul.”
WYNONNA. “Been he e. Ha ed i .”
AMON. “I was mos ly bo ed. I guess I am a mons e .” WYNONNA. “Who gi es
a uck?”
AMON. “I hough you wan ed o kill me.”
WYNONNA. “All I wan is... o s op eeling guil y o wha I am. When wha I
am... is necessa y.”
AMON. “You' e a... You' e a con using woman.”

79
The guil she eels leads he o ac ecklessly and, in bo h examples, she is shown o be
humanly lawed jus like o he human beings. The wes e n male he o migh be d awn as
almos lawless and wi h he igh alues, placing him in a highe es eem han o he
cha ac e s in he Wes o he spec a o , bu i is wi h he oes like Wynonna Ea p ha
wes e n na a i es c ea e mo e space o a new ype o he o ha is mo e accessible o he
iewe .
Thus, wha dis inguishes his emale he o om he wes e n male cha ac e is he
impe ec ions, and as he he o in his na a i e his is wha a ac s mos spec a o s o his
wes e n, since she is special and s ill e y human a he co e.
13
He laws, auma, and he
doub s abou he li e, make he look a li e in Pu ga o y and he igh agains e il as no
being black and whi e. While in mos wes e n na a i es he igh agains e il and he
illains is black and whi e, in Wynonna Ea p no hing is simple: no he o is comple ely
igh eous and good, and no e e y illain is exclusi ely e il. This ele ision adap a ion
c ea ed a na a i e which shows how complex and complica ed humani y is and he use
o iolence and dea h is no po ayed as black and whi e as i is in mos wes e ns.
Fu he mo e, he e is ano he ai ha se s aside his emale he o om o he
wes e ns which is he eam ha backs he up. Th oughou he ou seasons he emale
he o ma u ed and opened up o a g oup o people whom she s a ed o see as he amily.
Since she had los he amily when she was young, she hough she did no dese e o be
lo ed and o lo e back o he people, a e he a he ’s and sis e ’s dea hs. Howe e ,
h oughou he se ies a g oup o people, which include he sis e Wa e ly, Nicole Haugh ,
Xa ie Dolls, Doc Holliday and Je emy Che i, we e able o ge h ough he emale he o’s
loss and build a s ong ela ionship wi h he . Wynonna Ea p is no he i s emale he o
(and hope ully no he las ) o ha e a eam o back he up, because he same has been seen
in Bu y he Vampi e Slaye , Bi ds o P ey and e en in Wes wo ld wi h Mae e. Wha
dis inguishes Wynonna’s eam has o do wi h he ac ha in classic wes e n na a i es
he he o is almos always he one who sa es he day, lea ing behind hose he wishes o
p o ec om dange . In The Vi ginian and Shane ha was he case, since, espec i ely, in
he o me , he Vi ginian de ea ed he illain alone while his iancée s ayed in he ho el;
13
The emale he o exp esses mo e ac i ely how she eels, bu she uses alcohol as he cope mechanism
which is no mally used by male he oes. The choice o alcohol o he emale he o, whiskey, is no conside ed
a women’s be e age, bu commonly seen being d unk by male he oes.
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and in he la e , Shane wen ou alone o igh agains he illains because he el he was
he only one who should do i , e en i he go himsel killed in he p ocess. When wes e n
na a i es ollow he mos adi ional s o ies o he cowboy ge ing in o own and sa ing
he own om he illains, he he o almos always ac s alone in he end because he has
he bes skills among all he men and women in own. Howe e , as men ioned in chap e
one, he wes e n has been changing and allowing di e en s o ies o be old. One o hose
changes is ela ed o he g oup o people ha help he main he o. In Wynonna Ea p he
na a i e always shi s owa d one na a i e plo : he emale he o’s amily and iends
always ha e he back e en when she belie es ha she is he only one who can sa e hem
all.
No hing can ake away om he emale he o ha she is he only one who can sa e
e e yone om e enan s and o he mons e s, bu i i we e no o he eam, she would
no ha e he success a e she has as a demon kille , and she would no ge ou ali e om
mos o he missions. The exis ence o a eam ha backs up he main he o is impo an o
discuss, since in his emale na a i e a new idea is p oposed o wes e ns: ha uni y and
coope a ion a e be e han one he o going ou alone and isking his li e. Ha ing a eam
as a backup migh mean he di e ence be ween li ing ano he day o dying alone. The
wes e n glo i ies he he o o his capaci y o sac i ice so ha o he s can li e, and when
he he o dies o disappea s while he sun se s, he spec a o sees how people li e happily
because o wha he he o sac i iced o hem. Usually he wes e n c ea es a sense o peace
wi h wha he he o accomplished, bu also a hin o sadness o he he o’s
dea h/disappea ance.
As al eady men ioned, Wynonna Ea p is he main he o, bu she would no be he
he o ha she is wi hou he eam. They would all sac i ice hemsel es o each o he . The
alue o he he o’s sac i ice is s ill espec ed in his ele ision se ies, bu his se ies
demons a es ha dea h migh be u he away due o he people ha he he o su ounds
he sel wi h. An example o his can be seen in Season Th ee, episode wel e “Wa Pain ”,
in which he emale he o wan ed o igh Cloo ie alone. She d ugged he iends’ d inks,
es ained Doc Holliday, while he sis e was s uck in he s ai s ha led o he ga den o
Eden. In he end, she kills he demon bu is abou o die since he demon was able o sink
his poison ee h in o he blood sys em. She was p epa ed o die, bu was sa ed by Doc
Holliday who sucked he enom ou while he ollowing dialogue occu s:
81
WAVERLY. “No!!”
WYNONNA. “Son o a Cob a Kai.”
WAVERLY. “Wynonna!”. (Shou ing). “Wynonna, le me ou a he e! Don' you
da e die on me, idio !”
WYNONNA. “I 's okay. You'll be ine, baby gi l.” WAVERLY. “No! No!!
No!!”
WYNONNA. “Whe e' e you been?”
HOLLIDAY. “You le me handcu ed, and bound in a ci cle o holy wa e .
Remembe ?”
WYNONNA. “Excuses, excuses. You suck.” HOLLIDAY. “Thanks.”
WYNONNA. “No, I mean you sucked ou he enom. How'd I as e?”
HOLLIDAY. “He oic.”
Thus, he emale he o was p epa ed o die o de ea he demon who had e o ized
Pu ga o y o cen u ies. Howe e , as o en happens, because she had a eam she su i ed
o li e and igh ano he day.
Ano he cha ac e is ic ha en iches his wes e n na a i e is ela ed o gende
ep esen a ion and sexuali y. Ha ing al eady analyzed he emale he o’s de ian
pe sonali y when she is compa ed o he classic male he o o he wes e n and women,
he e is ye he need o alk abou he emale he o’s sexuali y and how he ele ision show
ep esen s a much mo e inclusi e na a i e ou Wes . This ele ision se ies shows he
iewe how inclusi e he wes e n space can ac ually be, i only TV p oduce s allow space
o his kind o na a i es o be old. Rela ed o his subjec Neil Campbell’s a gumen
abou hyb idi y and how he wes e n has been allowing di e en s o ies o be old a e
impo an o be men ioned once again, because Wynonna Ea p c ea ed a space whe e bo h
men and women a e com o able o be who hey a e and open abou hei sexuali ies.
Th oughou he ou seasons he e ha e been ecu en cha ac e s who
demons a e how his wes e n is di e se and inclusi e: om Wa e ly Ea p and Nicole
Haugh ’s oman ic ela ionship o Je emy Che i who is homosexual, he TV show has
been elaying a message o spec a o s saying ha i is mo e han okay o ha e di e en
sexual o ien a ions and ha he wes e n is a space whe e di e en s o ies can be old
openly, despi e i s known limi a ion o add ess and show di ec ly o he sexual o ien a ions
besides he e osexuali y.
As al eady men ioned, he wes e n gen e is majo ly male and he e osexual,
cons aining o he sexual o ien a ions and gende s on sc een and pape . The ela ionships
ha appea mo e on sc een a e he e osexual, bu i can be a gued ha unde nea h he
82
iolence and igh s be ween men he e is a p opensi y o homoe o icism. Tompkins when
e e ing o women in he wes e n a gued ha some imes
Female “sc een” cha ac e s, who a e eally ex ensions o he men hey a e pai ed
wi h, pe o m his alibi unc ion all he ime, masking he ac ha wha he men
a e eally in e es ed in is one ano he . Wes e n no els and mo ies ell s o ies ha
s em om he posi ions men occupy in he social s uc u e, and ell hem om
he man’s poin o iew, bu hey concen a e on male-male ela ionships. (40)
Hence, i is no new ha he wes e n masks homosexuali y behind emale cha ac e s
pa icula ly in na a i e plo s in which he wo male cha ac e s spend mos o hei ime
wi h each o he and become e y amilia , and e en in ima e wi h each o he . F om classic
wes e n mo ies like The Big Sky (1952) o wes e n ele ision shows like The Lone Range
(1949), i can be seen ha he wes e n’s majo ocus was on male ela ionships, hin ing
some imes om he way he male cha ac e s ca ed o each o he ha he e was much
mo e o hei ela ionships han wha was e e going o be shown o he spec a o s. One
wes e n ha had a lo o a en ion and c i icism was B okeback Moun ain (2005) which
clea ly showed and ocused on a homosexual ela ionship be ween he wo male
cha ac e s. The e o e, he wes e n has had seconda y meanings behind some o he
ela ionships be ween male cha ac e s, and wi h app oaches such as B okeback Moun ain,
he gen e has become mo e open o add ess oman ic ela ionships be ween men and e en
women.
Wynonna Ea p is p oo o ha and nowadays is admi ed by he LGBTQIA+
communi y because o he way i add esses ela ionships and sexual o ien a ion. Wa e ly
and Nicole’s ela ionship since Season One has been one o he mos alued
ep esen a ions o a homosexual ela ionship on ele ision. Emily And as who had been
p e iously in ol ed in Los Gi l, which ells he s o y o a bisexual succubus, alked abou
he quee ness in Wynonna Ea p du ing an in e iew o he Ad oca e, “Wynonna Ea p's
C ea o and S a s on I s Au hen ic Quee Legacy”:
I was e y imme sed in quee cul u e and quee s o y elling. Pa icula ly inso a
as deli e ing ha h ough gen e, and [I] ealized he e was jus a huge amoun
o gen e ans who iden i y as LGBTQIA and we e no being se ed by gen e
s o ies. When I was gi en Beau Smi h’s comic book Wynonna Ea p, a couple
hings eally appealed o me…. Wi h his one, I eally did ge goosebumps,
because i had a eally s ong emale cha ac e (…). She was a descendan o
89
who has he own aul s and impe ec ions can be a he o in wes e ns and o he gen es. Bu ,
e en i his is wha he ele ision show s ands o and is, consequen ly, ollowed by ans
because o i , i can also be easily c i icized when, unnecessa ily, he emale he o is
unde mined by aking he clo hes o on came a o when he came a ocuses excessi ely
on he bu .
Je ey B own when discussing Wonde Woman men ioned he o e sexualiza ion
o emale he oes and wha he a gued can also be applied o Wynonna Ea p. He s a ed ha
many o he ideas ha su ound Wonde Woman clash wi h each o he because she is a
he same ime sexualized by a male audience and seen as a eminis symbol by a emale
audience; consequen ly, as hese ideas clash ( oo sexualized s emale symbol) i migh
explain why he ac ion he o is complex: p og essi e and in e es ing ye s ill seen as a
sexual objec by some (235).
The same happens o his emale he o because she is a he same ime sexualized
and ye a s ong, powe ul woman and he o who is able o s and on he own in a
p edominan ly masculine wo ld and s and ou as a woman who is as powe ul and
compe en as o he male he oes. E en hough he e is a emale p oduce behind he
ele ision adap a ion o Wynonna Ea p, he e is s ill a need o ge mo e audiences, and
one needs o emembe ha his is s ill a p edominan ly male business. In addi ion, i is
also impo an o analyze he eadap a ion o his emale he o’s na a i e om ele ision
o comics.
3.2. Readap a ion o Wynonna Ea p om Showing o Telling
Reminding Linda Hu cheon and Siobhan O’Flynn on he p ocess o adap a ion ac oss
di e en gen es and mediums, he p ocess o eadap ing a na a i e o ano he gen e is
complex since he eadap a ion needs o keep i sel ue o he p e ious na a i e and
cha ac e s. The p ocess o shi ing ac oss gen es in he case o Wynonna Ea p implica ed
ha he new comic book se ies had o be inse ed in he na a i e old in he ele ision
show. Subsequen ly, based on he new na a i e old in he ele ision show c ea ed by
Emily And as, ou comic book se ies we e published by IDW Publishing and Beau Smi h
ollowing ai h ully he na a i e o he ele ision se ies – Wynonna Ea p: Homecoming

90
(2016), Wynonna Ea p: Legends (2017), Wynonna Ea p: Season Ze o (2018) and
Wynonna Ea p: Bad Day a Black Rock (2019). The na a i es o he ou comic book
se ies ollow he changes b ough on by And as in he ele ision show, and e en i he
gen e is di e en , spec a o s om he TV show can easily ollow he comics o his emale
he o.
The comics we e published a e he ele ision show ai ed and based on he
na a i e old by i , hus he e a e some subjec s ha should be highligh ed: 1- he emale
he o’s sexualiza ion and how he clo hes con inue o connec he o he Wes as a he o;
2- alue o uni y o e iolence; and 3- he in luence o Wya Ea p’s ghos o e he emale
he o. In he ou comic se ies o his emale he o, he eade ollows ad en u es ha a e
ela ed o he main plo line showed in he ele ision se ies, bu he e a e sligh changes
especially in he addi ion o wo cha ac e s – Valdez and Smi y – who, espec i ely, in
he ele ision show appea as a eenage and he la e does no appea a all.
The i s aspec ela es o he emale he o’s sexualiza ion in he comics and how
he clo hes hold symbolism as a he o in he wes e n. Like many o he emale cha ac e s
in comics, such as Wonde Woman, he igu e o Wynonna is s ill sexualized in hese
comics jus like in he ele ision show. S ill, in he comics published a e he show she
is less sexualized han in he ele ision show and in he p e ious comic se ies discussed
in Chap e Two. E en i he emale he o is less sexualized, one o he main conce ns e en
nowadays is ha emale he oes ha e o be a ac i e, so ha hey can d aw audiences o
wa ch he shows and ead he comics. Jus like Wonde Woman¸ Wynonna Ea p is
a ac i e and hus a ac s audiences while, a he same ime, she is a he oine who
ad oca es o women saying ha hey can be s ong and he he oines in a male domina ed
medium. Fu he mo e, ela ed o his subjec a e he clo hes ha connec he o he Wes
as he example shown in Fig. 6:
91
Fig. 6. Wynonna Ea p: Season Ze o #3 (n. p), 2018.
This example shows ha he emale he o is being sexualized, bu in a much- educed way,
e en i she was d awn wi h exposed skin and wi h an a ac i e physical igu e. Howe e ,
i does no comp omise he as a he o since she s ill s ands as a s ong and b a e indi idual
while igh ing c iminals. This image exempli ies he a hes poin ha his emale he o’s
sexualiza ion wen in all he ou comic se ies published a e he c ea ion o he ele ision
show. Mo eo e , his image shows how he clo hes symbolically connec he o he Ea p
lineage and wi h he wes e n: he boo s, he black lea he jacke (which in he ou comics
was d awn wi h inges a ound he a ms), and especially he o ange ‘wild ag’ o sca
he emale he o ca ies a ound he neck which symbolically connec s he o he Wes .
Thus, she is again a mix u e o sexualiza ion and empowe men .
Simila ly, like in he ele ision show, in he comics he emale he o is in ull
con ol o he sel and is sexually ee. As a esul , he choice o clo hing e lec s ha
con ol o e he sexuali y and he body. Then, e en i because o audiences, emale he oes
end o be sexualized o a ac mo e spec a o s and eade s, Wynonna Ea p s ill s ands
s ong and powe ul as a woman and he o o he wes e n in hese comics. The emale
he o’s sexualiza ion does no unde mine and educe he powe and s eng h as a he o, i
makes Wynonna Ea p s onge because she is pa o he ongoing ba le o emale he oes
92
who migh be sexualized, bu a e shown owning hei iden i ies, sexuali y, and powe in
masculine domina ed a eas like he wes e n gen e. I is h ough he oes like his one ha
he wes e n ques ions i sel on he way i has been ep esen ing women h oughou ime
and space.
Fu he mo e, he e is a second cha ac e is ic p esen in hese ou comics ha
should be men ioned: he alue o uni y and amily o e he idea o he lonesome he o o
he wes e n. The eadap a ion o he comic se ies kep highligh ing his subjec which can
be especially seen when he emale he o con inues o su ound he sel in missions wi h a
eam o people whom she calls amily. An example o his can be seen in Figu e 7 in
which he eam and he emale he o had o ake back con ol o a p ison om which he
mos dange ous supe na u al elons managed o ee hemsel es:
Fig. 7. Wynonna Ea p: Bad Day a Black Rock, (n.p), 2019.
93
This image, jus like in he ele ision se ies, shows he emale he o wi h a eam o people
who help he succeed in he missions. The idea o showing in he comics a wes e n he o
su ounded by a eam is impo an and is linked wi h he new app oach he wes e n has
been ha ing. No mally, he he oes o he Wes igh hei enemies alone and a hei own
pe sonal cos , pu ing hei li es on he line. In wes e ns like Wynonna Ea p a new idea
has been p oposed ha ques ions he my h and beha io o he classic wes e n he o: uni y
and iendship be ween people who igh oge he o achie e a common goal and o ba le
a common enemy, should be an idea wes e ns should apply mo e in i s na a i es. As
Wilde mu h has a gued when he alked abou iolence and uni y (155), wes e n TV
shows, comics, mo ies and o he o ma s which add ess he consequences o he use o
iolence and sugges ha uni y and iendship migh be answe s o i , ha e impo an
messages o ansmi o people and help e ise he my h ha su ounds he wes e n. As
men ioned be o e, i is uni y and iendship be ween he emale he o and o he s ha is
essen ial o he he o’s su i al h oughou he li e. The possibili y o dea h o he emale
he o and he eam always hangs in he ai e en in he comics, bu because o hei
iendship and uni y, dea h migh be delayed because o he us ha hey ha e in each
o he .
Addi ionally, he e is one las ai ha should be conside ed in wha conce ns he
comics published a e he TV se ies, and ha is he no iceable bigge in luence in he
comics o Wya Ea p’s ghos o e he emale he o. Because o he p ocess o eadap ing
he na a i e om showing o elling, one o he pe ks o i is how easy i is o c ea e
s o ies in which people who ha e died can appea easily as i hey we e ali e. In ele ision
he same could ha e been done, bu he igu e o Wya Ea p was ne e add essed in such
a way. In he comics, Wya Ea p appea s as a ghos in he i s comic se ies Wynonna
Ea p: Homecoming, published alongside he i s ele ision season, o help he emale
he o igh supe na u al illains who had been enemies o he Ea p amily. I is impo an
o e e again o Wya Ea p’s ghos because he con inues o be a shadow o e his emale
he o, like he was in he ele ision se ies. In he TV show e en i he would always be
p esen when anyone alked abou he Ea p he o, he emale he o s ill made he own way
h ough he missions wi h he eam as backup. The e o e, e en hough she would always
be linked wi h Wya Ea p, he comics, like he ele ision se ies, demons a e ha he
emale he o’s he i age does no jus i y he success as an agen and he o, since i is shown
ha Wynonna Ea p is who she is because o he amily she chose, he eam. In he comics,
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ime and ime again, he eade can see ha i was he people a ound he , who we e no
ela ed o he , ha molded who she would become as a he o. The emale he o migh ca y
Peacemake and be connec ed o Wya Ea p, bu she is a he o because o he eam which
helps he in missions, since she o e came ad e si ies in he li e ha could change
someone’s pa h d as ically.
Thus, a e analyzing he emale he o’s ele ision se ies and comics, i can be said
ha e en hough he e a e laws o hem, i is wi h wes e n na a i es like hese ones ha
he wes e n gen e will con inue i s e ision, allowing i o change and ell s o ies abou
women as he oes. They migh open mo e space o o he emale he oes o appea , passing
on he message ha women, like men, can be he oic. They jus had o be gi en na a i es
in which hey had eedom o play oles di e en om he de imen al and subse ien
cha ac e s gi en o women in o he wes e ns.

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Conclusion: The Pe sis ence o Female He oes in he Wes e n
Th oughou he 20 h cen u y un il oday, emale he oes ha e been success ul and well
ecei ed in ilms and ele ision adap a ions, bu mos o all in comics. None heless, e en
i hey a e success ul, emale he oes, such as Wonde Woman and Annie Oakley,
men ioned du ing he cou se o his analysis, ha e always been associa ed and app oached
as cha ac e s wi h a double s anda d. They a e shown as eminis ole models o gi ls
and adul women, while being unde mined by hei sexual appeal and a ac i eness which
was boos ed by he way hei bodies we e d awn, so ha hey would each mo e male
audiences. Th oughou he yea s, women ha e looked up a emale he oes in pu sui o
ole models and answe s on how hey should look and beha e in socie y, and o en imes
he answe s hey ge om wha hey see emale he oes do and wea , makes hem wonde
abou how independen emale he oes a e, posing ques ions such as: how a ha e emale
he oes gone o decons uc and unde mine s e eo ypical images c ea ed by a dominan
masculine cul u e.
Answe s o ques ions like his one a e di icul and complex o be gi en, since
oday emale he oes s ill embody his double s anda d because mediums such as comics,
ele ision and cinema a e s ill male domina ed a eas, and his ac anspi es o mos
adap a ions o emale he oes in need o a ac ing audiences. An in e es ing and complex
esul was eached by Nickie Phillips and S aci S obl when hey su eyed eade s o
comics abou wha ype o comics hey ead and wha ype o he oes hey we e looking
o . Thei indings we e ocused on one media, bu ul ima ely, hey show he gene al
pic u e o wha o he di e se he oes s and o nowadays:
While he pas decade o so has opened up possibili ies o he oes o di e ence,
he e emains a endency o comic book cha ac e s’ ace and sexual o ien a ion
o e lec hose o hei c ea o s (…). As i s ands, he indus y lags behind in
p o iding ully dimensional he oes o di e si y. Un il ha happens, he ques ion
o whe he gay, black, o emale he oes a e “belie able” o “ ela able” will
con inue o be posed. Al e na i ely, he lack o di e si y could make hese books
mo e com o able o eade s who emain in p i ileged posi ions wi hin whi e
hegemony and pa ia chy. (…). In la ge con ex s, such as Comic Cons, men
equen ly ou numbe women. A one poin in he e iew o (…) discussion
boa ds and podcas s, (…) male ans migh be mo e socially com o able a ound
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hypo he ical aliens and zombies han a ound emales, pa icula ly “s ong”
emales. (242)
He oes ha s and ou as di e en om he common he e osexual no ma i e male he o,
ei he because o he colo o hei skin, sexual o ien a ion o gende a e much mo e
suscep ible o c i icism because hey look and ac di e en om hose ypical he oes.
E en i many eade s look o cha ac e s ha a e simila o hem, he ac s ands ha he
indus y con inues o ocus on male, whi e he e osexual cha ac e s o e o he mo e
complex and di e se cha ac e s. The wes e n gen e, which no mally always ga e mo e
spo ligh o male he e osexual he oes and o e looked o he he oes such as women, has
been e ising i sel by gi ing mo e ocus o o he s o ies o he oism and pe spec i es in
he Wes .
Hence, many mo e emale he oes ha e been appea ing in a ious gen es and
mediums ad oca ing o women o ha e he same ep esen a ion and equal oppo uni ies
ha men ha e always been gi en. In he wes e n, cha ac e s such as Dolo es Abe na hy,
Mae e Millay, Ca asyn hia Dune and Wynonna Ea p ha e helped o make way o o he
women. Likewise, pa hs and spaces ha ha e been only ho oughly explo ed by men in
he wes e n a e now being explo ed by emale he oes who u ned he wes e n gen e in o
a mo e complex and open space o ell o he na a i es. The e is s ill a long way o go,
especially when i comes o o he s o ies ha ha e been le ou on pu pose om he
me ana a i e being old, like pe spec i es and s o ies o Na i e Ame icans.
The ocus o his analysis we e emale he oes, and p ima ily on he a ious
adap a ions o Wynonna Ea p, since she is a p ime example o a success ul sub e sion
o e a domina ed masculine space. She s ands as he he o o he communi y and en o ces
he idea ha women can be wha e e hey wan o be. In Wynonna Ea p, women a e ne e
ied down o a man. They can be he oic, independen and, ul ima ely, he na a i e o he
emale he o and o he side cha ac e s in his imagined wes e n space sugges s ha he ide
is slowly u ning, making way o mo e women o appea in he wes e n as he oes. The
p esen s udy o Wynonna Ea p showed ha he ele ision show was one o he ew in
which spec a o s could wa ch openly wha he Wes could be like o emale he oes. The
ele ision adap a ion and comics a e no wi hou aul , bu p edominan ly he image hey
gi e o women is close o ha o male he oes and hey can be he he oes o communi ies.
97
In “Wynonna Ea p C ea o Emily And as Talks Season 5 S o y Ideas and he Legacy o
he Se ies,” And as alked abou wha we e he main ideas when c ea ing he se ies:
I’m eally in e es ed in aking adi ional male spaces in a gen e and jus aking
all he people who would no mally be on he ma gins o he s o y and making
hem he he oes. I eally lo e he idea o aking a Wes e n wi h Wynonna Ea p
and making he women he gunslinge s and he quee cha ac e s he he oes.
They’ e e en he angels … I eel ha ’s jus wha I wan o do going o wa d wi h
my s o y elling. I jus don’ wan o e e go back. I hink ha ’s wha b ings me
joy, and I hink he passion o he audience shows ha he e’s jus a huge, huge
anbase ou he e o amilia wo lds and amilia gen e old h ough a
comple ely unique and di e en se o eyes.
A e he cancella ion o Wynonna Ea p due o lack o capi al and complica ions because
o Co id19, he u u e s ill seems b igh o emale he oes in he wes e n and in o he
gen es as And as a gues, because andom and audiences a e s ill looking o wa d o mo e
s o ies o emale he oes o be c ea ed and adap ed o o he mediums. In he wes e n gen e,
Wes wo ld has inished ilming i s season ou , and also in o he gen es emale he oes
such as WandaVision (2021) and he ecen news o he ele ision adap a ion o She- Hulk
(2022) ha e been helping o make way o mo e women o appea in impo an oles and
na a i es. No only did Wynonna Ea p ele ision se ies help b ing o he o e he issue
o lack o emale ep esen a ion and o o he s ac oss di e en mediums and gen es, bu i
also helped ad oca e o a socie y in which women can see amilia aces and na a i es
whe e hey a e ep esen ed. Likewise, he wes e n gen e opened up new space o o he
di e se and complex s o ies o be old, b oadening he ange o issues and people i
ep esen s as Neil Campbell has a gued:
The (…) na u e o New Wes e n ep esen a ion has aken up hese subal e n
oices o asse di e ence and coun e he claims o a adi ional, linea , and
o en my hic his o y. (2000:14)
The shi in he na a i es old in his gen e has inally been gi ing oice o emale
he oes, Na i e Ame icans, and o he s o ell hei own s o ies. The my hical wes e n
whose image has mainly been whi e, masculine, and he e ono ma i e is e ol ing,
showing spec a o s a mo e inclusi e and equal space ha welcomes he O he . This
ans o ma ion can be slow and unapp ecia ed by some, bu i has gained isibili y and as
mo e di e se and complex he oes appea ac oss di e en mediums, in he case o emale
he oes he mo e spo ligh hey a e gi en, he mo e hey can help igh o a socie y which
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o en s ill looks a women as in e io . The wes e n gen e e lec s on Ame ican socie y and
has an impac on popula cul u e, and nowadays he message i con eys is b oade ,
welcoming people who did no eel like hey could belong, as he house sign o he Ea p
homes ead in he las episode o Season Fou “Old Souls” announced: “E e yone
Welcome.”
Pe sis ence is he key wo d igh now in he c ea ion o comics, ilms, ele ision
se ies led by women, since i has been pe sis ence ha has kep women in he igh o
emale equali y and ep esen a ion.
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