Things like Angela’s design bother me, not because there’s any changes, but because I find the overused “sexy badass women who fights in her panties” thing to be really alienating as a female fan. And it’s certainly only a one way kind of thing. I mean, I don’t ever see Hawkeye trying to seriously fight bad guys in a “protective” armored thong. I know there’s been criticism like this for a long time now and every time I think things get better, there’s another jigglefest fight scene. How seriously does Marvel consider its portrayal of women?

Well, first off, it’s clear that you missed out on this lovely Hawkeye costume from the very early ‘70s…

I think your point is valid, though you could find examples of male heroes who similarly operate in very little clothing–folks like the Hulk or Hercules, for example.

I think this is a situation that we consider thoughtfully in each case, but there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, any more than there is the costumes of any other characters. What works for Captain America doesn’t necessarily work for Thor, and so on.

But I think if you look at the Marvel heroines across the boards, you’ll find that most of them go about their business in relatively practical attire–as practical as a cape can be in any circumstances. There are certainly exceptions to that rule, but those tend to be character-based more than anything else. And you can certainly point towards the depictions of the female form within those costumes, which is a separate discussion.