This is a quick follow up to my previous article on Daredevil’s cancellation, in which I briefly mentioned that Karen Page is my favourite female character of all time. I’ll admit it was a pretty big statement to make with very little context to back it up. Nonetheless, it wasn’t a statement I expected to have to defend. Somehow my article made it onto Reddit and this statement of mine about Karen became a means for dismissal – proof of my lack of credibility. Now, I’m not petty enough to write this article in direct response to that comment – to each their own – but it’s worth a mention to understand why I am writing this now. You see, before reading that comment I was blissfully unaware of some Daredevil fans’ dislike of Karen (a matter I have since familiarised myself with.)
If there’s anyone I would fight tooth and nail to defend, it’s Karen Page. I’m not saying she’s the best female character of all time – I’m saying that she’s my favourite. It’s a personal preference. This is why I mentioned it in the first place – in acknowledgment that I have a bias where Daredevil is concerned, that I am deeply invested in the show and its characters.
Karen Page is my favourite female character and I do not say that lightly. I have some personal connections to her and so I can relate to her on a deeper level than any other character in Daredevil. I admire her drive and compassion, and I value that she isn’t always strong. She has weak moments where she breaks down – because dammit she’s been through too much shit in this world not to – and I love that the show doesn’t put a filter on that. Karen is obsessive and impulsive and she drives the plot forwards in leaps and bounds because even when she breaks down, she gets back up and keeps fighting for what she believes is right. The same can’t always be said for Matt (who tends to wallow in self-pity) or Foggy (who is often logical enough to remove himself from the equation). I love Matt and Foggy to bits, but Daredevil wouldn’t be Daredevil without Karen Page.
Yes, Karen is flawed and poorly utilised at times (The Defenders) but as far as I can tell, the primary reason for the hate is because she suffers from what I like to call ‘hated by whiny fanboys for being a human being who feels emotions’ syndrome. Simply put, she cries too much to be the badass hot chick, and she’s too headstrong to be a cookie-cutter sweetheart. Perhaps if she were more quirky or snarky like Jessica Jones, fanboys would find Karen’s harsher side easier to digest. Instead, Karen reacts to conflict in a way that is far more common – she pours herself into her work or she faces it head-on. She breaks down, and she truly feels her emotions. That’s what makes her so wonderfully human. Nonetheless, people still seem to blame Karen for everything that goes wrong in the show.
There is a common pattern of fans using Karen’s individual actions and the subsequent consequences as proof that she is somehow terrible, but, citing ‘Karen Page did this thing and xy bad thing happened as a result’ is no measure of her character as a whole. If this is your method of judgement I’m surprised you find any characters to like at all. Are we just going to ignore every time Matt has broken down, or been whiney or acted impulsively? If none of these are reasons to hate Matt, then why are they so overused as reasons to hate Karen?
Yes, Karen’s done bad things and yes, worse things have happened as a result. Cause-effect is the most fundamental part of storytelling – that how it works. There are lasting consequences for Karen’s actions and that’s a good thing. The show doesn’t attempt to give her any kind of free pass or pretend those bad things never happened. Instead, they use those bad things to spur Karen’s character development forwards, allowing her to connect with other people through her empathy for their position – which is a vital role in Daredevil that neither Matt nor Foggy can fulfil.
I won’t go as far as to say that Karen is the best female character of all time, but I will say that she is the best female character Marvel has to offer right now. I dare you to find a more complex, interesting woman in the entirety of the MCU. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but right now I can’t think of one. I can’t even begin to thank Deborah Ann Woll enough for breathing such life and depth into Karen’s character, and all I can hope going forward is that we haven’t yet seen the last of her.
TheScreenReview 