Hit-Girl (Mindy McCready
[Spelled Macready in the films.]) is a
fictional antihero
An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...
appearing in the comic series ''
Kick-Ass: The Dave Lizewski Years'' series, published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
under the company's imprint
Icon Comics
Icon Comics is an imprint of Marvel Comics for creator-owned titles, designed to keep select "A-list" creators producing for Marvel rather than seeing them take creator-owned work to other publishers.
History
It was launched in 2004 with Mic ...
and later Image Comics. The character was created by artist
John Romita Jr.
John Salvatore Romita (; born August 17, 1956), known professionally as John Romita Jr., is an American comics artist best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2010s. He is the son of artist John Romita Sr.
Early ...
and writer
Mark Millar. She is a young but effective
vigilante
Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority.
A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...
, trained by her father
Damon McCready (a.k.a. Big Daddy) from an early age to be a
costumed superhero and
assassin
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
. In ''
Kick-Ass'', she is introduced as a
supporting character
A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo ap ...
. She featured in her own self-titled comic book series, ''
Hit-Girl
Hit-Girl (Mindy McCreadySpelled Macready in the films.) is a fictional antihero appearing in the comic series '' Kick-Ass: The Dave Lizewski Years'' series, published by Marvel Comics under the company's imprint Icon Comics and later Image Com ...
'', which was first published on February 21, 2018 by
Image Comics. She is portrayed by
Chloë Grace Moretz
Chloë Grace Moretz (; born February 10, 1997) is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including four MTV Movie & TV Awards, two People's Choice Awards, two Saturn Awards, and two Young Artist Awards.
She began actin ...
in the feature film adaptations ''
Kick-Ass'' and ''
Kick Ass 2''.
Comics
''Kick Ass: The Dave Lizewski Years''
Following her father's death in the first volume of the comic ''The Dave Lizewski Years'', Hit-Girl takes on Kick-Ass (Dave Lizewski) as her crime-fighting partner in the second and third volumes, training him and using him to hunt criminals together with her. She also gets him to teach her how to be a normal kid, and get along with other girls somewhat older than herself. After she is arrested at the conclusion of the third volume, she breaks herself out of prison, and, joining back together with Kick-Ass, takes out the entirety of the Genovese crime family and their accomplices, before taking on a new Kick-Ass as her sidekick.
''Hit-Girl''
Hit-Girl returns in the new series following the events of ''The Dave Lizewski Years'' in which she goes on worldwide hunting down criminals.
''Kick-Ass: The New Girl''
Although Hit-Girl is yet to actually appear in ''Kick-Ass: The New Girl'', a variant cover for the first and fifth issues of the series features her (Hit-Girl) in combat with the Patience Lee incarnation of Kick-Ass. A cross-over between the two series is initiated when Hit-Girl is made aware of Patience's activities, prompting her to return to the US.
''Kick-Ass vs. Hit-Girl''
The five-issue series depicting the confrontation between Hit-Girl and Patience Lee went into publication on November 11, 2020.
''Crossover''
An adult Hit-Girl first appears in the sixth issue of ''Crossover'' after being dragged into another reality by "The Event", partaking in an endless battle between residents of the
Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
* ...
,
DC, and
Image Universe
The Image Universe (IU) is a fictional universe in which some stories published by Image Comics take place. It was introduced in the early years of the publisher, shared by the various creators who formed the Image partnership. The independent, cr ...
s (amongst characters from many other properties by
Image Comics,
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...
,
Skybound Entertainment
Skybound Entertainment is an American multiplatform entertainment company founded by Robert Kirkman and David Alpert.
History
Skybound Entertainment is the company behind the long-running comic, '' The Walking Dead'', created by Robert Kirkman. ...
and
Boom! Studios
Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States.
History
Origins
In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in Ho ...
, including ''
The Wicked + The Divine
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' and ''
I Hate Fairyland''), saving Otto and Ellie before jumping into another battle.
Films
The character, named in the end credits as Mindy Macready, appears in the 2010 film adaptation ''
Kick-Ass'', and the 2013 sequel ''
Kick-Ass 2''.
Jane Goldman
Jane Loretta Anne Goldman''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 11 June 1970) is an English screenwriter, author and producer. With Matthew Vaughn, she co-wrote the screenplays of '' Kings ...
, one of the two co-writers of the first film's script, said, "We just really wanted Hit-Girl to be a character who, in a sense, simply happens to be an eleven-year-old girl, in the same way that
Ripley in ''
Alien
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'' could have been a guy but the part happened to be played by
Sigourney Weaver
Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gramm ...
." Goldman said that Mindy "is genuinely dangerous, she's genuinely mad. It's not her fault: she's been raised in this environment where she doesn't know anything different. She's unwittingly part of a
folie à deux
Folie à deux ('folly of two', or 'madness haredby two'), also known as shared psychosis or shared delusional disorder (SDD), is a collection of rare psychiatric syndromes in which symptoms of a delusional belief, and sometimes hallucinations, ...
."
When asked if Hit-Girl could be considered a feminist heroine, Goldman said "Yeah... she's a feminist hero by token of the fact that she pays no attention to gender stereotypes. I think she also doesn't want special treatment because she's a girl."
Casting
In 2008, shortly before the release of the film ''
Wanted'', 11-year-old actress
Chloë Grace Moretz
Chloë Grace Moretz (; born February 10, 1997) is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including four MTV Movie & TV Awards, two People's Choice Awards, two Saturn Awards, and two Young Artist Awards.
She began actin ...
saw posters of
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
for the film while riding with her mother in Los Angeles, prompting her to ask for a role that she described as "an Angelina Jolie-type character" and "like an action hero, woman empowerment, awesome, take-charge leading role". One month later, she was offered the role of Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl.
Matthew Vaughn
Matthew Allard de Vere Drummond (born Matthew Allard Robert Vaughn; 7 March 1971) is an English filmmaker. He has produced films including ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' (1998) and '' Snatch'' (2000), and directed ''Layer Cake'' (2004 ...
, commenting on the maturity of Moretz, said that because she has four older brothers, she was no stranger to much of the language in the script.
Moretz said that it was entertaining to illustrate the differences between Mindy and her superheroine identity "for me, 'cause it's almost like an alternate personality". Lewis Wallace of ''
Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...
'' said that Mindy "gets all the good lines, capping every
Tarantino-scale bloodletting with a foul-mouthed joke".
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, the actor who portrays Red Mist, said that "we (Kick-Ass and Red Mist) don't have any of the action in the movie. It's all Hit-Girl".
Vaughn said that Hit-Girl is a part of "the ultimate father-daughter relationship, where Barbie dolls are replaced with knives, and unicorns become hand grenades".
To prepare for her role, Moretz took months of training in learning how to handle guns and to use
butterfly knives and swords. Moretz stated that the shooting of the action scenes was arduous.
Goldman said that the aspect of the film adaptation that excited her the most was adapting Hit-Girl's storyline to the film.
Millar said he expected the character to receive mostly negative reception, "But the movie was so well made, I think, that people were quietly charmed by her for the most part. The only really negative thing we saw came from
Roger Ebert and others from his generation who were upset, but there were those especially here in the United Kingdom
howent crazy for her". Millar added he and Vaughn "were quite surprised about that. We were expecting the worst, that people were going to say she was amoral and we
n turnwere going to get killed for her. But it was much more of a case where people were positive about Hit-Girl even saying she was empowering female character".
Controversy
In January 2010, an uncensored preview clip from the first film was criticized by family advocacy groups for its display of violence and use of the line "Okay, you
cunts, let's see what you can do now", delivered by Chloë Grace Moretz, who was barely twelve years old at the time of filming.
Australian Family Association
The Australian Family Association (AFA) is a conservative Christian political organisation. It was founded in 1980 by the National Civic Council's then president, B. A. Santamaria.
Beliefs and lobbying
The AFA states they were formed to "provide ...
spokesman John Morrissey claimed that "the language
asoffensive and the values inappropriate; without the saving grace of the bloodless victory of traditional superheroes". Several critics accused the film of glorifying violence, particularly violence by young children.
In response to the controversy, Moretz stated in an interview, "If I ''ever'' uttered one word that I said in ''Kick-Ass'', I would be grounded for years! I'd be stuck in my room until I was 20! I would never in a million years say that. I'm an average, everyday girl."
Moretz has said that while filming, she could not bring herself to say the film's title out loud in interviews, instead calling it "the film" in public and "Kick-Butt" at home. Christopher Mintz-Plasse expressed surprise that people were angry about the language but did not seem to be offended that Hit-Girl violently kills many people on-screen.
Solo film discussions
In January 2015, Millar revealed to
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
that there was a planned Hit-Girl film with
Gareth Evans directing but that it was cancelled.
However, in June 2015, Matthew Vaughn discussed a possibility of rebooting the ''Kick-Ass'' franchise with a Hit-Girl & Big Daddy prequel film to revive interest in the franchise. He stated that, "If we make that, hopefully that will be the sorbet for the people that didn't like ''Kick-Ass 2'' and then we can go off and make ''Kick-Ass 3''. I think we've got to do this prequel to regain the love that we had with ''Kick-Ass''."
Video games
Hit-Girl appear as a playable character in ''
Kick-Ass: The Game'' and ''
Kick-Ass 2: The Game'', each respectively based on the two films.
Toys
In 2010,
Mezco
Mezco Toyz is an American company that makes action figures and other collectibles based on original and licensed properties. One of the popular products is the cult hit toy line Living Dead Dolls. The more popular line is its One:12 line. Other ...
released Hit-Girl figures based on the movie and followed-up with new figures released in 2013 by
Neca.
Skills and abilities
Mindy is an expert martial artist and proficient with a wide variety of melee weapons. She has proven herself capable of defeating large groups of armed thugs wielding only a pair of swords or a double-bladed pole-arm. She is also an excellent markswoman and proficient with practically all firearms from pistols to automatic rifles. Mindy has proven herself adept at stealth and evasion being able to infiltrate a maximum security prison with ease. She is also an expert driver with her vehicle of choice being a custom high-powered motorcycle. The nature of Big Daddy's training has made Hit-Girl a particularly brutal and remorseless character who does not flinch at torture or dispatching her opponents in the most gruesome and painful ways possible. In fact she can be so intimidating that when she was briefly imprisoned she was soon the undisputed ruler of the adult penitentiary where she was held despite being a twelve-year-old girl. Mindy's one weakness, as pointed out by Mother Russia, is that her strength is limited by her youth which can cause an over-reliance on her weapon's skills to compensate. Indeed, Mother Russia seemed to be more than a match for Hit-Girl at hand-to-hand combat with the young vigilante winning their fight mostly through the intervention of chance.
Personality
As a vigilante who regularly kills her opponent in violent fashion, Mindy displays not only the skill to carry out dangerous acts with high-level precision, but the emotional detachment and desensitized temperament necessary to do so. For example, when, in the comic book version, Kick-Ass tells her that her father was just murdered, she responds by saying, "Finish the job, mourn later." She also exhibits other habits and demeanors more typically seen in adults who are hardened killers. She curses regularly and makes crude jokes, often adopting a sarcastic demeanor towards her crime-fighting partner/apprentice
Kick-Ass, who describes her as resembling a mix between
John Rambo and
Polly Pocket
Polly Pocket is a toy line of dolls and accessories first founded and designed by Chris Wiggs in 1983 and licensed by Bluebird Toys from 1989 until both entities/properties were acquired by Mattel in 1998.
History
Polly Pocket was first designe ...
. Despite the violent nature of her crime-fighting, and her ability to carry out such activities without apparent difficulty or remorse, Mindy also has an interest in things typical of young people, such as
Hello Kitty
, also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...
, comic books,
Clint Eastwood and
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun ...
movies. However, when the villain
Johnny G is finally dead at the end of The Dave Lizewski Years Book One, she turns to Kick-Ass and asks him for a hug, covered in tears and blood, as she mourns her father.
[Kick-Ass, chapter Eight]
Notes
References
External links
* Woerner, Meredith (April 12, 2010)
"Hit-Girl Responds To The Outrage Against Her Teenage Ultra-Violence" io9
''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...
* Rich, Katey (2010)
"Getting Away With Hit Girl: How Kick-Ass Lets You Root For An Adolescent Killer" CinemaBlend.
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