I wanted to post this so I could refer back to it, but in case anyone wanted to know why I like Darcy so much:


Why did I pick Darcy? Darcy Lewis doesn’t appear in any of the comics, but she made an indelible mark in the movie Thor. From her first moment as a bored chauffer for scientist Jane Foster to the end where she’s actively helping Jane try and reconnect with him (while asking about her Taser), she’s pushing buttons on multiple levels.

First we see her as the bored intern. She could really care less about the science – she just wants the credits for school. This was probably the easiest and best way to get those necessary jewels without having to do a lot of lab work and actual studying. Some folks might use this to paint her as a do-nothing college student skating by, but other factors will show differently. It’s just that her interests do not run to science, and she’s fitting in the necessity without being thrilled about it.

I love Jane’s reaction to Darcy asking about music…it has such a flat, exasperated “big sister” sound. Obviously this is not the first time Darcy’s tried to ask this and Jane seems to want to shake her for acting so childish in front of their guest. To me it says something about their relationship – there is a comfort level there as well as some respect. Darcy doesn’t just flip on music without asking and Jane doesn’t treat her like an idiot.

Within the first few minutes of the movie we start to see more depth to Darcy. She is the first one to spot the light of the Rainbow Bridge (all unaware of what it meant) and immediately brings it to Jane’s attention. She doesn’t second guess herself, doesn’t worry about interrupting them – she knows this is important to Jane so she announces it. Also, she doesn’t say “Dr. Foster” – she says “Jane”. To me this is another proof of a level of comfort between them. (It also highlights Jane’s lack of ego, but this is about Darcy, so moving on.) Darcy also follows orders while they are sensible. She starts driving towards the light and weird frickin’ tornado when Jane yells go. It is only when things are obviously moving into serious danger that she starts to pull away. There is some decent self-preservation there. It’s not that she’s a coward – obviously she started driving towards the strange phenomena and I’ll have more on this later – but she also isn’t going to be stupid about it.

After they run into Thor, Darcy is keeping an eye on the drunken frat guy while Jane immediately loses herself in the science of the pattern. Here we see Darcy focused on the immediate potential threat while Jane is blind to any danger. Personally I feel Darcy is the more practical of the twosome who probably keeps food in the kitchen and the day-to-day stuff in order. She may even be learning some science as she tries to organize Jane’s stuff. (Jane seems the Science! type to me – oriented on pure science for the sake of science…no getting waylaid by such menial stuff as spreadsheets, expired milk, or laundry.)

Darcy isn’t shy about throwing out commentary or speaking her mind either. Her comments on the hitting of Thor being Jane’s fault, knowing CPR, and Thor being hammered are a great addition to the script. Not only do they add some levity, but they make Darcy the Earth-side humorous sidekick (with the Warriors Three holding that position on Asgard – Sif is the trusted lieutenant). The Taser is a more physical side of ‘speaking her mind’ to me. Most of the college girls I know don’t carry Tasers…pepper spray, sure, but not Tasers. For Darcy to carry one, to me anyway, hints at a darker side of her past. Something happened (or almost happened) to her to give her a reason to go armed. When Thor (drunken frat guy) starts getting aggressive, she doesn’t shy from using it. Please note - she doesn’t just pull it and shoot him! She pulls it, he sees it and scoffs, he moves forward, and then she shoots him. Between his comments, size, and forward movement, it only makes sense that she would get freaked out. Also note – she pulls the Taser when he starts getting aggressive (verbally) with Jane and Erik. He isn’t even looking in her direction, so her first reaction was in defense of the others – probably Jane in particular as she would have just met Erik.

The scene at the hospital when Jane & Darcy are answering the questions from the nurse at the desk is one of my favorites between them. The shifting of blame followed by Darcy’s pride in being the one to take him down…to me this is such a “sisters” moment. Again, it paints a good picture of their relationship before Erik came on the scene and the whole excitement got started.

Again we see Darcy’s quick observations when she spots the human-like shadow in the pictures of the event. She is not just posting these things blindly as some menial, get it done quick thing. She’s taking the time to look at them…she’s not ignoring the ‘impossible’, but adding things up fairly quickly. At the hospital, when Jane wants to go looking for Thor, Erik’s question is meant to gently dampen her enthusiasm, but Darcy just goes “Oookay,” and starts to reload her Taser. She is immediately ready to help Jane, but she wants to be prepared for another round with the aggressive Thor. Her commentary on Thor being ‘cut’, the scene at the diner, and the talk on the roof after Phil and SHIELD steal Jane’s stuff…all of these continue to fluff out her place as the humorous, slightly irreverent sidekick. (Again we see an exasperated big sister Jane here when she huffs about Darcy and her iPod.)

Another important scene is when Darcy backs Jane up in a discussion with Erik about Thor’s story. Erik is completely skeptical, but Darcy, whatever her full opinion, is willing to see it from Jane’s side. As Darcy points out – a more primitive society could have seen aliens from another planet as gods/goddesses of Earth. Unlike Erik and Jane, Darcy is not stuck in ‘pure science’ – she sees things from a different point of view and can pull out other explanations that totally breeze by the scientists. (When Sif and the Warriors Three show up, Darcy is startled. I think she might have not totally been prepared for the full reality of Jane’s theory even though she backed it up. Also, when the bridge deposits the Destroyer and they see the twister from town, I love how Darcy is the one who does the asking – “Was someone else coming?”)

Here we see Darcy’s courage once more. Despite being afraid – which comes across in her tone of voice – she stays to help evacuate the town. She doesn’t hop the first truck out even though she had the opportunity. More – she doesn’t take the last truck out either. We might expect her to…she’s not Jane. She doesn’t have the romantic entanglement to keep her. She stays. Loyalty to ‘sister’ Jane? Probably a good part of it. In spite of the danger and her fear, the people she has or is coming to relate to are all staying, so does she…even though she has no possible way to contribute to the fight. She might not have a romantic link to Thor, but she’s invested in him anyway. (I can see them eventually forming a sibling type bond to go with her sister-bond to Jane.) When Thor is healed and he flies off with Jane, Darcy is the one who drives Erik, Sif, and the Warriors to the site of the bridge landing.

At the end, we see Darcy actively involved with the search for the bridge and Thor. There’s no boredom in her voice any longer. The tone has shifted to involved, determined, and direct. However, it is still Darcy – she’s asking about her Taser.

So, for those who wanted to know, the above character is a fascinating new addition to the Marvel universe as far as I’m concerned. She has no powers (mutant or otherwise) and is not a genius level brain, but she’s got heart, guts, and observational skills. She invests herself in people and pretty much ends up being the zany, humorous sidekick who handles the practical things. In addition, because she hasn’t been in any of the comics, she is still very much an unfolding character, an almost blank slate. IT gives us a lot of leeway to play with that the long-established characters don’t always have. (People can try, but unconsciously some things are just going to happen because they seem so vital to our view of the established character.)