When the word superhero is uttered, what is the image that springs to mind? Is it all tight spandex, big muscles and, more likely, a man that pops into your head? If it is, it probably has something to do with the imagery you were surrounded by when you were younger, from the books you were read, the films you watched and the rhetoric you were peddled.

But for young people today, a new conversation is happening, a new hero emerging. And they may be wearing tight spandex but this time, our hero is a woman. Welcome in Brie Larson who stars as the lead in Captain Marvel, the Marvel series’ first ever female lead in its ten year history.

Larson plays Carol Danvers, a young woman struggling to come to terms with her dual identity, part human and part Kree, the alien race, as well as trying to establish her place in a world that feels at once familiar but also unknown. In terms of a storyline, this superhero blockbuster couldn’t be more relevant for today’s audience.

This Captain is flawed, real and yet as untouchable as you’d want a superhero to be. And with the film comes merchandise, posters, interviews and more, all of it helping to change the conversation about what a hero should and can look like.

Another hero making her introduction will be happening on Sunday 7th October when Doctor Who returns to our screens with Jodie Whittaker at the Tardis’ helm, the first female and 13th doctor. With around 110 million viewers worldwide, this is a significant and vital move for the series and for the thousands of children who can now imagine themselves in a superhero costume.

Doctor Who returns on Sunday 7th October on the BBC while Captain Marvel will be released in the UK in February 2019.