The past year or so has been an exciting time for female superhero fans.

Black Widow, Wonder Woman, Psylocke, and Supergirl are a few who have staked their claim in movies and on TV. Even Mystique and Harley Quinn, better known as villains, have had their muddled moments of onscreen goodness this year.

Do they need to be so super … sexual?

On the whole, though, these superwomen have not been leads — and for decades comic book fans have longed for them to have more than supporting roles in superhero films. With more complex characters being written for them and the Wonder Woman movie set for 2017, it looks like they’re finally starting to get their wish. Superwomen will save the day and make the world better.

But will they, really?

While female superheroes (should that be the less-used “superheroines,” or does that somehow soften their durability?) are beginning to get meatier, more pivotal roles, they still have obstacles to overcome beyond supervillains.

For one, whether they’re relegated to sidekick status or are at rare leading-lady fame, their roles typically require a low-cut, hermetically sealed catsuit over a flawless (often impossible) figure.

If it’s not that leave-nothing-to-the-imagination outfit, then it’s a plunging neckline revealing enough cleavage to make viewers scratch their heads over how they can remain unscathed in battle. With buxom beauty that could knock a mortal man out cold, what are viewers left to conclude about women in general — and themselves?

Of course, superwomen need to be superior in order to hold the “super” title and save the world from certain destruction in the first place. But do they need to be so super … sexual?

Actress Jessica Chastain had an excellent point when she told Radio Times, “If you look at films like ‘Elektra’ and ‘Aeon Flux,’ the problem that studios have is that they try to make kicka** women very sexualized. They have to be in some catsuit. But if you look at the most incredible female roles, like Ripley in Alien, she is a very sexy woman but she’s not wearing a lot of makeup. She’s in a T-shirt and jeans. What’s sexy about her is how capable she is.”

Though Ripley is not a superhero, Chastain has a point. But would an average looking female superhero sell as many tickets? Almost certainly not. They’re virtually demanded to look superhuman, too. And if a teenage girl watches hypersexual Black Widow, Mystique, or even Harley Quinn, what is she going to believe about the world, herself, and the characteristics she should emulate?

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In other words, what is she going to believe makes these women truly “super”?

Last year, researchers Hillary Pennell and Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz looked at how 82 undergraduate women view female superheroes — and themselves.

Pennell and Behm-Morawitz had one group of students view a 13-minute montage of busty, scantily clad Mary Jane (of “Spider-Man” fame) in full damsel-in-distress mode. Another group watched 13 minutes of smart, capable, but hypersexualized female superheroes from “X-Men” movies saving the day. The control group didn’t watch a montage at all. All groups took a survey afterward.

The results?

Pennel and Behm-Morawitz found that women who watched Mary Jane more enthusiastically endorsed traditional gender roles afterward. Those who watched “X-Men” women had no difference in their views on traditional gender roles — but they took a blow to their body image.

Presumably, they compared themselves to the superwomen’s perfect bodies, strength, stamina, and other superior qualities, finding themselves lacking. To quote the study, “the sexualization of these female characters may supersede these empowering attributes and produce stereotypical gender-related perceptions.”

This was a small experiment, yes. But it’s common sense to believe entertainment affects our worldviews and beliefs about ourselves.

While some female heroes are moving beyond the hypersexualized look — Jessica Jones and Agent Carter are two examples — many remain in painted-on latex and perfect makeup, even during battle.

Some think lithe, vixen-like characters aren’t saving the world so much as subtly harming women. But others think it’s great.

One fan told LifeZette, “Wonder Woman is confident, strong both physically and mentally, and courageous to stand up for what’s right. I like that she’s drop-dead gorgeous, too — it’s an affirmation that you don’t have to pick between being tough and strong or feminine and pretty.”

While female superhero characters are gradually evolving into bigger roles and deeper influence, time (and maybe more studies) might help us sort out any effects — positive or negative. And until we see female superheroes saving the day just as robustly as male superheroes, some fans won’t be satisfied. In the meantime, let the debate thunder like Wonder Woman throwing a freight train onto a tanker. Who knows — maybe we’ll learn something through it.