Esther Bergdahl

Bio

Esther is the copy chief at Mic. She has degrees from the University of Chicago and the Medill School of Journalism, which means she has a lot of feelings about both Shakespeare and Studs Terkel.
'Ant-Man' Is Less Feminist in 2015 Than It Was in 1963
By Esther Bergdahl
When it comes to male characters, Marvel likes keeping all its options open. So many superheroes have joined the cast of Captain America: Civil War that some joked franchise star Chris Evans "will make a cameo" in the film. Yet for some reason,…
Meet the Real-Life Tony Stark Whose Tech Is Changing the World
By Esther Bergdahl
In a couple of years, you are going to be like Iron Man. No, really. It's not because you're getting a flying suit and sweet new facial hair — it's because how you use computers is going to completely change. That's what John Underkoffler hopes,…
9 Portraits of Marvel Super Fans Shatter Stereotypes of Comic Book Nerds
By Esther Bergdahl
Strung together, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now nearly 24 hours long, not counting its connected TV shows, Netflix series and one-shot short films. On Wednesday, AMC Theaters screened all 10 Marvel movies in four theaters around the country,…
The Kick-Ass Female Superhero We've Been Waiting for Is Finally Here
By Esther Bergdahl
Imagine the typical Hollywood leading lady who dominates screens silver and small: She struggles, succeeds and inevitably finds love. Now ask yourself: What happens next?   Marvel has, and when its Agent Carter miniseries premieres Tuesday night on…
The Crisis in Gaza Is Creating Horrifying Backlash for Jews Around the World
By Esther Bergdahl
Molotov cocktails and mobs at synagogues. Assaults on city streets. Leaflets left on car windshields promising violence. Public hate speech and calls for eradication. Governments holding houses of worship hostage. It's not paranoia or exaggeration:…
Stephen Colbert Perfectly Explains Why We Should All Boycott Amazon
By Esther Bergdahl
The Colbert Nation is coming for Amazon. On Wednesday night, Stephen Colbert fired shots at the world's largest online retailer over its ongoing war of attrition with book publisher Hachette. Amazon shoppers hoping to buy and preorder works by the…
The 10 Most Frequently Banned Books and Why You Should Read Them
By Esther Bergdahl
This country has a very controversial history of banning books. We ban classics, we ban new releases and last week, the American Library Association released a list of 2013's most frequently challenged titles.  A book is considered "banned" when…
22-Year-Old Hero Died While Saving Passengers on the Sinking South Korean Ferry
By Esther Bergdahl
We're still trying to piece together what happened with the South Korean ferry that capsized last week. But what we do know is that some heroes stood up to save passengers, even at a great cost to themselves. Four hundred and seventy-six people were…
Then-and-Now Photos of Mecca Show What's Happening to Islam's Most Sacred Site
By Esther Bergdahl
Choose a city and imagine what it would look like if it was 95% razed and rebuilt in the course of 20 years. Think about all the history and culture that would be destroyed. This dystopian vision isn't hypothetical. Rather, it's happening in Mecca,…
Spain's "Robin Hood" Duped the Banks to Make a Big Point About Capitalism
By Esther Bergdahl
Spanish activist Enric Duran has swiped nearly half a million Euros in loans from banks in Spain, which has wracked Spain's economy leaving its citizens buckling under catastrophic unemployment. He has no intention of ever paying those loans back,…