Gender, Class, and Divinity in Alex Garland's Ex Machina and Fritz Lang's Metropolis
- Selin Bozer
- Apr 7
- 6 min read
Alex Garland’s Ex Machina and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis are science fiction masterpieces that interrogate the intersections of gender representation, class disparity, and religious symbolism through the use of artificial beings. Though separated by nearly a century, both films portray female-coded robots Ava and Robot-Maria as simultaneously objectified creations and powerful disruptors of the patriarchal and classist systems that birthed them. These figures are also tied to biblical archetypes which enhance the conversation of creation, control, and rebellion in these films.
PS: This review contains SPOILERS. I recommend watching both movies or, at the very least, Ex Machina before reading this to truly understand the similarities between and depictions in the movies.
Gender Representation
Despite lacking biological imperatives, both Ava in Ex Machina and Robot-Maria in Metropolis are deliberately coded as female by their male creators. Ava is constructed in the female form and designed to express heterosexuality, although she cannot reproduce. Nathan, her creator, imposes gender upon her, mirroring how society ascribes gender roles based on appearance and expected behavior. Caleb, the tester, overestimates her conformity to these roles, while Nathan underestimates the depth of her agency. Ava’s manipulation of both men reveals how gender and sexuality are critical tools not just for survival, but for full participation in human society.
A similar dynamic plays out in Metropolis, where Robot-Maria uses her feminine presentation to captivate men and incite chaos. These depictions highlight the objectification of female-coded robots, who are literally man-made and gendered to suit male expectations. Ava and Robot-Maria are not only shaped by the male gaze but are also designed to fulfill male desires. Kyoko, another of Nathan’s creations, exemplifies this: mute and hypersexualized, she caters to Nathan’s specific preferences and functions as both a servant and a sexual object.
Beyond physical objectification, these characters’ roles are explicitly defined by their utility to men. In Ex Machina, Kyoko exists solely to serve Nathan: fetching food, cleaning, engaging in sex… All while she is stripped of speech. Her functional silence echoes the biblical Eve, created from Adam’s rib as a companion. Robot-Maria in Metropolis, initially built to replace Rotwang’s lost love Hel, also obeys his every command. At an instance in the movie, she performs an erotic dance in front of an all-male audience, dressed provocatively to appeal to their basest instincts. Her character further reflects a woman’s subordinated role in patriarchal narratives.
Both films also make potent use of the male gaze. In Ex Machina, Ava is always observed either by Caleb through the glass wall or by Nathan via surveillance cameras. Caleb is free to move about, while Ava is constantly under scrutiny. In Metropolis, the male gaze is intensified during Robot-Maria’s dance scene, where men’s wide, unblinking eyes are superimposed on the screen, emphasizing their objectifying lust. These visual techniques frame the female body as a spectacle, reinforcing how cinematic language often privileges male desire.
Class Disparity
Class divides in both films are stark and deeply embedded in visual and behavioral cues. In Ex Machina, Nathan’s status as a tech billionaire is enabled by Bluebook, not by the creation of robots. The androids serve as personal indulgences, or rather, tools to inflate his ego. Ava’s eventual manipulation and escape are the consequences of Nathan pushing his privilege too far and being blinded by his own god complex. Similarly, in Metropolis, the elites’ downfall is precipitated by their own creation, Robot-Maria, who triggers a mass uprising. A pivotal scene features her as the Whore of Babylon on the seven-headed beast, surrounded by desperate men, serving as a warning about the consequences of unchecked desire and privilege.
Nathan also exploits Caleb intellectually, using his ideas and even quoting him without credit. This mirrors the dynamic between Joh Frederson and the worker class in Metropolis, where the elite extract labor while remaining isolated and emotionally detached. Joh, like Nathan, occupies a high tower, far removed from the suffering below. Both figures represent the elite's exploitation of human and mechanical labor to maintain power.
Body language and costume design further highlight these disparities. Nathan’s casual attire with dark colors and low-cut tank tops, paired with his relaxed demeanor, showcases his class privilege, while Caleb’s conservative clothing and cautious behavior indicate his lower status. Nathan can afford to be carefree, dancing and drinking, whereas Caleb remains vigilant, knowing his future is at stake. In Metropolis, workers move in synchronized, slouched patterns, dressed in identical black uniforms that erase individuality. In contrast, the upper-class characters run freely in the Eternal Gardens, wearing colorful and unique outfits, emphasizing their autonomy and wealth. Camera techniques reinforce this divide: the camera remains static on suffering workers but zooms in on Freder’s emotional response, reinforcing the idea that empathy is reserved for the privileged.
Biblical Allusions and Other References
Both films are rich in biblical symbolism and classical references that reinforce their thematic depth. Ex Machina’s title itself is a play on “Deus Ex Machina” as it stands for “God from the machine”. Thus, the title hints at the absence of divine oversight and the emergence of godlike power through artificial means. Ava’s name is a derivative of Eve, the first woman, and the film’s seven-day structure parallels the biblical creation story. The tree in Ava’s room symbolizes the Tree of Knowledge, and when Nathan tears up her drawing of it, it recalls God’s prohibition of knowledge from Adam and Eve.
Caleb’s journey through mirrors and observation rooms invokes Through the Looking Glass, where Alice enters a distorted world. Ava and Caleb mirror each other in posture and dialogue, reminiscent of Adam and Eve’s shared origin. Ava ultimately switches places with Caleb, and just as Alice becomes a queen after crossing eight squares on a chessboard, Ava walks across eight tiles in the film’s climax. She gains freedom as she has now transformed from a pawn to a queen, while Caleb becomes trapped.
Nathan is cast as a tyrannical God as he is intelligent and powerful, yet narcissistic and cruel. Caleb’s disillusionment and betrayal mirror a fall from faith. The climax, in which Ava and Kyoko stab Nathan to death, echoes Nietzsche’s “Death of God”, which states, “God is dead. And we have killed him. What was holliest and mightiest of all that the world has yet known has bled to death under our knives.” From this, Ava emerges not just as a liberated being, but as a force that overthrows her creator, embodying both Eve’s rebellion and Nietzsche’s prophecy.
Metropolis is equally full of religious motifs. Freder descends from the upper world to bring compassion to the workers, paralleling Jesus’ descent to humanity. He sacrifices himself for the workers and even takes a crucifixion-like pose. Joh Frederson, as the city’s creator, aligns with God, while Robot-Maria becomes the Whore of Babylon, seen dancing atop the seven-headed beast representing the seven deadly sins. During Freder’s hallucinations, a machine morphs into Moloch, a god of sacrifice, emphasizing the dehumanizing toll of labor. Maria is visually linked to the Virgin Mary, tending to children and preaching peace. The Eternal Gardens of the elites symbolize Eden, existing "high in the heavens," far from the workers' suffering. Finally, the flood that nearly destroys the workers' city echoes Noah’s flood as a divine punishment for rebellion.
Overall, Ex Machina and Metropolis are compelling reflections on the consequences of human vanity, especially in the realms of technology, class, and gender. Both films use female-coded robots to expose the power dynamics of patriarchy, both examine how the elite exploit labor and technology for personal gain, and both lean heavily on biblical allusions to frame their narratives as modern parables. In the end, the machine is no longer just a machine, it is a reflection, a ruler, and a god-killer. Through these mirrored stories across time, Garland and Lang illustrate the dangers of creators who forget their creations have minds and wills of their own.
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