This has been a year where three movies with women as tough action heroes made more than $300 million at the worldwide box office: The Hunger Games, Prometheus, and Snow White and the Huntsman. Even though The Avengers still can’t muster a superpowered woman as a full-fledged member of the team, Anne Hathaway made off with Bruce Wayne’s mother’s necklace and much of The Dark Knight Rises as potential spin-off subject Selina Kyle. It seemed like a moment where we could expect years of female-lead action franchises. A world where bow-wielding Katniss Everdeen was fighting in the Hunger Games, Elizabeth Shaw was exploring the mysteries of the universe, and Snow White was strapping on armor and leading her troops into battle would be one with a lot more to offer women who love action movies than the current crop of muscle-bound boys. Stewart’s demotion is a reminder of how tenuous that promise still is, and that failures by women in Hollywood, whether personal or at the box offices, seem more likely to lead to loss of opportunities for them than for men.