clutter

For example, even assuming full gender parity in lead roles, which does not exist, the single-hero story will likely fail the Bechdel Test close to fifty percent of the time right off the bat. This is because the hero is so much the focus of the story and the narration usually takes or follows the hero’s perspective. Sometimes the hero even narrates it. When one character dominates like that, the other characters often aren’t talking to each other much; they’re talking to the hero, and if the hero isn’t in the scene, the odds are really good they’re talking *about* the hero, and if the hero is male that blows the Bechdel qualification right there. So a certain degree of compensation is required; you need to focus on the other characters’ individual interests, to flesh them out beyond their relationship to the hero.