The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the most expansive and
widely viewed fictional narrative in the history of cinema. In
2009, Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion,
including its subsidiary film production company, Marvel Studios.
Since then, the MCU-the collection of multimedia Marvel Studios
products that share a single fictional storyline-has grown from two
feature films to thirty interconnected movies, nine streaming
Disney+ series, a half dozen short films, and more than thirty
print titles. By 2022, eight of the twenty-five highest grossing
films of all time are MCU movies.The MCU is a deeply political
universe. Intentionally or not, the MCU sends fans scores of
messages about a wide range of subjects related to government,
public policy, and society. Some are overt, like the contentious
debate about government and accountability at the heart of Captain
America: Civil War. More often, however, the politics of the MCU
are subtle, like the changing role of women from supporting
characters (like Black Widow in Iron Man 2) to leading heroes (like
Black Widow in Black Widow). The MCU is not only a product of
contemporary politics, but many of its stories seem to be direct
responses to the problems of the day. Racial injustice,
environmental catastrophe, and political misinformation are not
just contemporary social ills; they are also key thematic elements
of recent MCU blockbusters. In The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, more than twenty-five leading scholars examine these
complex themes. Part one explores how political issues are depicted
in the origin stories; part two examines how the MCU depicts
classic political themes like government and power; and part three
explores questions of diversity and representation in the MCU. The
volume's various chapters examine a wide range of topics: Black
Panther and the "racial contract," Captain America and the
political philosophy of James Madison, Dr. Strange and colonial
imperialism, S.H.I.E.L.D. and civil-military relations, Spider-Man
and environmentalism, and Captain Marvel and second-wave feminism.
The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the first book to
look expansively at politics in the MCU and ask the question, "What
lessons are this entertainment juggernaut teaching audiences about
politics, society, power, gender, and inequality?"
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