Reimagining Politics: The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Politics, and Identity

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

The Marvel Cinematic University (MCU) has become a cultural touchstone in the US and abroad. Since Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion—the collection of multi-media MCU products that share a single fictional storyline—has grown from two feature films to 32 interconnected movies (with 11 more in development), a dozen short films, eleven streaming Disney+ shows and specials, and more than 30 print titles. The financial success and cultural impact of this artistic franchise is unparalleled in modern media history. At the time of this writing, seven of the 25 highest grossing films of all time are MCU movies, more than the DC comics, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Jurassic Park franchises combined (Box Office Mojo). Most Americans have seen at least one MCU film. The Marvel characters who have appeared in the MCU are virtually ubiquitous in public spaces, where images of mainstay heroes and villains are emblazoned on everything from apparel to tattoos to food products at the grocery story. This panel analyzes the political lessons conveyed by this hulking, hegemonic media franchise. Intentionally or not, the MCU sends fans scores of messages about a wide range of subjects related to government, identity, culture, and society. The MCU, moreover, is itself a product of contemporary politics and society: many of its stories seem to be direct responses to the pressures and problems of the day.
Like the films and television shows we study, these papers are not monolithic in their style or substance. This panel will examine girlhood, feminism and feminist thought, LBGTQ+ representation, questions of democracy and bureaucracy, and the impact of this hegemonic media franchise. The papers examine these issues from a host of perspectives and through different aspects of the MCU. The methodological approaches vary between theoretical analysis to quantitative assessments. Some of the papers focus on just one or two shows or films, while others take a more sweeping approach, drawing lessons from numerous Phase 4 MCU offerings. Hirschmann explores the feminism sardonic in She-Hulk; Hanley and McMahon examine Sovereignty and Political Violence in Loki; Beail studies the way that ideas of girlhood inflect and define so much in the phase three and four MCU films and television shows; Rodda looks in the MCU closet, chronicling queer representation or lack thereof; Carnes and Goren take on the entire behemoth of the MCU, looking at the relation between these cultural artifacts and narratives, and politics. Our two discussants have taught the MCU in their political science classes and they will bring that experience to the conversation.

Sub Unit

• Division 41: Politics, Literature, and the Arts

Individual Presentations

• The Power of Girlhood in the MCU - Linda Beail, Point Loma Nazarene University

• The MCU Closet May Be Opening a Bit - Patricia Charlotte Rodda, Carroll University

• Loki: Sovereignty and Political Violence, for All Time Always - John McMahon, SUNY Plattsburgh; Danielle Hanley, Clark University

• She-Hulk, Feminism Sardonic - Nancy J. Hirschmann, The University of Pennsylvania

Chair

• Lilly J. Goren Carroll University

Discussants

• Kevin M. Baron Siena College

• Daniel E. Ponder Drury University