Super Hero Movies
Super hero movies are kind of lit, y’all — for realz!
I dedicated several days binge-watching all of the movies in the Marvel Universe in chronological order. I thought I had seen the best of them, and planned to leaves the rest alone. Then, I was like, let me not practice contempt without more investigation. These films (I’ll explain my use) hold a prominent space in the collective American psyche. Perhaps even beyond. Super heroes have been assembled into a pantheon, and these icons are worshipped on film to tune of 30 billion dollars. I was ready for a snooze fest.
Hero worship ain’t new. The archetypes have been the teaching tool of many a civilization. A lot, if not all, the Marvel world was modeled on existing mythology. The stories of these beings from across the galaxy have been handed down and, as happens with myth, modified to appeal to the modern masses. Please don’t object to my crush on The Incredible Hulk (follow the development of that character from early films through Endgame). These movies give the people what they want. They are the beacons of hope, morality, and a bunch of cherished qualities.
The Marvel Universe has been cast with surprising diversity (is that the word for it now?) They’ve cast from around the globe. They’ve assemble a ridiculous lineup of some of my favorite actors across generations. Characters defy gender. The omnipotent Captain Marvel (Marvel’s equivalent to Superman) is played by female-presenting Brie Larson). There’s some queer baiting. There are characters whose orientation has been left open. I haven’t found it alienating. All of the characters show an array of emotions. They do lean heteronormative and patriarchal. In that way they are pretty basic religious doctrine.
The final installment (and if you’re going to only watch one watch Endgame is the one that does it best) defies so much of what we define as heroic, what heroes are supposed to look like, and whether they are “super” or mortal. If you’re gonna dive into more you might watch the first Avengers film (Marvel’s The Avengers, 2012), and get an extreme before and after experience of the characters. If you wanna go real deep, watch the whole Avengers in order (order is crucial).
Of course, you can go the distance and watch them all. I found a link to a website that them all up to and including Black Widow (which was awesome). Before you trash them, be sure you know what you’re talking about. Yes, they cost a lot of money to make and they make a lot of money. They fake AF. They expend a lot if the mental real estate of society. I don’t know what essential focus their existence supplants. Religions galvanize vast numbers around a shared ideology. That takes work. What religion hasn’t gone to great lengths to establish and maintain itself?
Get you some of that new-time religion! Don’t forget the snacks.
