MCU: Cultural Context

Comic book movies trace their origins back to the early 1940s, when the first Batman and Superman serials were made. The serials, and later television shows in the 1950s and 60s, were for the most part designed for children. But today, with the continuing rise of Comic-Con, they seem to be more a part of the mainstream than ever, appealing to adults as well as younger fans. Still, the history of comic book movies is a long one and can be traced to the very earliest days of the motion picture cartoons that drew their inspiration from actual comic strips, books, and graphic novels. Early comic book serials included Batman, Superman, and The Adventures of Captain Marvel. These films typically feature action, adventure, fantasy, or science fiction elements, with the first film of a particular character often including a focus on the origin of their special powers and their first confrontation with their most famous supervillain or archenemy.

The first true superhero movie arrived in 1941, in the shape of a 12-chapter serial from Republic Pictures: Adventures of Captain Marvel. Based on a Fawcett Comics hero who later ended up as part of the DC Comics roster, it focused on a young man named Billy Batson who transforms into a godlike good guy and battles a supervillain called the Scorpion. This crude attempt to bring comic heroes to the big screen suffers from the usual stop-start-cliffhanger-itis of the episodic form, but the foundations of the genre - an origin story, a secret identity, a costume, and an archnemesis - were all cemented into place.

Next came a 15-chapter Batman serial in 1943, which marked the first filmed appearance of the legendary Caped Crusader and his sidekick Robin, as well as introducing trademarks like the Batcave, Wayne Manor, and Alfred the butler. The Phantom made his big-screen entrance in 1943 as well, while the first Marvel Comics (then known as Timely Comics) character to make it to the screen, Captain America, showed up in 1944. Marvel had managed to score a hit on TV with The Incredible Hulk series in the late seventies, the company (under its corporate name, Marvel Entertainment) went through a turbulent period in which its ownership changed hands several times, with each new regime attempting to license Marvel Comics characters for the screen. Yet only Howard the Duck (1986), The Punisher (1989) and an early stab at the story of Captain America (1990) emerged during this period, each more horrid than the last.

The original 1990 adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, based on Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's parody series for Mirage Studios, was a surprising hit; other off-brand comic titles such as The Mask (which helped propel Jim Carrey to Stardom) and The Crow struck a chord with their subversive anti-hero protagonists - a sign of what was to come.

Only one Marvel-based movie, Fantastic Four (1994), was made during this period, and it was never even released, because - depending on who tells the story - producer Bernd Eichinger made it solely to hold onto the rights or Marvel did not want the low-budget film to ruin the market for a major studio version.

In 1998, New Line Cinema released Blade, a film based on a human/vampire hybrid who hunts bloodsuckers by night. Based on a third-tier Marvel Character introduced in the 1970s, the film was an unexpected hit - the first for the comics giant, which had reorganized its film division as Marvel Studios and began licensing characters to Hollywood again. The company decided to test its new strategy with a trapped in-development-hell project that had been picked up by the 20th Century Fox: X-Men.

In 2006, Marvel Entertainment established a $525 million line of credit with Merril Lynch, with the idea of making its own movies and then licensing them to distributors. Granted, the company did not own the rights to flagship characters like Spiderman and the X-Men - but it did own Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the Hulk, as well as literally hundreds of others.

However, having been so successful for many years, many ask why Marvel doesn't have more minority representation in their films. It may be because superhero films are adaptations of pre-existing properties or the nature of this genre makes it difficult to use it for "representation". People have been pushing for more representation at all levels from MCU films in general. More women, African-Americans, Muslims, and diverse sexual identities. It is believed the argument is the idea that all these groups would love to have heroes representing them in a more explicit way that they can identify closely with. This also serves to open the door for more representation and more of those stories to be told on a broader level, since Marvel has the spotlight and if their representation is a success, it paves the way for others to feel it's a less-risky financial decision.

Marvel Studios has been at this a while, and there is already some representation out there. Black Panther - acted by Chadwick Boseman - was huge in terms of representation for African Americans, and the Academy definitely rewarded that. Captain Marvel is the MCU's first female-led film, and it's also a film with no love interest to speak of. Lashana Lynch states it's a very important film as it represents women in their "best form", The only major relationship that CM seems to care about is with another lady, and even that seems platonic. So if asexual people were looking for representation, they might be pretty pleased that a film didn't feel the need to squeeze in a love story just because. There is no indication if her movie character is anywhere on the LGBTQ spectrum or not perhaps it will be developed in a sequel.

Black Panther is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Jack Kirby, first appearing in Fantastic Four #52 in the Silver Age of Comic Books. Black Panther is the first superhero of African descent in mainstream American comics, having debuted years before early black superheroes such as Marvel Comics' the Falcon (1969), Luke Cage (1972), and Blade (1973).

Part of what makes the film Black Panther notable is how it breaks the mold of the superhero movie, as the first to feature a black director and black actors in all the leading roles. This film had resonated with black audiences across America and the world. One member of the audience stated "it's a movie made by a black director with an almost entirely black cast, and it's not depicting the typical way of showing the black community or life in Africa. Also, so many Marvel movies feature white superheroes. And for black children to be able to relate to different characters - the warriors, Black Panther, or even the villain - I think that's what is making it so popular." The effects of this film are said to make people of colour proud of where they come from.

Boseman was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, which eventually progressed to stage IV before 2020. He never spoke publicly about his cancer diagnosis, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, only a handful of non-family members knew that Boseman was sick. During treatment, involving multiple surgeries and chemotherapy, he continued to work and completed production for several films. He passed away at his home as a result of complications related to colon cancer on August 28, 2020. Many fellow actors and other celebrities paid tribute to Boseman via social media following the announcement of his death, including a number of his MCU co-stars.