Process
Status Items Output None Questions None Claims None Highlights Done See section below
Highlights
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male heroes experience moments of vulnerability but they rarely share those feelings with other characters or ask for help. If they do share, it’s usually after they’ve “solved it” on their own.
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all problems in the MCU are resolved via violence, even interpersonal ones. Tony is spiraling so Rhodes stages an intervention but because these are tough guys it takes the form of face punching
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The Hulk is one of the most troubling MCU characters in terms of the masculinity messaging. He’s a thoughtful mild-mannered man who transforms into a violent monster whenever he gets upset. After his rampages he turns back into a “nice guy” who isn’t responsible for his actions
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Notice the ultimate message of Thor (and the MCU more generally) isn’t that no one should be given the authority to engage in the unilateral use of force. Rather the message is that only “truly great men” should be given the authority to engage in the unilateral use of force.
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how do we know which men are truly great? So great they should be entrusted with the authority to engage in vigilante violence whenever they see fit? According to Marvel the answer is heroic suicide. Great men in the MCU all choose to sacrifice themselves for the greater good
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Normal humans in the MCU (who aren’t super, per se) use guns to try to match strength with super beings. Coulson uses a futuristic firearm. Natasha, Clint, and Maria use Glocks. Fury uses an RPG etc. Guns continue to be framed as both badass and an effective way to project power.
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just like WMDs, the ultimate MCU message seems to be that mass surveillance tech is good but only in the right hands. The “right hands” being unaccountable private individuals (like a tech billionaire) with good hearts and good intentions
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power and authority are legitimated via acts of violence and domination (against bad guys) and not by any democratic or institutional means. But what about public accountability for authority? Again, the very idea is dismissed as absurd, corrupt, or evil.
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interpersonal violence between men framed both as conflict resolution and also as the default form of male bonding. Physical fights are how these men learn to respect one another. And respect of strength is a prerequisite for friendship in the MCU.
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We need the king to appear strong and unchallenged.” Authoritarian ideology at its finest. I loathe fantasy stories that lionize monarchy
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Revenge acts as a replacement for men’s grief in too many movies. Vulnerable feelings are transmuted into rage and violence. Thor and Loki don’t bond over shared grief after their mother’s death, they bond over a shared desire for vengeance.
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MCU villains are often transformative. Their stated goals identify systemic issues, which they try to do something about (of course that something is always mass murder). The heroes stop them and in so doing protect institutional power structures and preserve the status quo. MCU superheroes are reactive. They don’t use their powers to enact systemic social change. They use their powers to prevent others from enacting destructive change. In this way systemic social transformation in the MCU is nearly always framed as something villainous.
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how is Tony able to “cure” his severe PTSD and anxiety attacks in this movie? Through therapy? Nope. Through medication? Nope. With the support of friends and family. Nope. All of the above? Definitely not. After the kid reminds Tony he’s a mechanic, Iron Man 3 tells us that Tony “cures” himself of PTSD and severe anxiety attacks by (drumroll please) building a DIY combat suit from stuff at Home Depot and then using it to single handedly storm the bad guy’s compound! All better!
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Violence (properly directed) is depicted as being synonymous with justice but also something that provides “great men” with status, absolution, and restoration. It can even cure mental health issues
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Thor and Tony praise their respective girlfriends but it quickly turns into a dick measuring contest. Their macho behavior is then lampshaded when Maria Hill coughs the word “testosterone.” Thor and Tony then continue their competitive behavior. Nothing is learned.
✏️ Have to be careful with this. It can be so easy to fall into this trap as well with writing.
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Bruce is a monster because he turns into a giant green literal monster but Natasha is also a monster because she can’t have babies? How on earth did this script get all the way through production without anyone flagging that retrograde nonsense?
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the only way to de-hulkify Bruce is for a “special woman” to talk him down. The idea that it’s women’s job to calm men’s rage is an especially dangerous myth. In real life it doesn’t work, women bear the brunt of men’s domestic violence
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We’re left with the unmistakable messages that men’s anger is a necessary evil to protect civilization. That the capacity for righteous violence is what makes men useful valued members of society. And that therefore men who choose not to use physical force are useless cowards. Natasha disregarding Bruce’s explicit wishes and forcing him to become a violent brute is framed as the right thing to do because the fate of humanity is on the line. But the fate of humanity is always on the line in the MCU and that setup can be used to justify almost anything
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Men severing their connections to “protect people” is one of my least favorite tropes. It’s why I didn’t like the end of Spider-Man No Way Home.