A Marvel Revolution: An Exploration of Revolutionary Change in American Popular Media

This essay aims to explore representations of revolutionary action and social activism in American popular culture through a comprehensive analysis of some of the plots and characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a superhero movie franchise that tries to foreground diversity, and the inclusion...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Sánchez Pacios, Cristina
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
Repositorio:e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:ebuah.uah.es:10017/59762
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10017/59762
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Marvel Cinematic Universe
Superheroes
Social activism
Cultural analysis
Neoliberalism
Filología
Philology
Descripción
Sumario:This essay aims to explore representations of revolutionary action and social activism in American popular culture through a comprehensive analysis of some of the plots and characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a superhero movie franchise that tries to foreground diversity, and the inclusion of traditionally disenfranchised social groups in its narratives. The paper will examine how the MCU appeals to subversive movements that challenge established notions of political and social categories as a marketing strategy. This will be achieved a through a double analysis, first, a diegetic exploration of the characters and plots of the MCU as a whole, with a special emphasis on supervillain’s ideologies and their motives, given that many instances of systemic critique are provided solely by these villains; and second, a two-fold, non-diegetic examination of the MCU as a cultural product that both appropriates the imagery and discourse of activist movements for profit maximization, and perpetuates and reinforces American hegemonic ideals