Opinion | Marvel has always been political

For better or worse, Kevin Feige and the team at Marvel Studios are reworking a wealth of content for 2024. I hope you start valuing quality over quantity.

Personally, I like most of the shows and movies they’ve put out in the last few years, but there’s just too much content. overwhelming. Even though I’m a big fan of Marvel movies myself, I still haven’t fully caught up on them. We just got into his second or third episode of the new “What If?” During the season, I did not have time to watch the new TV show “Echo”. Once my schedule is a little lighter, I’ll plan a watch marathon to catch up. I’m really looking forward to it, especially “Echo.”

Echo stole my heart on the TV show “Hawkeye.” Although she only played a small role, her story is one I look forward to exploring. Her new Disney+ show. Especially since her character will influence a future Young Avengers team-up played by Kate Bishop, Daredevil, and Ms. Marvel aka Kamala Khan. Looks like it’s organized at first glance.

For those who aren’t familiar with the character of Echo, she first appeared in Daredevil Comics #9, published in 1999 as the adopted daughter of the famous Marvel villain Kingpin. She has a white handprint on her face to reflect the bloody handprint of her dying father, and is often sent by the Kingpin to hunt down her Daredevil. Most notably, she is one of the few Deaf Marvel characters who is also of Native American descent. Cheyenne Nation. Her story is deeply intertwined with Matt Murdock’s Daredevil, and I’m guessing she will play her role in his movie. upcoming tv shows.

While I can’t attest to the quality of the show or its impact on the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe, I can address a lot of the backlash I’ve seen. The biggest complaint I’ve seen on social media has nothing to do with the quality of the TV show, the acting, or the CGI, as many Marvel TV shows endure. In fact, many people complain that Marvel is too “woke.” They are too “progressive” and too “liberal”. Some fans I complain A Native American female superhero with a disability is so unrealistic.

First and foremost, as mentioned above, Echo’s characters have always been disabled and Native American. To those who complain about the accuracy of manga, Alaqua CoxHe plays Echo in the new TV show, and he’s almost as accurate as he is in the comics. She is both deaf and Native American, and the role of Echo is her first time appearing on a television screen. The only notable difference is that Cox has a prosthetic leg, while the comic book version of Echo does not. But to that I say — who cares?If you’re really worried that her disability isn’t as accurate as in the comics, where was everyone when they took her away? Hawkeye’s disorder For the past 10 years? He is hearing impaired and wears a hearing aid indoors. comic book — only on his TV show, 12 years after his character’s movie start, he was finally depicted with hearing aids. Or maybe people are upset about Echo’s failure itself. I, on the other hand, wonder where such feelings were in The Winter Soldier or Daredevil, just to name a few. Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier, is completely missing his arm. prosthesisAlthough made of vibranium, it is still a prosthesis. And Daredevil plays an important role in Echo’s story and vice versa. blindness.

Marvel has always been “woke.” For decades, she has included and represented a wide range of races, genders, sexualities, and disabilities. Throughout our pages, we have always addressed current events and tackled politics. Although Marvel has grown to include more diversity in its characters and comics over time, Marvel began to rule politically from the beginning.

In 1939, martin goodman He founded Marvel Comics, but it wasn’t known as Marvel until the early ’60s.But by 1941, Captain America punch a nazi. Famously, Jack Kirby and Joe Simmons even had Captain America punch Hitler on the cover of an early issue of Captain America. But this commentary was just the beginning. Marvel’s first black superhero black pantherappeared in 1966, and was Marvel’s first openly gay hero, Northstar. Released in 1992.Marvel is Problems tackled Across a variety of issues and character storylines, including the Cold War, government corruption, and even 9/11.

Most Marvel movies focus on the fantastical. They focus on big battles between villains and heroes, or how characters gain superpowers. They create worlds beyond Earth, adding entirely new countries and elements to the periodic table. But the MCU, like Marvel Comics, is also a window into our real lives. It touches on real issues and isn’t afraid to do so, especially in recent years.

Programs covered by “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” interracial relations In the United States. Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, was handed the mantle of Captain America by an aging Steve Rogers, but chose to put it aside and continue Steve Rogers’ legacy. Despite his wishes, the government turned the shield over to a white man, ultimately ignoring Sam Wilson’s wishes and telling him a straight lie that it would be buried. TFAWS also introduced Isiah Bradley — Another super soldier — He held the mantle of Captain America during the Korean War. But despite Steve Rogers’ accomplishments, Isaiah Bradley, a black man, was forgotten by history, left bankrupt and mistreated by the American government.

TFAWS is probably the most political and “woke” work Marvel has ever put out, but those who are truly uneasy about its message can easily avoid its political nature. I can. At its core, TFAWS is about Sam and Bucky fighting a bunch of super-soldiers, just as Echo is about a deaf superhero who escapes from the Kingpin’s organization and returns to his hometown. It doesn’t have to be any more complicated. You can ignore cultural expressions and difficult conversations and connections if you really want to.

As a political science student, take my word for it that not everything has to be political. I’m always thinking about the effects of capitalism on the environment, social classes, and the upcoming presidential election. I really appreciate it when I can sit back and enjoy media that isn’t inherently political. But that’s not the case with Marvel Studios. If you don’t want to engage with political content, political content media can easily be ignored and pushed to the side. But pretending that Marvel hasn’t always been political undermines the legacy of Jack Kirby, Joe Simmons, and even our beloved Stan Lee, who created these characters to combat hostility. It will be. This is a disgrace to Marvel Comics as a whole, which has consistently created space for minority and disabled heroes.

Please don’t ignore Marvel’s political influence. I personally believe that these interpretations make many modern movies and TV shows more appealing than just poorly animated fight scenes. A well-intentioned villain, questions about morality, the consequences of a hero’s actions, and race relations create interesting stories and interesting characters. But pretending that political overtones, hierarchies, and specific relationships don’t always influence the Marvel media you consume negates the fact that they have always been involved. Not.

Marvel is political and will make political content. It’s painful to even argue that representing diverse characters is political in the first place. If the idea of ​​a disabled Native American superhero or a black Captain America really pisses you off, you might want to do some research on why. Perhaps consuming media in a “political” way will be beneficial to you after all.

Livia Lamarca is a deputy editor at the Opinion Desk, but she’s not good at using Oxford commas. She primarily writes about American political discourse, American pop culture, and social movements.She writes to her at the following address lll60@pitt.edu To share your opinion!