A look at how Marvel connects people through their universe

         This week I am going to go all the way back and tackle Module 2’s prompt on dissecting a type of pop culture. For this I am going to look at the fandom and hysteria that Marvel has created with their interconnected movies and Disney+ streaming shows. Marvel has done something completely unprecedented with their creation of the MCU that has drawn in millions of people around the globe and drawn interest and speculation into all of their projects as fans keep wondering what’s coming next from the studio. What makes Marvel a fascinating study is how over 14 years they have been able to weave around 30 independent films and shows together to tell one larger story while still being able to tell their own independent story so both fans of the connected universe and those that are just jumping into it can enjoy the experience and not feel like they are being left out. So for the fans that have followed the whole saga from when Tony Stark said the infamous “I’m Iron Man” to those who have just joined with the recent films, there is a story and a character for everyone. 

We have seen different crossovers of mediums before to tell one overarching story, but nothing to the extent in which Marvel has done and continues to do with each new project they release on film or on TV. Because of the numerous different heroes that have been involved in these projects, it has connected and drawn people of different backgrounds and ethnicities together as there are heroes of completely different genders and ethnicity for everyone to be represented in some way shape or form in this connected universe. There are characters for everyone of all ages and shows and movies for everyone to enjoy, both individually and collectively in the overarching story Marvel tries to tell. Fans are able to dive deeper into the different characters and see them interact with different characters through crossovers and cameos throughout the various projects and give fans more screen time of their favorite heroes. The Marvel experience has created an inclusive environment for people around the world to engage and enjoy both individual and collective stories with their heroes of choice and through the power of film and TV have brought people together from their fandom of their heroes working together and individually to save the world.

Soaring to new heights

 Race and ethnicity play a major part of our pop culture, especially in film or TV. A lot of the time, minorities in these shows or films play a stereotypical role based on their race which has led to stereotypes about people in our society. There are instances, especially more recently in the 21st century, of these types of stereotypes and racial roles being broken in TV and film. A great example of this would be Sam Wilson (Falcon) from Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The show does a great job of applying a possible real world scenario of how a Black superhero could be treated by society and also how Sam breaks through all of the subtle racism and stereotypes to become the next Captain America.

The show has numerous scenes in which depict how Sam, who has done everything right, is treated by society. Despite being an Avenger and saving the world several times, he is refused a bank loan to save his family business and it is heavily implied that the reason the bank will not approve the loan is because of his race. There is also another scene in which Bucky and Steve are arguing in the middle of an urban street about Sam giving up Captain America’s shield to the US Government, and two police officers pull up and are ready to arrest Sam until they realize who he is. They continually ask Bucky if he is alright and if he feels threatened, to which he shuts down. Then at the conclusion of the show, the US Government doesn’t want to give Sam the shield and the identity of Captain America because of the perception of Captain America being black. Despite all of that racism working against him, Sam defies it and takes ownership to the Captain America title becoming the face of American military might.

This character is portrayed to defy previous stereotypes about black Americans and black superheros. He breaks through that Uncle Tom type stereotype and instead pushes the boundary for what a black superhero can be by becoming Captain America (Black-face.com). He does this by being proactive and vocal on where his standing should be and how he deserves the title of Captain America and the shield as Steve chose him to be his predecessor. At first he gave into the wishes of the white generals by handing over the shield and feeling as though he is not worthy of taking on the mantle of Captain America. But throughout the show he finally realizes that becoming Captain America is his true calling and to not just settle for being who he is as Falcon but to be more.

Spider-Man 2099: Combating Hispanic Stereotypes

The cover art for issue #1 of Spider-Man 2099 (Image Source)

Most of you probably don't know this Marvel character. Despite that, he's actually my favorite superhero of all time. Spider-Man 2099 (written by Peter David) launched in 1992 as a part of Marvel's 2099 Universe line of comics. This universe takes place in the year 2099, as you may have guessed, and included several futuristic versions of existing heroes and villains, such as Doom 2099, Punisher 2099, Hulk 2099, and one original hero (well, more of an anti-hero) named Ravage 2099.

Even though this is a future version of Spider-Man, this one isn't Peter Parker. I assume all of you know who Peter Parker is, because if you don't, I have to assume you've been living under a rock for the past 20 years. Spider-Man 2099 is actually a half Irish, half Hispanic man named Miguel O'Hara. Miguel worked as a scientist for a major corporation named Alchemax, which controls most of Nueva York (the 2099 version of New York). He's unhappy at the company and feels they are extremely corrupt. In an effort to stop him from leaving Alchemax, somebody from the company slips him a hallucinogen that bonds to your DNA. Trying to rid himself of the hallucinogen, Miguel attempts to perform a procedure that would revert his DNA back to it's original state. However, somebody tries to sabotage him, and ends up splicing his DNA with that of a spider, giving him even more spider-like powers than the original Spider-Man (he has organic webbing and talons on the end of his fingers).

2099 Unlimited #1, featuring
Spider-Man 2099 and Hulk 2099
(Image Source)

What makes Miguel so unique is that he's not only the first Latino representation of Spider-Man, but he also avoids falling to the many stereotypes associated with Hispanics in popular culture. Miguel is a well spoken, intelligent man (as I mentioned before, he's a scientist). According to the Cobbina article, Hispanics were seen as crack users during the '80s. As such, Hispanics were often seen and portrayed as criminals within popular culture. O'Hara presents us with the exact opposite: a crime fighter. Considering this series was released in 1992, it was very close to the time where these Hispanic stereotypes were at their height. Spider-Man 2099 not only exists as just a futuristic version of Spider-Man, but also to help combat this stigma against Hispanics and how they are always portrayed as some sort of criminal or drug user.

The series was cancelled after 46 issues. However, Miguel was brought back in 2014 in Daniel Slott's Superior Spider-Man, due to demand for the character to return. This lead to Spider-Man 2099 getting his own brand new ongoing series, and he is now proving to be more popular and more relevant than ever before.