Popular Culture Perspectives on the Marvel Cinematic Universe

This edited volume builds on existing superhero and comic studies research by analyzing and emphasizing the interrelation of the texts that comprise the Marvel Cinematic Universe through a combination of communication studies, media studies, and cultural studies approaches.

The popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has never been stronger. As each franchise phase is announced and released, the fan and cultural responses more broadly demonstrate the power that a popular culture artifact and phenomenon can have on audiences and societies alike. This collection brings together scholars from popular culture, communication, and associated disciplines in one space to explore aspects of the MCU that are, sometimes, overlooked. The contributors to this volume explore a diverse variety of texts in the MCU, offering critical interrogations including feminist critiques, commentaries on race and stereotyping, and examinations of the political economy of superhero cinema, among other perspectives. This collection marks an opening salvo for scholars who view the MCU as fertile ground for finding communication perspectives in popular culture.

From the use of various symbols both feared and coveted by many within the MCU worlds to the creation of entire civilizations to act as cultural critique, these chapters ask the reader to take a moment to reflect on and consider what might be uncovered and understood through the criticism of these incredibly popular and relevant pop culture texts.