Note: This article is merely a writer’s reflection before viewing the long-anticipated film Avengers: Endgame and contains absolutely zero spoilers.
At the time of this writing, I still have not seen Avengers: Endgame (my tickets have already been bought for the 7 p.m. showing on Thursday night). However, I do not need to see it at all to appreciate the cultural influence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the last 11 years.
Let’s leave all of Marvel’s impressive collection of 22 movies within this ever-growing universe out of the picture entirely for just a minute. And let’s collectively ask ourselves a simple question: Who actually likes superheroes?
If everyday life is any indication, children are an easy answer. Superheroes and their endless list of superpowers are at the center of imagination, and imagination is the one superpower that all children possess. But as imaginative as they are, children are not the only answer to this question. If you think over the last few decades, there’s a very specific type of person that comes to mind when you think of those who love superheroes — nerds, geeks or some other type of demeaning superlative. The “nerd clutching comic books” stereotype is a well-worn cliche at this point, but that’s only because it was once a staple of reality.
While it may no longer be the case, there was once a time when it would have made you extremely unpopular to admit that you read comic books or loved superheroes. After all, our culture’s idea of masculinity isn’t a man reading a story about a superhero that is more masculine than himself. It was always completely fine to read and love “The Killing Joke” or “The Dark Knight Returns” (the two most influential Batman stories for the uninitiated) — just be sure to keep it to yourself or only discuss it with your other nerdy friends.
But somewhere along the way, something changed. Superheroes — and all of the mediums in which they persist — suddenly began to come more and more into the mainstream. Maybe it was Sam Raimi’s Spiderman trilogy that captured the hearts and minds of my generation from the early to mid-2000s. Maybe Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy then took that same generation that grew up on Raimi’s Spiderman and gave them something more fitting as they became older and more mature.
And maybe, the Marvel Cinematic Universe — a franchise that began with Iron Man in 2008 — finally cemented superheroes and comic book stories into our collective cultural consciousness forever.
The MCU’s impact in our culture certainly cannot be understated. At the time of this writing, Avengers: Endgame is projected to basically break every single box office record both foreign and domestic. The MCU as a whole has made $18.6 billion over the course of its 11-year reign. It goes without saying that the times when a fan of superheroes or a comic book lover generally had to keep their passion compartmentalized are now over. Now, everyone is interested in these stories. And if the box office numbers of the MCU are any indication, they won’t be getting enough of them anytime soon.
What makes the success of this universe so incredibly impressive is how it has served as a unifier in a present climate of divisiveness. Within a society that has become so strictly divided along partisan, economic and religious lines, there seems to be relatively few unifiers that make us forget the superficial differences that divide us. However, the MCU has become one of those unifiers, a culmination of compelling world building and storytelling in which everyone can find something to enjoy.
When I go to see Endgame tonight, I expect to see several hundred people whom I may not share a single thing in common with outside of our shared love for this film universe. And in our current divisive culture, that is certainly something to celebrate.
Not bad for a form of storytelling that used to only be enjoyed by nerds.
