The 2010s decade saw an incredible increase in the popularity of superhero culture unlike any other time in history. With the formation and development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), along with rising demand for superhero narratives in other mediums, it has become more clear how these stories are based in real world concepts. In examples of characters, movie plots, and even the real life interaction of products, the superhero genre can be seen as reflective of capitalist ideologies and other factors in the global economy. In this paper, I will present an argument of the capitalist ideologies, consumerism, and marketability of social trends that permeate the superhero genre through the global economy. First, I will describe the significance of Western ideals in relation to the development of notable superheroes in the 20th century, as well as their burst onto movie screens throughout the 2010s. Then, I will discuss the role of escapism and its utility in how superhero movies have been marketed in the global market. Finally, I will present the political impact of superhero movies, both as a tool for bringing progress and as propaganda.

It is no surprise that superheroes have become intertwined with “American values” and Western culture in general. The most popular superheroes have historically been backed by traditional western ideals. This could be presented as no more apparent than through the character of Captain America. Steve Rogers, a scrawny young man from Brooklyn, is chosen to be injected with an experimental super soldier serum in order to aid in the fight against Nazi Germany during World War II. After the procedure, he is rechristened as Captain America, a “superweapon” for the United States fighting for justice and freedom.

The emergence of superheroes in the Marvel Universe has a profound impact on regular society. In multiple movies following Captain America: The First Avenger, it is implied that the emergence of Captain America creates an “arms race” with other nations attempting to create their own superhero programs, resulting in characters like the Winter Soldier, Hank Pym’s Ant-Man, and Black Widow. There is a clear parallel between the emergence of superheroes and the use of atomic bombs in World War II. The hydrogen bomb ushered in the era of United States hegemony to a level never seen before. Coming out of World War II, the United States not only possessed influence through economic power, but also the concept of “hard power.” In reality, much of U.S. hegemony action was backed by the threat of advanced military power and force. Superheroes overwhelmingly reflected that in comics during the 60s, but even more so in the origins that have reflected military support. The character of Captain America was originally created to bring about military fervor during World War II, and as a whole his character could not be spoken about without its inherent ties to the American armed forces. The character was used to present the United States as the country that stood for good, and that the military was a tool to bring justice and freedom to the world. While Captain America has certainly dissociated from his origins as a military icon, the fact is that the character was a form of propaganda used to bring support not only for the war, but the idea that everything that the United States did was reflective of its role as the moral guide for all nations.

While Captain America represents the governmental aspect of Western ideology, Iron Man serves as a clear example of the capitalist dream. Iron Man is the absolute embodiment of the power of wealth and ingenuity, the essence of the idea of human capital. Tony Stark is an individual whose core values is his capacity to use his massive ingenuity and wealth to help others. He is a superhero built on the fundamental idea of the potential of capitalism to help society by creating figures of massive ability who can then serve as a form of public good to others. In other words, a comic book philanthrocapitalist. In a way, he was meant to be symbolic of the empowerment capitalism can give a nation in the form of a suit of armor. He is the other side of the coin as a representation of what leads to the soft power inherent in the United States. While both he and Captain American are meant to represent aspects of the United States, Captain America represents military power, and the output of a strong military industrial complex, while Iron Man is the pinnacle of soft power through his corporate tactics, as well as the very economic system that enables U.S. hegemony.

Despite this, the depiction of these characters reflects a greater trend in progressivism as a reflection of its intended audience. The MCU features a “World Security Council” that is similar to the real world UN Security Council, except that it is backed by military force through the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. As a result, it acts as an “idealistic” world government that is meant to maintain peace and stability between nations. In Captain America: Civil War, the central conflict comes over the debate on how the ability to help others is affected by government oversight. It speaks to the core idea of state power and whether or not it has the authority to govern certain aspects of society. While Iron Man originally represented the privatization of national defense and Captain America represented the ideals a state force of justice should pursue, their roles became switched. Iron Man comes to the conclusion that oversight is required to keep the recklessness, the side effects of a privatized sector, in check. On the other hand, Steve Rogers upholds the idea that the control of a bureaucratic government and its subsequent inefficiencies would ultimately result in failure to do action when it is necessary. These ideas are fundamental principles of political philosophy and the debate over the most effective form of a democratic capitalist society.

Movies, as well as most other entertainment mediums, are at their essence built on the idea of escapism. The reason people turn on the television, go out to the movies, and are ready to binge the latest Netflix show is because it offers an alternative to the reality we perceive in all its positive moments and flaws. In light of this, a new marketing strategy has become commonplace among corporations of selling their products not as just a good or service, but in fact an experience. In relation to the superhero genre, this is a formula the MCU has followed unlike any other movie franchise. The strategy of creating a shared universe for a movie franchise is not necessarily new in films, but it has been implemented in a revolutionary way by Marvel.

As a film franchise ingrained into the ideologies of capitalism, it is interesting to reflect on the fact that the MCU started in a time when American capitalism was facing one of its biggest failures. Iron Man came out in 2008, on the heels of the Global Financial Crisis, a time where the global economy was hit with some of its worst conditions since the Great Depression. Despite this, when the movie was released, it earned just over $580 million at the box office, ranking number 2 for the year, only behind The Dark Knight. Bringing in that much revenue is no easy feat for a new movie, but when contextualized by the fact that luxury products are supposed to see decreased demand in a recession, it becomes even more astonishing. Looking back, the film was responsible for opening up the potential for a massive movie franchise creating an entire universe of characters and stories that many fans had been waiting to see for years. Disney, the current owner of Marvel, has been able to capitalize on the fervor for superheroes by ensuring that their movies felt like an interactive experience, rather than just another form of entertainment.

The idea of experiential products taps into the fundamental human want for being a part of something greater, as well as the ability to become enthralled in a story built on idols that stand for idealistic views. To a certain extent the Marvel movies speak to the marketization of social issues. It is now commonplace for corporations to follow societal trends and respond to social issues that they feel resonate with their consumers. Many of these corporations make statements of support, without really carrying out any real action that shows an effort to bring about change. A fundamental development of capitalism has been the idea that corporations are not just faceless organizations that purely serve financial means, but that they should be expected to reflect the values and ideas of their consumers and employees. The idea of social responsibility has become increasingly popular not only because it is seen as “the right thing to do,” but because it can have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line.

While Iron Man did wonders in the box office, the one movie that was even more successful may offer insight into why superheroes offer such an enjoyable form of escapism. The Dark Knight, praised as one of the greatest superhero films of all time, and deservingly so, reflects how underneath all of the costumes, catchphrases, and outlandishness of superhero narratives are fundamental ideologies packaged into heroes and villains who serve as its symbols. The grim reality presented in Christopher Nolan’s work serves as a backdrop to the fundamental battle of order and chaos between Batman and the Joker.

While the real world offers problems that do not have easy solutions, but rather require imperfect and complex action to solve over time, these movies often present a reality where there is a clear force of good and of evil. The Dark Knight brought in $1 billion at the box office, specifically because it, like many other movies, presented its heroes as fundamentally just. Superheroes are treated as packaged icons of “the solution” to many complex issues that have been ignored by bureaucratic and political governments through a figure that is intent on doing what is simply, the “right thing.” Building onto this is the appearance of villains that are rarely presented as human or relatable. The overwhelming majority of superhero films do not push for the audience to care about the villain. That character is merely a vehicle to forward the character of the hero.

These movies serve as a form of escape for people around the world because it does not ask them to challenge their own views or to look at the environment presented with their own ideologies, but purely to see a figure of good do what absolutely must be right: punishing crime. Whether this is a liberal or conservative in the United States, France, Brazil, Pakistan, or wherever, everyone is meant to identify with the hero.

Despite the marketing strategies employed by the creators of superhero films, the potential for these movies to present specific messages to its massive audiences still exists. This can be both a blessing and a curse. All entertainment mediums have the potential to bring awareness to an issue its creators identify as significant or in need of attention. A small example of this is presented in Avengers:Endgame. At the beginning of the movie, half of the universe’s population has been turned to dust by Thanos. Five years pass as the remaining heroes try to establish normalcy throughout the world. Thanos’s malthusian logic follows that killing half of the population reduces the scarcity of resources and environmental destruction that has been brought on by massive population growth in the last century or so. He believes that the population needs to be cut down in order to give survivors a clean slate on life and survival. He views himself as a messiah in this mission, rationalizing that he is the only one willing to do what is necessary to ensure true survival and peace. The fundamental issue with this is that it is very simplistic thinking, that a “snap” of the fingers can make a problem go away with one simple action. The biggest fallacy with Thanos’ plan is the fact that wiping out half the population does not solve the problem, it merely delays the culmination of humanity overtaking the resources of the Earth. Avengers: Endgame builds onto the escapism that initially brings audiences in by admitting to the idea that these issues do not have simple solutions. It speaks to the idea that no pure political economic structure or perspective can completely address a problem, but rather a combination of perspectives and strategies that really allow for a comprehensive solution. Data studies done as the movie was in theaters showed that conversations of environmental issues over social media skyrocketed over the following weeks. With millions of fans, it’s clear that these films have massive potential to be a social tool for awareness.

Along with the ability to create social change is the inherent risk of being used as propaganda. Superhero films have their basis fundamentally in an effort to create national fervor and support. Audiences are prone to see those opposed to the iconic superhero as an automatic villain. While using Iron Man as an example may be redundant, the differences between his comic and film debut give a clear idea of this concept. When the first issue of Iron Man was sent to stores in the 1960s, it featured Tony Stark being kidnapped by a vaguely Asian terrorist organizations, culminating in his development as the superhero Iron Man. Throughout his first years in comics he was specifically an anti-communist hero, fighting for the ideals of capitalism. This came during the height of the Vietnam War, with anti-communist sentiments being reinforced throughout the United States. However, when it came time to bring this character to the silver screen, his origins were changed. Instead of Vietnam, Tony Stark is attacked and kidnapped in a vaguely Middle Eastern environment. The change was an effort to pander to audiences, but also serves to reaffirm views of Middle Eastern terrorism as an ever prevalent threat to United States national security. This just serves to outline how movies can serve as propaganda, and present a threat to a nation when that may not be the full picture.

It remains to be seen as to whether this film genre can continue to be a resource for true political change or if they will fall victim to another campaign of using social issues to pander to consumers. One thing to consider is how superhero movies may evolve in the future, especially with recent and powerful developments in representation. In the coming years, the most significant characters in the Marvel Universe will be a pantheon of diverse characters from different backgrounds. It is truly in question whether this will allow the movie franchise to truly create significant change or is merely another form of playing along for the profits.

The superhero genre truly has many capabilities through its significance in the international political economy. It is likely to continue to gain prominence in the film industry and pop culture, allowing the messages and themes of these movies to be more commonly recognized in society. All film, ultimately, is a reflection of the trends of human civilization. Whether it is the United States or of global society, it reflects the values we want to see held high, the ideals that we want to pursue, and the means through which we expect these goals to be accomplished. Ultimately superheroes are so popular because at the end of the day, they still resonate with us as human beings. These characters are doing their best to navigate the world, albeit with the added responsibility of facing some outlandish threats on a daily basis. In the origins of these characters, the ways in which they are marketed, and the impact they can have on their audience, it is clear that superheroes are a clear medium for analysis of the international political economy.