Overview

A new volume of essays exploring the on-screen politics and real-world implications of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s expansion into the multiverse. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) moved on from the Thanos storyline, it became more political than ever—both on screen and off. Following up on their first volume about the politics of the MCU, editors Nicholas Carnes and Lilly J. Goren are back with a new volume of essays exploring the political worlds within and outside of the MCU, authored by leading experts on politics, philosophy, and popular culture. This second volume tackles the sprawling narratives in the MCU’s Phase 4, the movies, TV shows, and related content released in 2021 and 2022. During Phase 4, Marvel Studios released films at an unprecedented pace: seven in just two years, including titles like Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Phase 4 also marked the start of the MCU’s move into streaming television, with shows like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight. With a fifty-hour combined runtime, Phase 4 included more new MCU content than Phases 1 through 3 (2008 through 2020) combined. The chapters in this volume are organized in three parts that each explore a different aspect of the politics of Phase 4. In Part One, the authors examine “on-screen politics,” looking at the political messages (some subtle, some more explicit) in stories about Thor, the Eternals, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, Loki, and Captain America. Part Two explores the “off-screen” politics of the MCU’s fans, examining topics like political participation, partisanship, and whether MCU fans are more cynical about real-world politics. In Part Three, we face the perennial issues around representation—especially gender, race, and sexuality—that have long dominated popular and academic commentary on superhero fiction. Like The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Volume 1: The Infinity Saga, this is another indispensable guide to understanding how the MCU—a fundamental aspect of American pop culture—has a profound and complex relationship with American political life.

Full Product Details

9780700640546

Table of Contents

Reviews

""The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Volume 2: Into the Multiverse is an impressive interdisciplinary volume that leaves aside debates about artistic value or defining cinema in favor of infinitely more constructive analyses of the ways the MCU both entertains and engages with important social issues. Carnes and Goren gather an array of scholars of politics, philosophy, social sciences, and popular culture to examine on-screen representation, audience demographics and motivations, and the philosophical underpinnings of this immense media franchise. This book has something for every scholar and student interested in the various, and at times complex, ways the MCU contributes to global political and philosophical conversations."" 82 2 Sam Langsdale, author of Searching for Feminist Superheroes: Gender, Sexuality, and Race in Marvel Comics ""While addressing core political ideas such as law and government, sovereignty, racial justice, feminism, coalition politics, ethnic politics, and demagoguery, to name a few, Carnes and Goren 82 7 s The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Volume 2 is not tied to a narrow, orthodox conception of what politics is. Instead, the editors and contributors take different, complementary views, offering a broad picture of the politics of the MCU. The book is rightly interested in what makes it to the screen, but also how that result is influenced by political contexts and social pressures."" 82 2 Rob Watkins, author of Freedom and Vengeance on Film: Precarious Lives and the Politics of Subjectivity ""This book is an essential read for anyone who is critically interested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and where it is going. The essays shine a much needed light on such important issues as race, LGBTQ, and feminist politics played out through superheroes. It should be required reading in any university course dealing with contemporary popular culture."" 82 2 Jeffrey A. Brown, author of Love, Sex, Gender, and Superheroes ""Academics assemble! If each of the Avengers had the superpower of being an astute cultural critic, they likely would not have been as effective in battle against Thanos, but they might have produced a book as trenchant as The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Volume 2.""Gavin Edwards, coauthor of MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios ""As Sam Wilson is a worthy successor to wield the vibranium shield, The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Volume 2 is an outstanding follow-up to Volume . Volume 2 offers excellent insights and critiques into how Marvel's Phase 4 engages with politics, teaching readers valuable lessons about the law, representation, and identity. For instance, I was surprised to learn that US citizens think Steve Rogers is a Republican."" 82 2 Steven Rogers, author of Accountability in State Legislatures

Author Information

Nicholas Carnes is professor of public policy at Duke University. Lilly J. Goren is professor of political science at Carroll University.

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