Divine Ontology and Multicultural Representation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Abstract

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (‘MCU’) is one of the most lucrative entertainment franchises ever, and shapes the pop-cultural imagination to no small degree. This paper examines the MCU’s receptions of divine and supernatural characters from two interrelated research foci: (1) divine ontology, and (2) multicultural representations of premodern religions and civilizations. The first topic examines how the MCU remediates godhood: what does it mean to be a god in the MCU? Where lies the distinction between gods, heroes, and superheroes? What are the socio-cultural implications of these conceptualizations? We argue that the MCU currently exhibits a variety of divine definitions and modalities. The second topic investigates how the MCU represents various premodern cultures and mythologies. It demonstrates how the MCU’s storytelling and representation of (inter)mythological communities are driven (but not entirely subsumed) by white and Western cultural concerns. In sum, this paper investigates contemporary meanings attached to premodern religion and mythology by one of the largest entertainment franchises, illuminating not only how these meanings stand in dialogue with evidence but also what they reveal about contemporary society and how present-day creators look towards world mythologies.