Representation In The MCU
Many people are fans of The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for many different reasons. Writing, magic, time travel, to space you name it. The MCU has a little bit of something for everyone and one thing it's not short of is awesome characters. The MCU has countless heroes, villains, and side characters who have great representation. So let's talk about it, shall we?
So first let's start with diversity in The MCU. Many characters in the MCU are of vastly different nationalities and genders. Nick Fury, Valkyrie, Scarlett Scarab, Moon Knight, Baron Mordo, and the entire cast of Eternals to name a few. Seeing these characters depicted in different ways from their comic counterparts. Seeing The Ancient One, Sprite, and Ajak as female characters was very well done. They were perfectly portrayed and tapped into the need for strong female representation. Diversity is strong amongst marvel in general and having it displayed on screen has been such a treat for viewers.
One thing that the MCU has done a great job at alongside diversity is the proper cultural representation. Having diversity amongst characters is one thing but properly displaying the culture of the characters is another feat in itself. The MCU has also done a wonderful job at this. Black Panther and Shang-Chi do a wonderful job in movies displaying the respective cultures of the two heroes African and Asian. Black Widow also touches on Russian culture even though it wasn't well-received it still took a shot and I applaud them for it. On the tv series side, we received Egyptian culture from the series Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel is doing a phenomenal job showing the Pakistani culture.
Representation can be shown in many ways and the MCU is showing it in different variations. One way that I love is the characters Makkari from the Eternals Echo in the series "Hawkeye" and Daredevil himself. Characters with visual and hearing impairments are a form of representation that the MCU is giving that you may not have noticed. We also see Professor Charles Xavier is in a wheelchair and even Tony Stark's reactor is somewhat of a pacemaker. These different forms of representation are all identifiable for those living with such.
Last but not least we have to speak on the representation of mental health in The MCU that has been displayed since Tony Stark's PTSD in Iron Man 3. We also had Thor's depression in Infinity War, Wanda losing her husband and mentally breaking down. Then from Eternals suffering from memory loss and so much more. The others that I won't deep dive into are Moon Knight, Bruce Banner, Norman Osborne, Loki, Bucky Barnes, and Otto Octavius.
Over the years the MCU has shown us that you can have great stories, characters, and success while showing representation. I can not wait to see what Marvel has in store for us in the future. I'll say it in advance Thank You Marvel! Scubasteve out!