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The Difficulty with Representation in Marvel Studios films
UPDATE: This was one of the first stories I wrote on Medium, and the MCU…well, let’s just say that a lot has changed in the past “Phase” or two. I’d say that very few people are asking why Marvel isn’t including more representation anymore. Probably the conversation has swung in the opposite direction. I do think that the article below still highlights many of the difficulties of being inclusive…it’s just that Marvel has veered too far the other direction now. It’s hard to walk the line between well-intentioned messaging and engaging entertainment, as seen below.
As a movie buff and former comics reader, I was recently asked why Marvel doesn’t have more minority representation in their films. It’s a tough question, and I can’t answer it perfectly. I don’t know. But I can offer some thoughts on the difficulties involved from a business and social perspective.
My thoughts are that there are 2 main challenges to this:
1. Superhero films are adaptations of pre-existing properties.
2. The nature of this genre makes it difficult to use it for “Representation.”
Let me explain.
People have been pushing for more representation at all levels from MCU films in general. More women. More African-Americans. More Muslims. More…
