Masculinity, Marvel-Style

Masculinity is too often measured in quantities...how many of “x” men can do…

• how many pounds bench pressed
• how many miles ran
• how many dollars made
• how many partners slept with
• how many beers pounded

Yet none of these superficial criteria or so-called achievements have anything to do with really being a man. They are fabricated social norms which too many of us have come to accept. Why? Where do men learn what it means to be masculine? Who defines this?

Like most knowledge, young males get it first and foremost at home, when they are kids. For better or worse, we learn what it apparently means to be “a man” from the other males in the household. Our dads, our brothers, uncles, and the friends they bring over.

Why do we listen to them or follow their example? Because, when we are children we don’t know any better, obviously. We're picking up behavior at the same time we are learning how to understand language and other social norms, right there in the nest.

And what if there are no other males at home? No father there to serve as a role model? Or what if there is...but he’s the worst role model to have?

Well, when negative role models are all we have to learn from, we still can, and do, learn from those experiences. We may pick up bad habits, or we may learn what NOT to do.

For instance, a young man may live with a father or brother who treats them, or other family members, wrongly. That young man may grow up to continue the cycle, or they may recognize the wrongness of the behavior and tell themselves, "I won’t be like that when I grow up..."

What else? What other role models do we have? Who else is teaching us about masculinity?

Our friends, when we get older. But, what do they know? Not much more than us (and perhaps even less!). It becomes a case of the blind leading the blind. Yet, there's no doubt we do learn behaviors from our peers, especially those we look up to, ones who are a little older, been around a bit more. We want to do what they do, be cool, act like them. So we pick up things at school, or playing sports or other activities, or going out at night. It all rubs off on us, these lessons on how to talk, how to dress, these external manifestations of masculinity.

But there's another more subtle, less obvious influence. We’re influenced by people we’ve never met, by celebrities, actors, athletes, artists, and musicians we admire.

And guess what? Even beyond that we’re influenced by people who don’t exist, mythical male archetypes which live only in the realms of fiction, alive only when read about in novels or portrayed in films... Well, not quite, for they also live in our imaginations, sometimes guiding us, giving us an idealized role model to look upon with respect and wonder...

Heroes of Lore

Throughout human history we’re handed down stories and myths, of gods and warriors and heroes... Every civilization on Earth has its mythical heroes, their tales told from generation to generation through oral tradition, stories told around the fire, or taught under trees. Later, through ballads and songs, and even promoted through art and statues.

And later still, through written legends and tall-tale adventures. Western civilization shares a history of heroes like Achilles, Robin Hood, King Arthur...men dedicated to a life of heroism and bravery. But, these stories are dusty with age; most people no longer turn to these chronicles for inspiration. Instead, thanks to modern cinema, there’s a universal set of hero stories we share in common—comics-based films!

And that brings us to this article on representing masculinity through heroes we see on screen...some of which have been around for decades, but only recently portrayed in glorious cinematic splendor.

Exploring masculinity through comic-book-heroes-turned-action-movie heroes makes sense, because this is history we all share, it’s common ground. If we wanted to put a more academic spin on it to lend some credence, we could phrase it to say we're thinking reflectively on masculinity conceptions through an analysis of pop culture male hero archetypes and the juxtaposition of the external, “manly” public-facing images of these characters, contrasted with their deeds, core beliefs, and instances of leading by example as men.

Sound too dense to you? Me, too! Let's keep it simple as we begin our character studies, starting with:

Captain America—The Super Soldier

Here’s Steve Rogers, the all-American first Avenger, Captain America himself. What are some of the first things we see immediately about this man? There's the external, the obvious...

• He’s big
• He’s patriotic
• He’s strong
• He’s a fighter

But remember how Steve Rogers got his start? He was a small guy with countless health issues, wanting to join the Army... but he kept failing the medical entry requirements. This didn't deter him, though; he just kept going to different doctors, determined to join no matter what. He kept trying, repeatedly, refusing to give up. Persistence in the face of adversity, or just raw stubbornness?

And why’d he want to join the service so badly? Not to kill Nazis, but because, as he said, he doesn’t like bullies. He wanted to look after people who couldn’t defend themselves. Steve wanted to dedicate his life to a noble cause, not because he was in love with violence, but because he hated it.

Men, historically, have been the warriors of the tribe, so we have that ingrained in us, that instinct to be able to bring to bear physicality or aggression as a means to protect ourselves and others... but this is never an excuse to be violent or aggressive for the sake of it, nor to exploit these traits to bully or take advantage of others.

That’s why Rogers was selected to receive the Super Soldier treatment... not because he was a big, aggressive brute (he wasn't), but because he had drive, empathy, and self control.

Oh, and courage! Remember when he jumped on a grenade to save his fellow recruits? That willingness to give it all for the sake of others can only be described as the trait of a true hero, with nothing to do with his fighting ability, size, or any other external element.

Everything which makes Captain American great comes from within. (Not "from a bottle," as Tony Stark jealously put it).

Steve’s a fighter; he’s a master combatant and tactician. But, the serum enhanced who he is as a person inside. It is his purity of spirit, and purpose, which makes him the heart and soul of the Avengers.

Black Panther—The Warrior King

T’Challa, the Black Panther, shares many traits with Rogers.

Outwardly, we see him as a warrior king as T’Challa inherits the throne of Wakanda. It doesn’t get more manly than being a king, right? And Black Panther is a world-class fighter in multiple disciplines, whose skills are augmented by an herbal potion... making him even more powerful.

Like Batman, he wears a dark costume which evokes imagery of a dangerous predator, used to intimidate his enemies. But, these outward manifestations of T’Challa tell us nothing about what sort of man he truly is. To discover this, we merely have to look to his deeds.

When he has to fight challengers to his new throne, T'Challa allows his powers to be stripped to level the playing field. It was a long-standing tradition of his nation, so it was fair for him to adhere to it. But later, when his cousin, Erik "Killmonger," came to pose a new challenge, the king could have easily waived his hand, and had Erik taken away as a prisoner.

He didn't. He allowed the challenge, despite warnings... and it cost him the throne (temporarily).

Why did Black Panther accept when he did not have to? Because, the challenge was legitimate and fair in his opinion. Fairness is one of T’Challa’s defining core values. As king, he really doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to. Yet, he refuses to exploit his positional power and authority.

He’s also a highly compassionate individual. Killmonger shows him that it has been wrong for the highly advanced nation of Wakanda to not use their advanced society and technology to help others. Although T’Challa strongly disagrees with the hostility of his cousin’s plans, he does come to understand the thought processes behind the overarching intent.

Thus, T'Challa dares question his elders’ judgement, and decides to break with long-standing traditions of his own people by bringing Wakanda out of hiding and opening outreach centers. Even the placement of the first education and technology exchange center is quite telling, for he selects the inner city childhood home of his cousin, versus some posh, up-scale location.

Sharing Wakanda's tech is compassionate because Black Panther knows it is the right thing to do, even though it might compromise his own people's prosperity and security.

It is also extremely courageous. He respects his traditions but doesn’t go along with the crowd, or do things just because they’ve always been done that way. Black Panther blazes his own trail. He respects his elders, but listens to the opinions of others (even his enemies). Then, he makes the hard calls and follows his vision, leading by example through patience, will power, inner serenity, and a desire for justice and balance.

In the end, he becomes his own man, versus simply following the easier path of his ancestors.

Hulk—The Rage Monster

In Age of Ultron, we see a budding relationship between Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff, also known as the Black Widow, a former Russian spy and assassin. In one celebratory scene, Natasha sums up her newfound budding feelings for Bruce in a very telling way:

"All my friends are fighters. And here comes this guy, spends his life avoiding the fight because he knows he'll win."

Being able to stir up romantic interest in this famously distant Avenger is no small feat, yet Banner does it without even trying. Not through hyper-masculine showboating, or flaunting riches and attitude like Tony Stark. He does it by being a humble, down-to-Earth man who struggles with anger management issues and works hard to keep himself in check.

And keeping the Hulk in check isn't a cake walk. Banner's beast-like alternate personality stays repressed within the scientist's subconscious, coming out only when Banner becomes angry. However, as revealed in the first Avengers film, Banner has a certain measure of control over his own internal monster. His secret? That he's always angry. He has learned to keep his cool through training and by accepting his emotions, versus trying to subvert them. We briefly got a glimpse of his training efforts in The Incredible Hulk, as Banner sat with a mixed martial artist teaching him breath and heart rate control while slapping him in the face!

Thus, Hulk hovers closer to the edge at all times, but this allows Banner to keep a tighter reign. Although later films do not show Banner maintaining this level of control (i.e. being able to transform into the Hulk at will), it is a powerful development for the man's character arc. He can, in essence, turn into the Hulk any time he wants to and, as Natasha says, win any fight he wants.

Yet he chooses not to.

In fact, his strong preference is to avoid conflict. Once in Hulk mode, there is, at times, a complete loss of control. Hulk has been known to cause major structural damage and injure innocent bystanders through his actions. Depending on how high his rage-o-meter is dialed up, he may even murder others, as is alluded to in Thor: Ragnarok, where Hulk has achieved status as a champion gladiator... a status gained through defeating opponents in death matches. Keeping in mind that these opponents, like Hulk himself, are unwilling participants (in other words, gladiator slaves), Hulk has allowed himself to relish in his popularity on the planet of Sakaar, even though it means he has to kill fellow slave fighters for the pleasure of the Grandmaster.

Long story short: Bruce Banner knows Hulk can essentially take down any opponent. He also knows that once unleashed, Hulk cannot be trusted to always be a "hero." Thus, Banner is extremely careful about uncaging the beast, instead preferring to use his multiple PhDs to solve problems.

Iron Man—The Billionaire Playboy

The ultimate billionaire playboy, with a military-grade flying suit of armor that allows him to go anywhere and defeat virtually anyone dumb enough to pick a fight with him, Tony Stark is a ton of fun to watch on screen... but would probably be hard to cope with in real life.

One thing that never changes about Stark is his massive ego. His character arc does allow for some growth, but this out-sized attitude is a core issue for him that never goes away because, somehow, he usually turns out to be right.

Where we do see growth in terms of his masculinity, is his slow shift towards a monogamous relationship, when he discovers (over the course of several films) the value of actually letting himself be close to another person. Like many other Marvel characters, Stark has many skeletons in his closet, and severe father-son relationship problems. These have contributed to his substance abuse and desire to compete with Don Juan as a legendary lady's man. But, in the end, one woman is able to cut through the facade and penetrate past Iron Man's defense mechanisms.

He allows this, which is a major feat for him. Stark isn’t some spring chicken in his twenties; he is well into middle age by the time he finally lets his former assistant, Pepper Potts, steal his heart. Thus, they both had to work through long decades of Tony's previous lifestyle habits, but, in the end, they were able to get there together, as a team.

Though the movies don't dive into it, it is possible that Stark's involvement with the Avengers helped break down his lone wolf nature, allowing him to open up to the possibilities of not just working with and trusting team members, but also finally finding a way to trust a romantic partner and have a true loving relationship with a fellow human being.

That's progress!

Thor—The God of Thunder

Apart from Tony Stark, the Marvel hero with the most fatherly disputes is undoubtedly Thor Odinson of Asgard. The heir apparent to the throne, Thor instead found himself rudely banished to an alien world (ours) after being judged unworthy by his father, the mighty Odin.

Stripped of his hammer Mjølnir, the God of Thunder found his adventures on Earth to be educational, but there was a steep learning curve. Arrogant and hot-headed, Thor's time around humans (and especially around the lovely and brilliant Dr. Jane Foster) helped slightly temper his rough edges, and allowed him to see the error of his smug and selfish ways.

By putting others before himself, Thor regained his honor and was able to wield, once more, his magical weapon and defeat the enemies sent to destroy him. Over the course of several films, Thor's demeanor has grown more and more relaxed and comical, even though his confidence in his own invincibility never falters.

In fact, the one time he ever felt true doubt about his abilities (when facing his wicked sister Hela, the Goddess of Death), Thor received a short but profound pep talk from Odin, during which his father confessed to him a bit of information which he'd been withholding all along...that Thor wasn't as strong as his father. He was stronger.

With these words, Thor, with his hammer destroyed, and blinded in one eye by Hela as she stood over his bleeding body, found the inner strength to conjure up his full powers over the elements. It is truly incredible how a few words of encouragement from a parent can make all the difference.

The trick is being receptive to these words, which we, as men, sometimes may hear but ignore in our own over-confidence. Only in his lowest moment was Thor finally able to listen to the wisdom of Odin (who probably knew this would happen... and had waited for that very moment, versus telling Thor too soon about the magnitude of the powers at his disposal).

Stan Lee—'Nuff Said

There are so many other examples of how Marvel Studios is leading the pack in their complex and compelling portrayal of male hero characters. But, rather than exploring all of these myriad stories here, we'll leave it to audiences to keep an eye out for such subtle touches from now on, and encourage you to re-watch your favorite films to look for these story-telling components.

But never forget, Marvel Studios took its cues from the original creators of these classic comic book characters. Of all the talented Marvel Comics creators, the most well-known is obviously Stan "The Man" Lee, who starred in various cameos in all of the MCU films before his death at age 95.

As a head writer for Marvel Comics, Stan was a tireless promoter of the comic format, never resting on his laurels, but instead always on the lookout for ways to broaden exposure in order to spread positive messages to fans around the world, through strong storytelling and well-rounded characters struggling with many of the same issues we all do.

One final word—when it comes to stereotyping men, we can all quickly rattle off several labels which spring to mind. The point of this article was to show how Marvel challenges, and upturns, some of the stereotypes, revealing the true masculine qualities of their stars. But—SPOILER ALERT—all of the inner qualities discussed above are not actually gender-specific qualities at all! Women and men alike possess and exhibit all of these characteristics—courage, compassion, persistence, fairness, respect, humility. The same things that make Marvel men, "real men," are the same things which make Marvel women, "real women!"

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with heroes of all genders and backgrounds. So is the real world. Marvel's great goal was to bring people together over a universal love for the comic format. Marvel Studios is striving to do the same, to put out the call: Humans, Assemble!

I think it's working. I think we can continue to draw inspiration from our favorite film characters, continue to feel empowered by their successes while learning from their mistakes. And, I think it is critical to share our thoughts—respectfully—with one another, in order to foster and improve interpersonal relations between genders, between persons of different backgrounds, between people with different ideologies, and perspectives.

Am I actually saying Marvel can serve as a foundation for peace in every situation? No, but the concept is the key. Finding common ground is how we come together. I believe that was Stan Lee's dream, and it's a dream worth continuing to pursue.

Excelsior!