Are Marvel Superheroes Still Relevant in This 'Brave New World'?

"We are just drifting, and we don't have purpose" seems to sum up the MCU in the 5.5 years since 'Avengers: Endgame' provided a fitting finale for Disney's flagship IP.

As noted in the sub-head, the line uttered by (I think?) Hannah John-Kamen’s The Ghost in the new trailer for Thunderbolts has an interior and external double meaning. It speaks to the film’s ensemble of anti-heroes and “reformed” villains all cosplaying as rōnin years after the Blip rearranged life on their Earth as they knew it. It also speaks to the current decade as the Marvel Cinematic Universe stumbles in the dark, existing primarily because it was previously soaring so high that Disney – if not the entire theatrical industry – could not afford to let it rest or end. Not even counting the Disney+ shows, the brand is perilously close to “shareholders, not audiences, are demanding it” territory. 

It’s like the 11-movies-and-counting Fast and Furious series, which saw two logical “series finale” exit ramps (Fast Five and Furious 7) score such massive commercial success ($620 million in 2011 and $1.5 billion in 2015) that Universal had little choice but to artificially extend its narrative. Instead of one series that’s been remaking Fast & Furious 6 for a decade, we have a multimedia ecosystem expected to thrive despite all evidence suggesting it peaked years ago. Yes, the notion of a *second* Donald Trump presidency, partially spurred by alleged tech geniuses breaking the media while turning out to be thin-skinned Internet trolls and red-pilled alt-right lunatics, doesn’t help “escapist fantasy” or “movie we need right now” circumstances. 

Captain America: Brave New World seems to be positioning President Ross (with Clear and Present Danger star Harrison Ford replacing the late William Hurt) as a primary adversary. That lucky break is tied to comic continuity, although Ross (introduced in The Incredible Hulk as an overzealous military man) has never been presented as a straight shooter. However, the last half-decade has further debunked the superhero fantasy, namely that those with special powers and authority will use those tools selflessly and responsibly. Even audiences otherwise suspicious of “the man” trusted these specific heroes. “The safest hands are still our own” now rings laughably naive and self-sabotaging, making the MCU even more of a relic of the post-9/11 mentality.