By: Trinity Lester
Many Marvel lovers have grown up reading the comics or seeing the action-packed movies in theaters. Many individuals, including Nikaya Stinson, a senior from Hillgrove Highschool, enjoy Marvel movies because of their “action-packed scenes” and “good storylines”. It is very obvious Marvel is good at what they do, but where they thrive in action they fall a little short in diversity. A common theme seen in many of the earlier movies of the MCU include a lack of diversity in the characters. Jed, a student from Hillgrove Highschool, mentions” all of the sidekicks are black people, and all the main heroes are white” as an observation of older Marvel movies.
As the times have progressed it is clear Marvel strives to keep up. Nikaya states that she feels, “mainly white people were being seen, but now with black people and LGBTQ community it’s good they [Marvel] are starting to make a change”. She also believes these inclusions make communities of color and queer communities “feel more heard or seen on tv”. Now even though the strive towards inclusivity is greatly appreciated, there is some hesitance in just how far you can go before crossing a boundary. Nikaya states her opinion that boundaries can be crossed when it comes to stereotypes:” …most of the time it is not a person of color creating these movies, so there should be more people of color on set to make sure they don’t put anything in that could possibly be stereotypical and are ‘okay’ to have in the movie”. Another potential risk of showing diversity is rejection. Xavier, a junior from Hillgrove high school, voices,” Some people may be racist to it [representation], homophobic to it and might not like it. They might try to slander it on the internet then come after that group of people, then it starts a riot”. Weighing in all the risk factors is a big set back to showing diversity in not only Marvel but all movie studios and creators.
Now aside from all the risks of inclusivity in film, there are greater impacts of showing diversity in movies. Including different types of people and showing them as heroes evokes new spirit in a vast range of communities. “They[children] get to see all kinds of different people and they [Marvel] don’t put false narratives. It’s good to be exposed to different diverse cultures”, says Jed. The introduction of more female characters “serves as a role model for young girls” and shows a different side of Marvel “since it [watching Marvel] was always such a boy thing to do” (Nikaya Stinson). Even the inclusion of younger heroes can have an impact on the youth who watch the films. Xavier commented, “Most of the young heroes are responsible, extremely smart for n reason, pay attention in school, then manage to do out of school activities. So, I guess it can motivate some kids to think you can do schoolwork and outside activities and still be happy in your life”.
Marvel has long been a known as a studio to create elaborate stories for entertainment but can also include realistic aspects into their storylines. Inclusivity of more relatable stories and people only help to widen their audience and encourage more people to be brave and confident in the person they are.
Many Marvel lovers have grown up reading the comics or seeing the action-packed movies in theaters. Many individuals, including Nikaya Stinson, a senior from Hillgrove Highschool, enjoy Marvel movies because of their “action-packed scenes” and “good storylines”. It is very obvious Marvel is good at what they do, but where they thrive in action they fall a little short in diversity. A common theme seen in many of the earlier movies of the MCU include a lack of diversity in the characters. Jed, a student from Hillgrove Highschool, mentions” all of the sidekicks are black people, and all the main heroes are white” as an observation of older Marvel movies.
As the times have progressed it is clear Marvel strives to keep up. Nikaya states that she feels, “mainly white people were being seen, but now with black people and LGBTQ community it’s good they [Marvel] are starting to make a change”. She also believes these inclusions make communities of color and queer communities “feel more heard or seen on tv”. Now even though the strive towards inclusivity is greatly appreciated, there is some hesitance in just how far you can go before crossing a boundary. Nikaya states her opinion that boundaries can be crossed when it comes to stereotypes:” …most of the time it is not a person of color creating these movies, so there should be more people of color on set to make sure they don’t put anything in that could possibly be stereotypical and are ‘okay’ to have in the movie”. Another potential risk of showing diversity is rejection. Xavier, a junior from Hillgrove high school, voices,” Some people may be racist to it [representation], homophobic to it and might not like it. They might try to slander it on the internet then come after that group of people, then it starts a riot”. Weighing in all the risk factors is a big set back to showing diversity in not only Marvel but all movie studios and creators.
Now aside from all the risks of inclusivity in film, there are greater impacts of showing diversity in movies. Including different types of people and showing them as heroes evokes new spirit in a vast range of communities. “They[children] get to see all kinds of different people and they [Marvel] don’t put false narratives. It’s good to be exposed to different diverse cultures”, says Jed. The introduction of more female characters “serves as a role model for young girls” and shows a different side of Marvel “since it [watching Marvel] was always such a boy thing to do” (Nikaya Stinson). Even the inclusion of younger heroes can have an impact on the youth who watch the films. Xavier commented, “Most of the young heroes are responsible, extremely smart for n reason, pay attention in school, then manage to do out of school activities. So, I guess it can motivate some kids to think you can do schoolwork and outside activities and still be happy in your life”.
Marvel has long been a known as a studio to create elaborate stories for entertainment but can also include realistic aspects into their storylines. Inclusivity of more relatable stories and people only help to widen their audience and encourage more people to be brave and confident in the person they are.
