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Reflexive Ideology Through Spectacle-Violence

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Reflexive Ideology Through Spectacle-Violence WITH GREAT POWER COMES NO RESPONSIBILITY: REFLEXIVE IDEOLOGY THROUGH SPECTACLE-VIOLENCE IN THE SUPERHERO FILMS OF MARVEL STUDIOS by Kevin Hatch B.A., Wilfrid Laurier University, 2012 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Film Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) June 2014 © Kevin Hatch, 2014 ! ""! Abstract! This work critically interrogates the superhero films of Marvel Studios and their textual treatment of, and the ideological function of, violent action spectacle. In Chapter One, I trace a chronology of superhero films and their corresponding treatment of violence, up to the onset of Marvel Studios, and the release of Jon Favreau’s Iron Man in 2008. I argue that Marvel superhero films respond to the genre’s previously tenuous treatment of spectacle-violence in the face of 9/11 and other instances of sociopolitical violence. Instead, Marvel Studios reappropriates action-violence interludes as ‘safe’ sites for audience enjoyment, undiminished by sociopolitical reflection. In doing so, Marvel crafts a brand identity of ‘reflexive wit,’ further integrating comedy into action sequences, and foregrounding provocative, yet superficial, sociopolitical commentary. In doing so, the Marvel films discourage audience preoccupation with the politics or ethical ramifications of spectacle violence. The films court the sense that, through such reflexivity, no further reflection is necessary, allowing audiences to unrepentantly enjoy the action violence. In Chapter Two, I explore the narrative techniques employed in Marvel films to foster viewer connection with their superheroes. I argue that the Marvel films draw upon a blend of comic book textual references, mythic intertexts, and pathos and humour, to court a dichotomy of ‘mythic accessibility,’ coding their heroes as sympathetic, valorized, sanctioned, ‘acceptable’ agents of violence. As such, Marvel utilizes violent action spectacle to mediate dominant cultural ideologies. In Chapter Three, I discuss the resonance of this support for the heroic protagonist, arguing the Marvel films thematically perpetuate textual ideologies of deference and unquestioned subservience. Such ideological resonance extends not only to exceptional superheroes, but to the political superstructures they are affiliated with, which are, by proxy, equally valorized (namely, the United States military and NSA, by means of surrogate entity, ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’). ! ! """! Ultimately, I argue that the Marvel films purportedly privilege an active audience, but subliminally endorse a passive, unreflective one. This allows for textual amplification not only in regards to the scope and intensity of spectacle violence and action combat, but the political intertexts ideologically mediated through said action sequences, rebranded as unreflective ‘fun.’ ! ! "#! Preface This thesis is original, unpublished, independent intellectual work by the author, Kevin Hatch. ! ! #! Table of Contents Abstract.......................................................................................................................................... ii Preface............................................................................................................................................iv! Table of Contents ...........................................................................................................................v! Acknowledgments..........................................................................................................................vi! Introduction: “Good Guys Hitting Bad Guys”............................................................................1! Review of the Literature..............................................................................................................14! Chapter One: The Merry Marching (Violent) Marvel Society................................................27! Chapter Two: “If He Be Worthy” –Validating the Violence of the Marvel Superhero as Enjoyable Spectacle......................................................................................................................59! Chapter Three: “Freedom is Life's Great Lie” –Exterior Proxy Validation of the Marvel Superhero......................................................................................................................................89! Conclusion...................................................................................................................................120 Works Cited................................................................................................................................125! Filmography................................................................................................................................138! ! ! #"! Acknowledgments Considering the topic of this work, I could hardly have felt less ‘super’ through the bulk of the research and writing process. I am thereby immeasurably indebted and unspeakably grateful to a wealth of people. Without the following stellar individuals, this work would not be words on a page, and would instead be relegated to grumpy remarks delivered in movie theatres over end credits, anticipating the inevitable tease for the next Avengers spinoff (“That’s Thanos. He’ll be important later. Hmmpff”). First, I must thank my supervisor, Ernest Mathijs, for his consistent patience, availability, and astute yet generous feedback. This project has grown considerably under his insight and encouragement throughout the writing process, and I can’t imagine a supervisor making writing a thesis more agreeable. I would also like to thank my second reader, Brian McIlroy, for his wisdom and keen eyes in helping keep this project on track. I must also extend my thanks to Lisa Coulthard, whose guidance and conversation throughout my years at UBC have helped this project take shape and become attainable. The rest of the Department of Theatre and Film, including Cameron Cronin, Gerald Vanderwoude, Karen Tong, and Jennifer Suratos, have also been invaluable throughout my tenure at UBC, as has our film librarian, Richard Payment, who has diligently made so many DVDs (superhero or otherwise) available to me. Similarly, as this project has been an undertaking for so many years, I am equally beholden to those who helped me in the early stages of its germination. I would thereby like to, once again, thank Katherine Spring, Philippa Gates, and Paul Tiessen from Wilfrid Laurier University for their kindness and passion in encouraging me to study what I truly love. ! ! #""! The otherwise barren months of research and formulating arguments would have been fraught without the support of a peerless cohort. I do not have the space to thank everyone, but, ultimately, I’d like to extend my thanks to my fellow “Dinosaurs” (the graduate students who comprised our Thesis writing group), Adam Bagatavicius, Whitney Cant, Paula Schneider, and Kelly St-Laurent, who challenged and supported my work to a truly ‘super’ degree. I wish the utmost success to them and all of their respective academic works. Finally, I must pass on my truly profound gratitude to my family, Wendy Vaughan, Peter Hatch, and Margaret Toye, for their relentless care, kindness, and help. This limited space cannot properly convey how thankful I am for all of the years of unwavering compassion and inspiration, but it was far from unnoticed, and will never be forgotten. Last, but absolutely not least, I must extend my tireless gratitude to Kristy Dindorf Haryanto, who has acquiesced to being referred to here as my ‘real-life Pepper Potts.’ Without her, it is unlikely I would have emerged from this project with my sanity intact. Thank you Ms. Potts – that will be all. This thesis was written with the financial assistance of SSHRC. I am extremely thankful for the grant I received, as well as for the affirmation that they saw fit to fund the research of a project with a Spider-Man pun in its title. ! ! $! Introduction: “Good Guys Hitting Bad Guys” “Try to have fun. Otherwise, what’s the point?” -Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), Kick-Ass 2 (Jeff Wadlow, 2013) In the 1970s, Marvel Comics generated advertising revenue by creating one-page stories involving their most famous superhero characters heroically solving crimes through distracting or luring their antagonists to surrender by bribing them with Hostess Fruit Pies or Cupcakes (“I knew they’d go for the light tender crust and real fruit filling!”).1 These shorts, undoubtedly antiquated and cumbersome to readers even at the time of their release, are nonetheless comical not only because of their reflexive product placement, but due to their central premise: that Marvel superheroes would employ nonviolent means of conflict resolution in confrontations with adversaries. Indeed, if there is anything that a lifetime of reading superhero comics and watching superhero films has taught me personally, it is that superheroes are always violent. But, as I learned from a young age, their being violent was okay, because they were the ‘good guys,’ and, since they only hit the ‘bad guys,’ they were thereby doing the right thing, and it was ultimately all in good fun. Accordingly, most discussions regarding violence in the superhero genre2 rely on the same pattern of ethical shorthand and rationalization, complete with the assumption that the genre and its fighting are ultimately harmless, due to being fantasy narratives
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