Copyright by Natalie Kate Bograd 2015 The Thesis Committee for Natalie Kate Bograd Certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: “Nothing’s Been the Same Since New York”: The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Engagement With 9/11 and the War on Terror APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Supervisor: Alisa Perren Thomas Schatz “Nothing’s Been the Same Since New York:” The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Engagement With 9/11 and the War on Terror by Natalie Kate Bograd, B.A. Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts The University of Texas at Austin May 2015 Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Coleen Hubbard and Larry Bograd, whose emotional, financial, and spiritual support has been unwavering during my graduate education. You are my heroes, Wonder Woman and Superman. Your superpowers are your brilliance, compassion, and endless delight in this experiment we call life. Acknowledgements There are numerous individuals without whom this thesis would never have become a reality. I would first like to thank Alisa Perren for her invaluable advice, support, and insight. Her calm and encouraging presence has motivated me to make this the best work possible. I could not have chosen a better advisor and mentor for this project. I would also like to thank Tom Schatz for his support and encouragement as second reader, and for asking tough questions that inspired me to take this work to the next level. I would also like to thank Shanti Kumar and Suzanne Scott, both of whom have provided support and advice on various aspects of this project. To my fellow graduate students and Marvel fans thank you for allowing me to bounce ideas off you, fanboying/girling with me, and for your insights into the franchise. Thanks to Laura Felschow for her feedback and willingness to share resources and answer my most obscure comic book queries, and to Charlotte Howell for being a brilliant fellow fan and supportive friend and role model. Nia Edmonson, thank you for your constant support and friendship from the very beginning and for sharing your brilliant mind and strength of spirit with me. I also great appreciate the support and friendship of my cohort, particularly Sean Malin and Chris Montes. I am also grateful to Lauren Weinzimmer for welcoming me to Austin my first year and advising me on many important decisions. Thanks also to Tim Piper and the rest of the Flow team for being excellent friends and karaoke singers! Lane Mann, without you this year would have been distinctly lacking in laughter and adventure. Thank you for being my partner in crime and sharing so many memorable experiences: Friendsgiving, the Parks and Rec finale, my birthday, the Oscars, South by v Southwest, and our close encounter with Beau Willimon. I hope we will be talking about television (and life) for many years to come. To my far-flung friends, thank you for being there for me and for listening to me ramble about superheroes. Carrie Paulette I am constantly inspired by your courage and commitment to social justice, and our calls and Skype sessions bring me great joy. Ryan Ela, I’m constantly amazed by how our friendship has continued to sustain itself over the years. Thanks for creating my website and for being willing to speak geek with me! Thanks to Merry Hall and Janine Hegarty for your many years of friendship. To my Cureton family, I miss and love you and hope to see you all again soon. I am grateful to many great teachers and mentors for inspiring me over the years: Keith Milner, Heidi Whitehead, Scott Kinnamon, Jennifer Klein, Ernesto Acevedo Munoz, Melinda Barlow, Arlene Illa, and Kelsey Rothrock. Thanks also to my Cureton students for reminding me never to take my education or privilege for granted. I would like to thank my wonderful and loving extended family: my three strong and inspiring aunts, two loving and feisty grandmothers, two wonderful uncles, and all my fabulous cousins and their spouses and children. The memories of lost loved ones— Bud Hubbard, Dan Hubbard, and John Paddock—remind me to appreciate the brilliant gift of life. Last but not least, I am profoundly grateful to my pod. Mom, Dad, Allie and Willa, without you all of my accomplishments would be meaningless. Thank you for your support, your visits and phone calls, your interest in my work, and for the love, light, and laughter you bring to my life every day. Corey Sampson and Kyle Weintraub, thank you for bringing your wonderful energy to our pod and for treasuring my sisters as much as I do. As Donald (Nicholas Cage) says in the movie Adaptation, “You are what you love, not what loves you.” I am lucky to have chosen what and whom I love wisely. vi Abstract “Nothing’s Been The Same Since New York”: The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Engagement With 9/11 and the War on Terror Natalie Kate Bograd, M.A. The University of Texas at Austin, 2015 Supervisor: Alisa Perren Abstract: This thesis explores how the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has engaged with 9/11 and the War on Terror since its inception in 2008. This thesis examines industrial and cultural factors affecting the way these post- 9/11 superhero films engage with contemporary sociopolitical concerns and argues that the Marvel Studios films both attempt to engage with said concerns and also sanitize and rework references to terrorism, war, torture, and destruction in order to remain palatable for the widest possible audience (including a family audience and a growing international market). In contrast to other superhero franchises, several of which intentionally play on post-9/11 feelings of vulnerability and terror, the MCU films and television series use a combination of humor, a brightly colored comic book aesthetic, and impressive visual spectacles in order to ensure that the primary focus is on entertainment. This thesis provides a detailed analysis of the characters, ideological content, and visual elements of the MCU as they relate to 9/11 and the War on Terror. vii Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................... ix Introduction: 9/11 and the War on Terror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe .......... 1 Research Questions/Hypotheses ................................................................................................... 2 Methodology and Scope ............................................................................................................... 8 Review of Literature ................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter Summaries .................................................................................................................... 32 Chapter One. “I’m Always Angry!”: Characterizing the MCU’s Post-9/11 Heroes, Antiheroes, and Villains ................................................................................................. 40 Heroes and Antiheroes ............................................................................................................... 45 “An Intelligence Agency That Fears Intelligence?”: S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Role in the MCU ............. 62 Aliens, Industrialists, Communists, and Nazis: Loki and the MCU’s Villains .......................... 74 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 79 Chapter Two. “A Good Old-Fashioned Notion”: The Marvel Cinematic Universe and Political Ideology ..................................................................................................... 84 “We Create Our Own Demons”: Blowback and Post-9/11 Guilt .............................................. 91 “Captain America is on Threat Watch?” Freedom vs. Security in Winter Soldier .................. 101 Post-9/11 Patriotism and the Role of the Hero ......................................................................... 107 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 112 Chapter Three. SMASH!: The MCU and the Post-9/11 Aesthetic ........................... 117 The 9/11 Aesthetic: Falling and Flying .................................................................................... 122 The Aesthetics of Destruction .................................................................................................. 128 The Iconography of the War on Terror .................................................................................... 132 Militarization and Surveillance ................................................................................................ 138 The Physicality of War: Torture and the Wounded Soldier in the MCU ................................. 142 Stars and Stripes: Patriotism as Propaganda ............................................................................ 144 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 149 Conclusion. “Because We’ll Need Them To”: “Post-Post” 9/11 and the Marvel Cinematic Universe ....................................................................................................... 154 Contributions and Directions for Future Research ................................................................... 156 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................