When you think of Marvel you probably think of superheroes swooping in to save the day and get the girl. You probably think of bright super-suits and identity-saving masks. You might even think of a huge comic book company and enterprise. Marvel is all of those things and so much more. Marvel is an abundance of fantastic stories. It is a representation of people that are complex and diverse.
To begin with, despite the fact that women have not historically been the dominating superheroes, Marvel still provided us with some bomb women to look up to. Peggy Carter, usually identified as Steve Rogers' love interest, is hands down my most beloved character. She is wicked smart, she is powerful and strong, she has great leadership skills, and she packs a mean punch! Peggy Carter defies all attempts of others to demean her or put her in a box. While most women are working as telephone operators or waitresses, Peggy Carter is a secret agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. Not only is she one of the very few women in S.H.I.E.L.D. at this time, but she's probably their best agent. She carried out an entire investigation by herself, took a man out with only a stapler, and let's not forget the time she shot a gun at Steve Rogers.
Not only did Marvel give us ladies a few spectacular women to look up to, they also gave us complex characters and storylines. Can we just take a second to appreciate how all of the heroes' storylines were able to converge and then diverge again?! That doesn't just happen. That has to be thought out. That has to be planned. And to come together that perfectly, and even more, to be able to go on from that separately and to still be successful, is amazing.
That's just a taste of the complexity of the stories. The characters are even more complex. Think about Loki. He is not a nice guy. He is very obviously the villain in multiple instances. I mean, seriously, HE GETS COMPARED TO HITLER. Still, we love him. He is damaged, yet some of his motives make sense. We see him distraught and depressed.
Can't we all identify with the scene when Thor comes in to see him, and Loki appears confident and well put together, but then Thor calls him out on not being okay? The facade drops and the audience is able to see the true Loki. He is disheveled and distraught. The room is completely torn apart, he has obviously been sobbing, and he is slumped up against the wall. Loki doesn't want his brother to know he isn't doing well. He doesn't want to lose what credibility and respect he has established thus far. Marvel is able to humanize and relate their characters to the audience in a rare and mind-blowing way. It's one of the prime examples of things that makes Marvel more than just heroes and villains.
Marvel has a lot to offer. More than just action-packed stories. More than just damsels in distress. Marvel is able to capture our hearts and minds in their universe of, not superheroes and villains, but of you and me, you know if you and I were able to have inhuman capabilities.
