The Wondrous World of Marvel

After a long hiatus, I have decided to try to write again. I am hoping that maybe through my writing I will come to some solace in the infinite abyss of life out there. My first subject is something near and dear to my heart. For those who are movie whores, like myself, you must have noticed to abundance of comic book based movies in the past decade. Starting in 2001 with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, the movies have been cranked out regularly to the populous. What is the reason for all the geekdom, masks, and capes? I think it is because people want to believe in something greater than themselves.

I’ll start with the Spider-Man phenomenon. The character of Spider-Man appeals to the masses not because of his abilities but because of his imperfections. His parents are dead, he is a nerd, he is poor, he pines for a girl he can’t get, he is riddled with guilt. The basis for the character is that he is a very ordinary person and he is given these amazing abilities. The first film was a box office success of gigantic proportions. Before the release of Spider-Man in 2001, Marvel comics was on the verge of bankruptcy. The very first weekend of its release, in which it broke the 100 million dollar mark, Marvel was saved. This lead to the second movie, which was released in 2004, and, in my opinion, is probably the best comic book based film ever made. It was the perfect combination of action, romance, and pathos. Even for those who do not like comic books, you would love this movie. The last 10 minutes alone is worth the price of admission.

For those that don’t know, there are two major comic book companies. The first is Marvel and the second is DC. DC comics is the grandfather of the comic book world, endowing the public with immortal figures like Batman, Superman, the Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. Marvel has produced the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and my personal favorite, Captain America. Marvel movies are also doing quite well. DC has produced Superman Returns, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight with the latter two movies being the major box office success stories. I liked Superman Returns a lot, but I am very “old school” and like the classic feel of the film and I thought Brandon Routh captured both Clark Kent and Superman. The Dark Knight is one of the most over-hyped movies out there. Heath Ledger was amazing as the Joker but Christian Bale and his monotone delivery bored the hell out of me. Batman Begins was the superior movie of the two.

Marvel movies and comic books have the advantage, in my opinion, of being more culturally relevant because the heroes and villains are both multi-dimensional. Stan Lee, who is responsible, along with Jack Kirby, for most of the Marvel characters has framed a fictional universe with more substance than most writers could possibly fathom. The X-Men were Stan Lee’s critique of the civil rights movement. The fight for mutants directly mirrored the fight for African-Americans in the 1960s. Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr are just Caucasian versions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. I always thought that the comics brilliantly showed the repercussions of intolerance and the unwavering dedication required to make progress.

The other major facet of Marvel that is making it superior to DC is the continuity of the Marvel universe. Everything is connected and I think that gives the films and comics more validity and makes it more entertaining as well. DC does have the Justice League and there is some cross-over but Marvel has it down to a science. The “Civil War” series clearly demonstrates the intricate and vast universe that Marvel has created. Next year’s The Avengers movie should also be a huge payoff for those who have seen the long build up, starting with Iron Man in 2008. Each Marvel film revealing small clues that link the films to each other and the post-credit scenes which tie the film to the “Avenger initiative”.

I have always believed that the purpose of film was to entertain and to hopefully educate. The comic book film fascination has lead way to both. I do not think this trend will continue for much longer because, like most trends, it only lasts for a bit and then it eventually fades out. But I have thoroughly enjoyed the past decade in film. I think that Marvel has opened the eyes of potential new readers into the lessons it has to teach. The heroes and heroines have their titles not because of their abilities but because of the simple choices they make to act. It is the humanity at the core of each person that makes them special and which endears them to the audience.