Grief, Dreams, Gender, and Critical Praise

The Marvel Cinematic Universe smash hit WandaVision might have something insightful to say about grief, hope, and harmful ways of coping — but critics haven’t been responsive to such stories in the past. Why is that?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a staple of our popular culture. Despite the endless stream of online trolls who dare to discuss it in any non-contemptuous context, the franchise that started as a remarkably well-done, witty superhero film in 2008, back when superhero films were only “surprisingly common” and not the actual bread and butter of theatrical releases, is now one of the common reference points for cultural discussion. Many critiques have been made of the MCU’s impact on the distribution of different types of cinema, and its role as part of the Disney media juggernaut — as Disney’s dominating grip on its own intellectual property has expanded to conquer, first, a subset of Marvel superheroes not already licensed to other properties, to every company that ever owned something connected to Marvel — and, of course, Star Wars along the way.

This piece is not about that. The MCU may be imperialist and it is almost certainly a tool of Disney’s media “monopoly” (based on my admittedly Economics 101-level knowledge of that term, and the ongoing fracturing of endless streaming services from other providers, I feel like the better term would be…