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Marvel comics have been around for the better part of the century. The last 100 years have been deeply transformative for the world, given that we’ve seen world wars, nations finding freedom, and civil rights movements catching strong fervor. These changes have inspired a lot of art, and comics are no exception to the rule.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken a more apolitical approach, with the exception of perhaps Captain America films. There's plenty of social commentary in the more recent MCU content, but a lack of social fervor makes fans wonder: Are Marvel comics political?
In this article, we'll take a look at some of the most politically charged storylines and characters from the company. These plots and depictions aren’t just political for the sake of it as they take inspiration from their era of origin.
Exploring 5 politically charged Marvel comics
1) Silver Age focused on the Cold War
It all began in the 60s. Marvel started adding to the discourse around the Cold War, which played out between the Soviet Union and the United States from 1947 to 1991. The war hit its high point in the 60s, which is when the company started capitalizing on the theme.
More Russian characters played the role of the villain, while the heroes tried to do whatever was in their power to stop them. The most noticeable example of the Cold War shaping the motives of our heroes would be The Fantastic Four #1.
Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm went to space for the sole reason of beating the Communists in the Space Race. As fate would have it, they were exposed to cosmic rays, and upon their return to Earth, discovered that all of them had miraculous powers.
2) X-Men's civil rights commentary
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men is the most noteworthy example of political commentary. The struggle between the mutants and non-mutants started off in the 60s, and it was an allegory for the Civil Rights movement, which was a call for equality.
The most notable transition to a serious shift in tone played out in the graphic novel X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (1982). Writer Chris Claremont painted Reverend William Stryker as the villain, who used religious rhetoric to convince the majority that the X-Men are abominations made by God.
In the face of ideological prejudice, the group's wide array of superpowers was ultimately rendered useless. Artist Brent Anderson also based the look of Stryker on Alexander Haig, Ronald Reagan’s secretary of state.
This also heavily transferred into Bryan Singer's X-Men movies. While we see Magneto as a radical supporter of mutant rights, his tragic origin story explored in Greg Pak's X-Men: Magneto Testament (2009) showed the horrors of the Holocaust.
Max Eisenhardt was a Jewish child growing up in Germany during World War II. With his mutant genes still dormant, he went through immense suffering and even lost his parents. For a socially powerful character, Magneto also has deeply impactful political roots.
3) Iron Man deals with several political characters
Iron Man is not just another billionaire playboy. Since Tony Stark's company is primarily a weapons manufacturer, the character has been heavily involved in war and politics.
He was a major Cold War capitalist in the Silver Age and fought the opposition every chance he got. Many of the villains in his storyline, such as the Mandarin and the Crimson Dynamo, all have some link with communism.
Tony Stark's character saw a change in the 80s as he grew concerned over the control and spread of his technology. He sought to take full ownership of his company's creations, showcasing libertarian values.
In the 2000s, he took on the role of Secretary of Defense. Stark even became the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D at one point. This was Tony Stark right after the Civil War and right before World War Hulk.
In Daniel Knauf's story, Tony was doing a job that he never wanted to and explored taking on the burden of command as he tackled counter-terrorism and espionage.
4) Captain America has always been deeply political
Captain America kicked off his very first appearance in the comics by punching Hitler. It took place at a time when the U.S. was against having a war with the Nazis.
You'd be surprised to find that once you go through the pages of Captain America Issue #1 (1941), there's no such thing happening in it. Instead, the cover was made to showcase Marvel comics' stance almost a year before America even joined World War II.
The 1970s Secret Empire stands as one of the biggest political storylines for the Captain, as Steve Englehart and Roy Thomas showed us a world where a secret society is trying to infiltrate the U.S. government. They even hinted that the man leading the group was none other than then-U.S. President, Richard Nixon.
When Sam Wilson took the mantle of Captain America in the 2010s, some of his storylines addressed racism in America. However, the Captain America: Hail Hydra story by Jonathan Maberry remains one of the biggest allegories in comics about the spread of fascism in America.
5) Civil War shows the government's response to events like 9/11
Mark Miller's Civil War: A Marvel Comics Event became one of the greatest storylines of all time. While many appreciate it for the thrilling plot in which heroes from separate factions battle it out, they miss out on the political aspects of the story.
It serves as a reaction to events like 9/11 and how the world changes afterwards. While in the real world, we saw the Patriot Act in the aftermath of the catastrophic event, Marvel mirrored this with the Superhero Registration Act.
As per the act, all masked superheroes/vigilantes had to disclose their identity to the government. Everyone had a choice to make because revealing who they were meant losing autonomy in their pursuit of justice.
The fight for freedom eventually took a bigger shape as Iron Man led the initiative on the Superhero Registration Act, while Captain America led the opposition.
Marvel comics in the current day and age
Marvel has addressed a huge variety of issues since its inception. To bring up the old point again, its work was often reactionary to the times, and the case is still remains the same.
In the last few decades, the company has introduced a large number of female characters such as Riri Williams' Ironheart, Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel, and Jane Foster's Thor. These creations often level the otherwise male-dominant playing field and help bring more awareness to fans about feminist values.
Captain Marvel is perhaps the biggest example of the triumph of female characters in the universe, as even before gaining her powers, Carol Danvers was a skilled pilot and a ranked intelligence Major. Later on, she became the head of security at NASA.
Ms. Marvel broke even more stereotypes. Writer G. Willow Wilson introduced a supremely powerful character who is a Muslim woman and also champions U.S. democracy.
Another aspect that Marvel comics have tried to put forth is a political philosophy that is critical of certain values. During The United States of Captain America (2021) miniseries, Steve Rogers reflected on the American Dream and explained that not letting others come into the country was the American Lie. The true American Dream, he said, was not exclusionist and inspired hope.
While the company got criticized for this, the series illustrates that Marvel comics do showcase a reflection of the times they are created in. They are, in fact, political, and always push the envelope in regards to the social and political zeitgeist.
