Unmasking Marvel's Superheroes: A Genre Analysis of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: A Genre Analysis of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Translated title
Afmaskering af Marvels Superhelte: En Genre Analyse af Marvel Cinematic Universe: En Genre Analyse af Marvel Cinematic Universe
Author
Larsen, Christian Bredvig
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-06-02
Pages
68
Abstract
Mange mener, at superhelte har domineret Hollywood siden årtusindskiftet, især på grund af Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Denne afhandling udfordrer den antagelse og undersøger, hvorfor MCU er blevet ved med at fastholde publikums interesse. Genrer er fleksible kategorier, og film deklarerer ikke nødvendigvis deres egen genre, så grænserne er uklare. Hvis man vil forudse udviklingen for superheltefilm, må man først afklare, hvad den nuværende trend egentlig omfatter. Afhandlingen viser, at MCU i praksis rummer film, der trækker på vidt forskellige genrekonventioner, og at netop den variation kan være en del af forklaringen på MCU’s langtidsholdbarhed. Dette demonstreres ved at anvende Rick Altmans semantiske/syntaktiske tilgang til genre—hvor ‘semantik’ handler om genkendelige elementer som miljøer og rekvisitter, og ‘syntaks’ om fortælle- og temamønstre—til at vise, hvordan filmene i MCU’s fase 1 følger forskellige genremønstre. Herefter analyseres Liam Burkes forsøg på at samle nyere Hollywood-blockbusters under etiketten ‘tegneseriefilm’ (‘comic book movies’), en genrebetegnelse han selv definerer. Når MCU inkluderes heri, kritiseres etiketten for ringe anvendelighed og manglende forklaringskraft—særligt fordi genreteori blandt andet bruges til at forklare publikums engagement i fortællemønstre. Som alternativ foreslås, at MCU som filmserie markerer fremkomsten af en ny blockbuster-genre: ‘worldbuilding cinema’. Den udspringer af Henry Jenkins’ idé om transmediale fortællinger—historier, der udfolder sig på flere medier, hvor hver del bidrager til helheden—men i MCU realiseres oplevelsen inden for ét medie: spillefilm. Konklusionen er, at forsøg på at indkredse MCU-film til én enkelt genre enten bliver reduktionistiske eller mangler forklaringskraft. ‘Worldbuilding cinema’ som genrebetegnelse for filmserier kan bedre beskrive deres fælles konventioner, undgår at klistre genremærkater på enkeltstående film, og kan samtidig belyse blockbuster-tendenser det seneste årti samt den forretningsmodel, Hollywood-studier aktuelt tilstræber.
Many people believe superheroes have dominated Hollywood since the early 2000s, largely because of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This thesis challenges that assumption and asks why the MCU has remained so popular for so long. Genres are flexible categories, and films do not have to declare a single genre for themselves, so boundaries are blurry. If we want to forecast the future of superhero movies, we first need to clarify what, exactly, the current trend includes. This thesis shows that the MCU is, in practice, a collection of films that draw on very different genre conventions, and that this variety may help explain the franchise’s longevity. To demonstrate this, it applies Rick Altman’s semantic/syntactic approach to genre—where ‘semantics’ refers to recognizable elements like settings and props, and ‘syntax’ to recurring narrative structures and themes—to show how the MCU’s Phase 1 films align with different genre patterns. It then examines Liam Burke’s attempt to group contemporary Hollywood blockbusters under the label ‘comic book movies’, a genre term he defines, and critiques its limited applicability and lack of explanatory power—especially given that genre theory is, in part, meant to explain how audiences engage with narrative patterns. As an alternative, the thesis proposes that the MCU, as a film series, signals the emergence of a new blockbuster genre: ‘worldbuilding cinema’. This builds on Henry Jenkins’s idea of transmedia storytelling—stories unfolding across multiple media, with each installment adding to the whole—but in the MCU the experience is delivered within a single medium: feature films. It concludes that confining MCU entries to a single traditional genre is either reductive or uninformative. Using ‘worldbuilding cinema’ as a genre label for film series better captures shared conventions across an interconnected slate of films, avoids mislabeling individual entries, and helps explain recent blockbuster trends and the studio business model they support.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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