Representation of Immigrants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

초록

In recent years, the problem of underrepresentation and misrepresentation in films has been one of the most discussed topics related to media. Although the general trend in representing different ethnic and racial groups in media has significantly evolved, it still raises the question of whether certain minorities are adequately represented or covered. This study aims to examine the representation of first and second-generation immigrants and their family members in Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Studios’ superhero franchise, widely known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The Marvel Cinematic Universe consists of dozens of movies, TV series, and other types of media content, mostly based on hundreds of Marvel comic books and featuring hundreds of human characters. For this research, content analysis was conducted on around 50 movies and TV series of the MCU. The findings revealed that 1) they have not been given leading roles and are often portrayed as having criminal backgrounds but they are mostly portrayed in a positive light and 2) Asian immigrants were overrepresented compared to Afro-Americans and Hispanics.

키워드