Random MCU Movies Touched On Serious Real-World Issues (12 items)

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  (#12) Ant-Man

  • Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Tip "T.I." Harris, Anthony Mackie, Wood Harris, Judy Greer, David Dastmalchian

  When Scott Lang is released from prison after being convicted of white collar cybercrime, he tries to go straight and get a real job at Baskin-Robbins. Because of his record, he applies under a fake name, but gets the job and is a model employee. However, after it's discovered that he's an ex-con, he's immediately fired from his job. In an effort to pay child support, he has to resort to burglary because he can't find a legal way to make ends meet.

  While in Ant-Man this concern simply serves as a catalyst for the story, and to get Scott into Hank Pym's home, it's a surprisingly astute observation on the hiring discrimination that many people face after serving time, and the subsequent recidivism that often occurs when those same people feel they have no legal recourse or options for living a life on the right side of the law.
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  (#9) Avengers: Endgame

  • Robert Downey Jr, Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Karen Gillan, Anthony Mackie, Tom Holland, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Paul Bettany, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sebastian Stan, Don Cheadle, Pom Klementieff, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson

  Amid the epic battle scenes and long-awaited superhero team-ups, the final two Avengers films are filled with small, poignant moments of humanity and pain that paint a stark portrait of suffering in the face of loss and tragedy. As Thanos strives to halve the population of the universe - under the self-deluded guise of being a savior - he leaves swaths of casualties and broken families in his wake.

  Long before he snaps his fingers and instantly dissolves half of the beings in the universe, he was already going from planet to planet ruthlessly slaying millions with his armies. The painful tendrils of this villainy can be seen in Gamora - who was "adopted" by Thanos after he offed her family - as well as Drax, who is driven by an undying need for revenge over the execution of his family. 

  The ramifications of real-world genocides are mirrored in the film's portrayal of how trauma can change the course of people's lives. The pain of real genocides still lives on in the children and grandchildren of those impacted by them, in the same way that Thanos's genocidal actions inexorably changed those whose lives were uprooted by them.

  Even in a more direct sense, the pain and psychological trauma of genocide can be seen in Endgame when, five years after the Snap, Steve Rogers attends group therapy sessions where people lean on one another to find comfort and support while struggling to deal with their unimaginable losses.
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  (#6) Iron Man 3

  • Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Kingsley, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Stan Lee, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau filmography, Rebecca Hall, Fan Bingbing, James Badge Dale, William Sadler, Miguel Ferrer, Stephanie Szostak, Ty Simpkins, Ashley Hamilton, Dale Dickey, Yvonne Zima, Justin Wheelon

  Tony Stark goes from an amoral playboy billionaire in Iron Man to a drunken, frightened self-described savior in Iron Man 2. Stark's appearance in Iron Man 3 continues his incredible arc as it reflects the emotional and psychological toll of the Battle of New York, as seen in The Avengers. The sight of the devastation, the truth of the real scope of the universe, and Stark's own near-death experience (when he literally flew through a cosmic wormhole and saved the globe from an alien invasion with a nuke), have all coalesced into some severe emotional damage and PTSD.

  Stark is struggling with panic attacks and self-doubt, he can't sleep, and he heartbreakingly summarizes his struggle when he tells his girlfriend/business partner Pepper Potts, "Nothing's been the same since New York. You experience things, and then they're over and you still can't explain them? Gods, aliens, other dimensions, and I'm just a man in a can." The issue begins to get worse and worse, and Stark is crippled with his anxiety and fear when faced with thinking back on his own experiences. But he manages to move forward and work past his barriers.

  The film's representation of PTSD and trauma has been lauded and Robert Downey Jr.'s performance has been celebrated for realistically depicting the debilitating impact PTSD can have on anyone - even someone as self-assured and cocky as Tony Stark. While the real roots of PTSD can be wildly varied and manifest in myriad ways, Iron Man 3 is an honest look at the problem and a remarkable demonstration that trauma can affect anyone - and it doesn't make them weak, it just makes them human.
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  (#8) Iron Man 2

  • Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, Jon Favreau, John Slattery, Garry Shandling, Paul Bettany

  Giving Tony Stark some sort of vulnerability seems to be the driving motivation for the writers of every film he appears in - whether it's a physical vulnerability (like his need for an arc reactor to keep his heart going in Iron Man), or a psychological vulnerability, like his emotional difficulties in Iron Man 3. However, for Iron Man 2, the filmmakers decided to delve deep into the character's increasing alcohol dependency.

  Loosely inspired by the 1979 Invincible Iron Man comic storyline "Demon in a Bottle," Tony becomes an increasingly reckless alcoholic when he discovers that the palladium used in his lifesaving arc reactor in his chest is also poisoning him. If he takes it out, he's toast; if he leaves it in, he's toast. Unwilling to tell anyone about his problems, Tony instead accepts what he thinks is his inevitable fate and indulges in booze and debauchery at the expense of his relationships.

  After getting drunk while wearing the Iron Man suit at what he thinks will be his last-ever birthday party, Tony ends up getting into a fight with his best friend, James Rhodes, wearing a prototype armor suit. This leads to Tony having his suit confiscated and losing his friend. The film serves as an examination of the consequences of vice, told on a superhero scale. It's only when he turns to Nick Fury and works through past emotional issues with his late father that he is able to overcome his own demons.
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  (#4) Black Panther

  • Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis

  Wakanda is a small but wildly technologically advanced African nation that has long managed to hide the truth of its scientific advances through a staunch governmental policy of isolationism (and also a hyper-advanced cloaking shield that literally hides the country under a hologram dome).

  Wakanda's rationale for isolating itself from the world is understandable, as the possession of potent natural resources like vibranium has always been like a dinner bell for hungry colonialists throughout history. However, it also serves as a point of conflict between King T'Challa (AKA Black Panther) and his rival for the throne, Eric Killmonger, who wants to expand Wakanda's influence over the world.

  Ultimately, T'Challa realizes that Wakanda has a moral imperative to reveal the nation's true capabilities and offer help to other countries in the form of international outreach initiatives that could provide lifesaving technologies to people and countries in need. It's the same debate that has raged in America for generations with regard to our intervention in world events and geopolitical affairs.
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  (#2) Captain America: Civil War

  • Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl

  In the first act of Civil War, the Avengers find themselves in Lagos, Nigeria, in an effort to stop terrorists from swiping a biological weapon from a lab. In the ensuing conflict, Scarlet Witch telekinetically redirects an explosion that would have wiped out her comrades, but inadvertently takes out a number of Wakandan humanitarian workers. It leads to public outrage over the Avengers operating without permission on a global scale - not to mention severe guilt for Scarlet Witch.

  The conflict, however, mirrors the real-world debate over interventionism and America serving as a world police force, operating with semi-legal jurisdiction in countries across the world under the pretense of protecting global peace. The debate over American interventionism has raged for decades, with arguments for and against isolationism and increased oversight, all of which play out to different degrees in Civil War, and it adds a uniquely distinct realism to the drama. It's not about good guys versus bad guys, but rather nuanced political philosophy.

  The events in Lagos lead to a call for the Avengers to be overseen by a panel of United Nations politicians who will control the authorization of future operations. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers find themselves divided, with Stark arguing that oversight is important for transparency, while Rogers argues that politicians with potential ulterior motives shouldn't dictate when or how the Avengers save the world.

  This, too, reflects the long-fought argument over government oversight of organizations, such as the Center for Disease Control or the World Health Organization, and the question of whether or not those organizations' efforts are impacted by the politicians who may or may not dictate their objectives.

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