I think the first decade of the MCU was something like the Pixar golden age, mostly great to superb storytelling followed by a falling off in quality. It took Marvel Comics cosmic superhero dramaturgy into cinematic presentation, safely packaged in a secular perspective, so Thor's Asgardian world was based on a highly advanced science resembling Norse mythology, which is more demythologized than the comics were. But such concessions were necessary to translate two-dimensional comics narratives into live-action films, disenchantment being the price. So the universe is a physical time/space reality that can be controlled by those with the right cosmic equipment, i.e., the Infinity Stones. An hierarchical order that includes the transcendent reality of a supernatural God interferes with that narrative freedom. This provided a very broadly appealing story format that, for a while, worked to offer a world of wonderful characters telling their own stories inside of one big one--the ultimate Franchise of franchises.
As a comics guy, this was my childhood fulfilled and it didn't bother me that it left out the Reality of creation. I knew what it was and wasn't trying to do, and don't take its entertaining storytelling as holding forth any major truth claims others than colorful good vs. evil, heroes vs. villains and sacrifice as the price some would pay for it. Like Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, and other lucrative franchises, these values attract large audiences, when well executed.
But since Endgame, as is broadly observed, the MCU has seen more uneven storytelling, a loss of narrative momentum and interconnectivity amongst the films. And with them, has come the increase in progressive content, as if, since the summer of 2020, creators guiltily worked at showing their woke bonafides, presenting the impression that such attention drains the creative energy from the scripts. (And we know the same is happening at another Disney property, Star Wars.) For a mega-franchise with a secularized mythology, the values that count are progressive ones they feel are needed for the "real world."
Besides the memorial for Tony? People snapped out of existence, only to be returned may not qualify for funerals--no bodies. Dramatically, the script needed to expedite focus on the effects on the remaining 50%, hence, the survivor's therapy session. As such, these were the darkest moments of the generally brighter MCU films and drove the need to somehow overcome the Snap, leading to the time travel project. BTW, this is far gloomier than the original comics miniseries, The Infinity Gauntlet, that inspired the movies. There the remaining heroes immediately go after Thanos in the present and the Snap is eventually reversed. Far less grieving after the initial shock and as I recall, no hero dies by sacrificing themselves. Status quo ante. (And yes, Robert Downey Jr. has said he'd be open to returning as Tony--sheesh.)
Short answer, probably yes. Marvel seems to be late pagan, demigods and monsters doing fantastic things but completely separated from philosophical underpinnings. Pop religion which tends towards miracles! vs. Philosophical which seeks to understand.
To me the most interesting thing about that pop religion vs. philosophical that Marvel fully displays is the alpha/omega 3rd rails. In modern philosophical religion the unallowed thing is teleology. Since prophecy isn't real, we can't make any comments about where it is all going. Philosophical religion seems to be all about ontology. Pop religion never addresses ontology. Everything just is and always was. But it is all about teleology. If I exert my superhuman will and skill, how can I bend the universe toward the good? Where are we going? All the characters are prophets.
Whoa, dude. I'm just a humble mass comm prof! That's spot on, heavy stuff. Could you translate that into sidewalk English -- two sentences maybe -- for our readers who are not bilingual? ;-)
Heh. Sorry. I'm terrible at smaller word compression.
Ontology is where we are from and what is says about us. Teleology is where we are going and what it means which usually takes a prophet to tell you. Eggheads today don't believe in "fighting for the future" because is it all determined at the start. Regular people don't really care about the start, but they love the story of overcoming the start and figuring out where it is all going.
I think the first decade of the MCU was something like the Pixar golden age, mostly great to superb storytelling followed by a falling off in quality. It took Marvel Comics cosmic superhero dramaturgy into cinematic presentation, safely packaged in a secular perspective, so Thor's Asgardian world was based on a highly advanced science resembling Norse mythology, which is more demythologized than the comics were. But such concessions were necessary to translate two-dimensional comics narratives into live-action films, disenchantment being the price. So the universe is a physical time/space reality that can be controlled by those with the right cosmic equipment, i.e., the Infinity Stones. An hierarchical order that includes the transcendent reality of a supernatural God interferes with that narrative freedom. This provided a very broadly appealing story format that, for a while, worked to offer a world of wonderful characters telling their own stories inside of one big one--the ultimate Franchise of franchises.
As a comics guy, this was my childhood fulfilled and it didn't bother me that it left out the Reality of creation. I knew what it was and wasn't trying to do, and don't take its entertaining storytelling as holding forth any major truth claims others than colorful good vs. evil, heroes vs. villains and sacrifice as the price some would pay for it. Like Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, and other lucrative franchises, these values attract large audiences, when well executed.
But since Endgame, as is broadly observed, the MCU has seen more uneven storytelling, a loss of narrative momentum and interconnectivity amongst the films. And with them, has come the increase in progressive content, as if, since the summer of 2020, creators guiltily worked at showing their woke bonafides, presenting the impression that such attention drains the creative energy from the scripts. (And we know the same is happening at another Disney property, Star Wars.) For a mega-franchise with a secularized mythology, the values that count are progressive ones they feel are needed for the "real world."
Why no funerals?
Besides the memorial for Tony? People snapped out of existence, only to be returned may not qualify for funerals--no bodies. Dramatically, the script needed to expedite focus on the effects on the remaining 50%, hence, the survivor's therapy session. As such, these were the darkest moments of the generally brighter MCU films and drove the need to somehow overcome the Snap, leading to the time travel project. BTW, this is far gloomier than the original comics miniseries, The Infinity Gauntlet, that inspired the movies. There the remaining heroes immediately go after Thanos in the present and the Snap is eventually reversed. Far less grieving after the initial shock and as I recall, no hero dies by sacrificing themselves. Status quo ante. (And yes, Robert Downey Jr. has said he'd be open to returning as Tony--sheesh.)
Returning as a version of Stark — probably a multiverse riff, as always.
Short answer, probably yes. Marvel seems to be late pagan, demigods and monsters doing fantastic things but completely separated from philosophical underpinnings. Pop religion which tends towards miracles! vs. Philosophical which seeks to understand.
To me the most interesting thing about that pop religion vs. philosophical that Marvel fully displays is the alpha/omega 3rd rails. In modern philosophical religion the unallowed thing is teleology. Since prophecy isn't real, we can't make any comments about where it is all going. Philosophical religion seems to be all about ontology. Pop religion never addresses ontology. Everything just is and always was. But it is all about teleology. If I exert my superhuman will and skill, how can I bend the universe toward the good? Where are we going? All the characters are prophets.
Whoa, dude. I'm just a humble mass comm prof! That's spot on, heavy stuff. Could you translate that into sidewalk English -- two sentences maybe -- for our readers who are not bilingual? ;-)
Heh. Sorry. I'm terrible at smaller word compression.
Ontology is where we are from and what is says about us. Teleology is where we are going and what it means which usually takes a prophet to tell you. Eggheads today don't believe in "fighting for the future" because is it all determined at the start. Regular people don't really care about the start, but they love the story of overcoming the start and figuring out where it is all going.
Don't know if that helps.
Sure does. So what seminary degree do you have?
Concordia Seminary - St. Louis. One of the bad Lutherans.