Abstract

Environmental concerns have been growing globally as the evidence of global warming and other environmental events has become more difficult to ignore. While environmental discourse is vital, the overall interest in this topic leaves much to be desired. One point of contention is the decimation of information on environmental issues to the vast majority. There is an urgency to normalize the notion, research, and dinner table conversation of overpopulation. Overpopulation is at the heart of all environmental concerns; the number of mouths/bodies and available natural resources create a global imbalance. The rapid human population growth highlights the scarce conditions of wildlife and is directly associated with humanity's overpopulation. Can the popularity of Marvel and other comic book films serve as a tool to normalize conversations about ecology, environmental concerns, and societal issues? This article uses an ecocritical approach to interpret and interrogate films that attempt to make ecology connections and make meaning of living in an environmental crisis, using Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War as the primary text, in conjunction with other films that attempt similar approaches. Avengers: Infinity War receives record-breaking notoriety for gross revenue, translating into a high viewership. However, what cannot be concluded is if the ecological narrative of the film was decoded. There is still work to be done on environmental concerns, but popular comic book films do cast a ray of hope, given their global influence.

Key Words: Marvel, Ecocinema, Environmental, Ecocritical, Supervillain.

About the Author

* Solomon Cochren is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication & Film, University of Memphis, Memphis, USA. His research interests include race communication, cultural criticism, media studies, and rhetorical criticism.

^JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 16, No. 2, October 2024, pp. 8-19

© Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON).

Article Citation

Cochren, S. W. (2024). Perfectly balanced as the world should be: An ecocritical exploration and discuss analysis of the supervillain in Marvel films. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 16 (2): 8-19.

Full Article

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Pages: 12

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