"How Desperate Are You, That You Call on Such Lost Creatures to Defend You?": Exploring how the MCU Establishes and Challenges the Cinematic Archetypes of Masculinity of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

The field of superhero studies is a fast-growing and evolving one that has grown rapidly over the past decade although relatively little attention has been paid to the depiction of masculinity on screen within superhero films. This thesis proposes that established cinematic archetypes of masculinity were central to many of the Phase One and Phase Two MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) films and aims to explore how these were used through an in-depth exploration of said cinematic archetypes in the form of detailed textual analysis and character study. Focusing predominantly on the characters of Tony Stark/Iron Man, Steve Rogers/Captain America and Thor, this work will explore how the different cinematic archetypes of masculinity such as the lone gunslinger, the World War Two soldier and the hard-bodied hero are established and challenged throughout the eight films this thesis is focusing on, starting with their first introduction into the MCU. As this work will explore, each character is introduced as embodying a depiction of an older cinematic archetype of masculinity from previously established Hollywood genres. Through this portrayal, the narrative goes on to challenge. Phase One of the MCU, as this thesis will demonstrate, establishes how these cinematic archetypes of masculinity are introduced in each character and evaluates the merits of an embodiment of these cinematic archetypes through the struggles the hero must overcome. Phase Two films attempt to challenge and interrogate these cinematic archetypes of masculinity by examining how these depictions of cinematic archetypes of masculinity work in relation to each other as well as in isolation. This thesis aims to provide an in depth critical exploration of cinematic archetypes of masculinity within the first two phases of the the MCU, highlighting the integral role that such forms play in introducing and developing the selected characters at the start of what would become an immensely successful shared cinematic universe of films.