Although purely fictional, filled with superhuman strength, aliens, magic-users, and time traveling, theMarvel Cinematic Universemanages to feature a few real-life historical events in their movies and Disney+ series. How would they even avoid it if one of the first American superheroes was created solely to defeat the Nazis and help win one of the World Wars, after all? Indeed, part of the franchise’s earlier efforts to ground comic book superhero movies in the real world involved infusing real-life historical events, such as Captain America’s involvement in World War II and, more presently, Tony Stark’s contribution to the War in Afghanistan.
Although there have been a number of instances where the fantasy world intermingled with the real one, most of it is heavily Eurocentric. Indeed, the MCU has only recently started branching out into cultures outside the West, and we’re honestly here for the fresh representation. Let’s take a look at six real-life historical events that were included in the MCU movies and Disney+ series.
6The Origin of Black Panther — Black Panther
What’s special aboutBlack Pantherand T’Challa is that, perDigital Spy, he is credited as the first superhero of African descent in Marvel Comics. First appearing in Marvel’sFantastic Fourin 1966, he then went on to have his own comic book by 1977. And then, of course, it took another few decades to create a movie about him and include him as one of the Avengers in the MCU. What’s important to note is that Black Panther was created against the backdrop of the Black Power movement, when African-Americans demanded equal rights under the U.S. law and fought racial segregation. To create and name the first black superhero after the Black Panther party was surely a step in the right direction.
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5Post-Cold War Espionage — Black Widow
Everyone reading this probably knows what the Cold War was, but to refresh your memory: it was the geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, lasting virtually until today. How doesBlack Widowplay into all of this? The story of the female superhero was built around the ‘Russian spy’ theme, as she was also trained to be one. Natasha was abducted as a child and trained to be a Black Widow, a Russian assassin and spy. Moreover, as a kid, she was part of an American family that was actually undercover Russians infiltrating American society to gather intel. Believe it or not, perNPR, this was common practiceduring the Cold Warand, as seenBlack Widow, well after.
4The Birth of Babylon — Eternals
Prior to the release ofEternals, it was announced that the story was going to span over 7000 years and that it would completely change the trajectory of the MCU timeline. The Eternals' time on Earth spanned from 5000 BC, when they arrived to Earth, to 2024. As it turned out, this group of heroes played integral parts in developing the ancient cities we’ve come to know in history class, helping them progress as a civilization. The main focus, of course, was on Babylon. The city was the largest in the world, existing from c. 1770 to c. 1670 BC, and again from c. 612 to c. 320 BC. It was believed to be the first city to reach more than 200,000 citizens. The MCU has linked all of this greatness and prestige to the Eternals' assistance across time.
3The War in Afghanistan — Iron Man
TheIron Manfranchise is coated in the U.S.’s involvement in Middle Eastern affairs under the guise of 9/11. Even the creation of the Iron Man suit was prompted by the abduction of Tony Stark by the Afghan forces, which later turned out to be funded by Tony’s right-hand man. Everyone was well aware that Stark Industries manufactured weapons and then shipped them for soldiers to fight in Afghanistan, but it also turned out the weapons were used by the terrorists themselves, which was a nice allegory for America’s own history of funding terrorism. Thankfully, Stark realizes the grave mistake and shuts down the manufacturing after his first-hand (and near-death) experience.
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2Partition of India — Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marveldives deeply into the history of India and Pakistan. It’s an extremely important plot point for both Kamala Khan and her family’s roots. The historical event they focus on in particular is the night of the Partition of India and the unthinkable chaos that the Indian Independence Act 1947 caused. As you may already know, the British royalty was insatiable when it came to colonizing different countries under the pretense of the “White Man’s Burden”. Hinduistic and Islamic people were living in harmony for the most part, until the Partition of India. Those who wanted to feel safe practicing their Islamic religion left for Pakistan and vice versa. The show depicts the chaos and masses of people trying to catch a train, abandoning their own lives because of the British rule yet again.
1World War II — Captain America: First Avenger
Last but not least,we have Captain Americaand the sole reason why he was created: to defeat the Nazis inThe First Avenger. Although the concept of Super Soldiers is highly fictionalized, the reason for the foundation of the project was actually real. The U.S. wanted a true American hero with all the “good American qualities” to help them win the war and defeat the Nazis in Germany in World War II. Even though everyone doubted that Steve Rogers was the right pick for such an important mission, they couldn’t have been more wrong, as Captain America single-handedly played a major role in the MCU’s version of WWII.
