The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with its unparalleled mass appeal in our world today, provides a rich cache of stories, characters, and archetypal resonance. The stories told in the MCU create a rich narrative tapestry, displaying many patterns of masculinity which can help us reflect on the mythic landscape in which we currently live.

   Growing up, most men in our culture are not taught anything about masculinity beyond the narrow ideas which have been circulating for the last 100 or so years. Without overt teaching, we’ve received implicit information about what is expected of us through modeling from those around us and messaging which comes from various streams of media. As we become more embedded in a technological culture, the influence of social media, the film and television industry, and video games has increased. Men are now delivered very explicit information about how to “be a man” or “be masculine” by social media personalities in the “man-o-sphere” who are in some cases overtly misogynist, such as Andrew Tate and the hosts of the Fresh and Fit Podcast. These figures and their many imitators perpetuate ideas about masculinity that deviate very little from the conventional norm and amplify its most toxic aspects.

Given the outcry in western culture against the many forms of “toxic masculinity”, it’s necessary to articulate healthier expressions of masculinity and illuminate the path towards them. It's necessary also to do this in a way that does not alienate or shame those who still appreciate the older ideals. Traditional forms need to be honored and woven inclusively with new images, models, and perspectives about masculinity. It is the mission of this book to do this weaving.