Of Superheroes and SJWs: Media and Fans Framing the Impact of Diversity in 2010s Comic Books

Abstract

ARVEL ENTERTAINMENT, LLC, A DISNEY-OWNED MEDIA COMpany well known for its comic books, attained high levels of popular culture saturation throughout the 2010s due to the wild success of movies based on its characters. As of 2020, Marvel Studios (Marvel Entertainment's corporate sibling film production company) has produced five of the thirteen highest grossing films of all time, including Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame ("Top Lifetime Grosses"). While Marvel films have dominated the box office, the associated comic book line has witnessed very mixed sales results in the same period. Comic book retailers reported certain hits, such as the 2019 relaunch of X-Men, which had sales up to ten times higher than previous titles (Harper). However, other years saw Marvel leading a 25 percent plunge in industry sales, causing some to predict that the company may be "dying" ("Is Marvel Comics Dying?"). Commentators cite a wide variety of forces at work for the occasionally tumultuous business and often point to Marvel's habit of rebooting its comic book line as a key issue (MacDonald).Simultaneously, Marvel made efforts in the 2010s to reach a more diverse audience by increasing social representation of both its characters and its comic creators (Kubai). Through reboots and reimaginings, traditionally white male superheroes, such as Captain America, Thor, and Spider-Man, have all-at least temporarily-become titles filled by women and/or people of color. At the same time, their series