Date of Graduation

12-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies

Advisor/Mentor

Robin Roberts

Committee Member

Stephanie R. Schulte

Second Committee Member

Robert B. Cochran

Keywords

Gender, Masculinity, Racism, Television Studies, Toxic Masculinity, White Supremacy

Abstract

Streaming Gender, Masculinity, and Race: Luke Cage’s Impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe analyzes gender, masculinity, and race in Marvel’s transmedia universe. The analysis examines streaming television’s role in confronting social issues related to gender, masculinity, and race, such as systemic racism, white supremacy, and toxic masculinity. This study examines the impact of three Netflix series on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and The Defenders, as these series were Marvel’s initial use of streaming television. The character, Luke Cage, appears in each of these Netflix series, and while each series tells a story of its own, the series also function as individual parts of a greater work through serial continuity. Events and character developments that occur in one series, carry over into the other series and potentially influence the entirety of the transmedia universe which consist of a variety of platforms including: film, traditional television, streaming television, web shorts, and comic books.Building on the study of the Netflix series, Streaming Gender, Masculinity, and Race: Luke Cage’s Impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, also examines the launch of Disney+ as it replaces Netflix in hosting Marvel’s streaming television. The analysis there examines how WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier build on precedents set by Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and The Defenders in confronting issues of systemic racism, white supremacy, misogyny, and toxic masculinity. However, the Disney+ platform offers stronger connectivity to other branches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe because the new streaming platform is owned by Marvel’s parent company where Netflix was not. With Disney+, characters are able to cross over from film to television and back again freely creating a direct influence on the transmedia universe.

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Available for download on Monday, February 17, 2025

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